Potomac Officers Club

Debbie Granberry, CSC

Debbie Granberry is vice president of business development for Computer Sciences Corp.’s North American public sector civil group.

Granberry leads business development account teams in identifying and capturing new business and expanding client relationships with federal, state and local civilian agencies.

CSC credits the 20-year industry veteran with leading teams that create innovative strategies to yield solutions for public sector clients.

Prior to joining CSC, she served as the vice president of business development for SRA International’s civilian agencies sector. At SRA, she coordinated the business development staff’s activities in new business initiatives.  Previously, she was vice president of business development for civilian agencies at Vangent.

Granberry also held executive positions at Unisys, AT&T and Lucent Technologies. CSC says she demonstrated significant sales successes in key programs and federal government agencies.

Granberry holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and secondary education from the University of Illinois and an M.B.A. from the University of Denver.  She currently serves as chairman of TechAmerica’s federal committee and serves on TechAmerica’s state and local board of directors.

Brad Kopp, TASC

Brad Kopp is group vice president of finance for the defense and civil group at TASC, where he also serves as treasurer.

As group vice president, Kopp is responsible for overseeing all program and group level finance activities.

As treasurer, he manages key relationships with the banking and investment communities. He also monitors cash management, corporate insurance, external financial reporting, real estate, and financial support to coporate development opportunities.

Kopp joined TASC in April 2009. Prior to joining TASC, he served as a director of business management for Northrop Grumman’s civilian agencies and defense groups. He was responsible for cash flow improvement activities and improving the company’s information technology sector contracting process.

Kopp also served as chief information officer for Federal Data Corp.’s services group, and was responsible for all finance and accounting functions regarding the division.

He began his career at Computer Data Systems Inc., where he eventually became group vice president and chief financial officer.

Kopp holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with concentrations in accounting and economics from Shepherd College. He also holds a master’s degree in finance from John Hopkins University.

Patricia Obermaier, IMS

Patricia Obermaier is general manager of IMS Health‘s government solutions business unit.

Obermaier, a 20-year veteran of the healthcare and information technology sectors, has held this position since October 2009. She she is responsible for IMS services to U.S. military and civilian agencies.

Prior to joining IMS, Obermaier was a partner at Unisys, where she was responsible for the company’s business to federal healthcare agencies. During her eight-year tenure at Unisys, she held leadership positions in commercial, federal and global security practices.

Obermaier holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia’s Darden School.

Sophie Barrett, QinetiQ

Sophie Barrett is vice president for communications at QinetiQ North America.

Barrett was appointed to this position in March 2007, charged with branding and key messaging development and integrating legacy companies into the organization.

Barrett’s public relations responsibilities include:

• Integrated marketing plan
• Developing corporate communications policies
• Generating press releases
• Managing an external public relations firm
• Coordinating trade shows
• Content for the corporate website
• Corporate memberships

Prior to joining QinetiQ, Barrett directed corporate communications for Planning Systems Inc., now part of the Technology Solutions Group. She also has worked at Boeing and Harris Corp.

Barrett graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in business and management. She also holds an associate’s degree in business administration from Northern Virginia Community College.

Tiffanny Gates, Blackbird Technologies

Tiffanny Gates is the vice president for cyber strategies at Blackbird Technologies, a position she has held since December 2010.

In this position, Gates focuses on developing future programs in the company’s cyber and advanced technologies business areas.

Before joining Blackbird, Gates served as vice president of strategy and business development for ManTech International‘s mission, cyber and technologies solutions group. She also was the group’s lead cyber strategy officer and coordinated on investor relations and outreach, while also participating in acquisition efforts.

Prior to that role, Gates served in ManTech’s security and mission assurance group in the positions of vice president, chief technology officer and deputy chief of the cyber sector.

Gates joined ManTech upon the company’s acquisition of Emerging Technologies Group. At ETG, she served as president and chief executive officer for more than five years. The company said she had a successful track record of growth and recognition in the computer forensics and analysis community and successful coordination of global operations.

Before becoming president and CEO, Gates served as ETG’s corporate vice president and chief operations officer to federal government customers, including the Defense Department.

Prior to joining ETG, Gates was a consultant to a national security/information assurance team for the commander of the Naval Security Group, a now-inactive intelligence organization within the Navy. She also supported construction of C4ISR architectures for a program involving information operations and maritime cryptologic architecture.

Gates also worked with the National Security Agency as a technical analyst, specializing in counterintelligence threats from information technology.

Prior to starting her civilian career, Gates served in the Navy for seven years as a cryptologic officer.

Gates graduated from the Naval Academy.

Rebecca Cowen-Hirsch, Inmarsat

Rebecca Cowen-Hirsch is senior vice president for government policy, strategy and outreach for Inmarsat‘s U.S. government services business unit.

Cowen-Hirsch shapes Inmarsat’s strategic direction and policy relating to government and leads the government outreach and advocacy program. She shapes the program’s execution and government focused capabilities.

Cowen-Hirsch, a 20-year veteran of the defense and aerospace industry, also has spent part of her career in the public sector as a member of the Senior Executive Service of the Defense Department.

At the Defense Information Systems Agency, she served as program executive officer for satellite communications, teleport and services. In this capacity, she was responsible for acquiring capabilities that included responsive, cost-effective, mission-oriented and customer-focused SATCOM services.

Additional SES positions Cowen-Hirsch has served in include vice component acquisition executive, where she held management responsibility for the acquisition oversight and horizontal integration of DISA’s products, services, and programs.

As director of the Defense Spectrum Office, her responsibilities included developing national security spectrum strategic plans and policy, and national and international negotiation of defense spectrum issues.

Cowen-Hirsch received an Exemplary Service Medal for her service with the Defense Department.

Cowen-Hirsch is a rated experimental flight test engineer and was the first female civilian mission commander for the Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft mission.

Cowen-Hirsch received her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kentucky and completed post-graduate studies in engineering management at the University of Dayton. She is also a graduate of the University of Tennessee Space Institute Experimental Flight Test Program, the Defense Department’s Acquisition Management Program and the Cambridge Senior Executive Leadership Program.

Aileen Black, VMware

Aileen Black is vice president of the public sector team for VMware, where she leads the company’s federal government sales and strategy efforts.

Black has held this position for four years and in that time, the company reports the federal team has increased its revenue from $8.9 million to $200 million this year.

The federal team focuses on delivering virtualization solutions to the company’s government customers.

Black, a 23-year veteran of the high-tech industry, has received recognition from outside the company, being named by CRN Magazine as one of the 100 most powerful women in the channel. Black has been interviewed on Federal News Radio to discuss virtualization and upgrading of server infrastructure.

Prior to joining VMware, Black served as federal area manager for EMC Corp. Before EMC, she held positions at ONTOS, including as vice president of the public sector and mid-Atlantic region. The company credits Black with opening and staffing a team that covered both areas.

Prior to joining ONTOS, Black was Oracle’s director of sales for the company’s intelligence community business. Black started her career as a systems engineer at Data General before moving into sales and won the company’s rookie of the year award.

Wayne Rehberger, TASC

Wayne Rehberger is senior vice president and chief financial officer for TASC Inc., a position he has held since June 28, 2010.

He is responsible for the company’s overall financial functions and activities, including financial reporting and accounting, financial planning, contracts, pricing and supply chain, investor relations, trust administration and investments and real estate.

Rehberger, a 20-year telecommunications management veteran, was previously chief operating officer of facilities-based telecommunications services provider XO Communications. He took on this role in 2004 and was responsibile for marketing, network, sales and technology.

Prior to that, Rehberger served as XO’s CFO for more than four years. TASC said he led XO through a period of restructuring of finances and operations, including reductions of operating and overhead costs, which resulted in improved financial performance and operating metrics.

Prior to joining XO, Rehberger held several financial roles at MCI, including a stint as SVP of finance. He began his civilian career with KPMG‘s consulting business in Washington, working with federal agencies and defense contractors.

Rehberger served in the Army and Army Reserve for 10 years, achieving the rank of major. He graduated from Bucknell University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and holds an M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina.

Christopher Giusti, Capgemini

Christopher Giusti is the chief financial officer and chief operating officer for Herndon, Va.-based Capgemini Government Solutions, a subsidiary of Capgemini.

Giusti is responsible for all operations regarding finance and administration including contracts, human resources, security, information technology and facilities.

An industry veteran with nearly four decades of experience, Giusti joined Capgemini (previously Ernst & Young) in 1997 as a consultant, having served clients in multiple industries.

Prior to joining Capgemini, Giusti was a senior engineer with Lockheed Martin where he managed requirements and integration in multi-contractor programs for the Defense Department. These programs involved software, hardware, testing, planning, operations and support for mission critical assets.

Previously, Giusti led an operations team for General Electric‘s aerospace division, supporting real-time communications and information systems including migration to a new platform, resulting in end-users receiving an expanded suite of products.

Giusti graduated from Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in electrical and biomedical engineering. He also holds an M.B.A. from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke and a master’s degree in systems engineering from Virginia Tech.

Dave Herr, BAE

Dave Herr is president of BAE Systems‘ support solutions organization, a Rockville, Md.-based organization that serves the Defense Department and civilian sector federal customers.

Herr’s organization develops and integrates precision tracking radars and provides services for air and missile defense systems.

Its offerings include engineering and technical assistance, system and subsystem integration, communications system integration and readiness and sustainment services.

It employs more than 11,000 workers at facilities nationwide.

Herr previously served as vice president of commercial avionics for BAE’s platform solutions business, which supports platforms such as fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and ground vehicles.

Before that, he held the same role for BAE’s former electronics and integrated solutions group.

Prior to joining BAE, Herr held a series of executive positions at Lockheed Martin and General Electric‘s aircraft engines company. These included posts in procurement, program management, production operations, and product support.

Herr has also been a senior buyer at ITT‘s aerospace optical division and a material control supervisor for the former International Harvester Company, now known as Navistar.

Herr graduated from Saint Francis University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and earned an M.B.A. from Northern Kentucky University.