SECAF Appoints New Members to Board of Directors

For immediate release
 
Contact: Amy Talley
For SECAF
atalley@jeffersoncomm.com
(703) 323-8939
 
SECAF Appoints New Members to Board of Directors
Ben Edson and Sirena Johnson Join the Organization’s Leadership Team Effective July 1
 
July 1, 2015, McLean, VA – The Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum (SECAF), the premier organization for the small and emerging government contractor, today announced the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors. Ben Edson, Founder and CEO of VariQ and Sirena Johnson, Principal, Thompson Greenspon will both serve the Board by supporting the organization’s activities within the government contracting industry for two years. SECAF’s mission is to provide its membership with: access to government agencies, senior government and industry executives; connections with peers, mentors, teammates, and partners; and drive thought-leadership to educate small and emerging contractors about the industry and how to grow and run their businesses.
 
Edson is the Founder and CEO of VariQ. VariQ has over 300 staff and is a fast-growing IT solutions consulting firm that designs, integrates, and operates technical solutions in primary areas of Cybersecurity, Enterprise Application Development and IT Infrastructure.  The company has grown more than 940 percent since 2009. Prior to VariQ, Edson was the Security Architect at MSD and Security Consultant at Symantec where he performed numerous technical implementations throughout the United States and Mexico for Fortune 100 and commercial clients. Additionally, he was the Business Manager for The Family Missions, an international non-profit organization.  Edson holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, as well as a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Information Telecommunications Systems from the Carey Business School of Johns Hopkins University.
 
Johnson is a principal at Thompson Greenspon where she is a member of the Government Contracting and Employee Benefit Plans Groups.  She provides accounting, auditing and tax services to clients and possesses a working knowledge of Federal regulations and cost principles for Federal government contractors accounting policies. In addition, she also provides management consulting services. These include assisting client management in the implementation of cost accounting systems and overhead allocation methods, preparing overhead incurred cost submissions for the Defense Contract Audit Agency (“DCAA”), and assisting with DCAA accounting system reviews. Prior to joining the firm, Johnson had accounting experience in the private industry sectors of Federal government contracting and legal practices.  She was previously named a “Super CPA” by the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants and Virginia Business Magazine in the category of Small Business Consulting.  Johnson holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from George Mason University.
 
“The addition of Ben and Sirena to the SECAF Board of Directors ensures that our organization continues to be a valuable resource to the government contracting community as a whole,” said Scott Brezler, Chairman of SECAF and Partner at Dixon Hughes Goodman.  “Their exceptional experience, talent, and perspective will provide unparalleled value to our members.  We are tremendously excited to have them both on board.”
 
The full 2015-2016 Board of Directors roster is as follows:

·        Scott Brezler, Dixon Hughes Goodman, Partner - Chairman
·        Kathy Albarado, Helios HR, CEO - Secretary
·        Frances Craig, Unanet, CEO and Founder
·        Ben Edson, VariQ, Founder and CEO
·        Sue Evans, Evans Incorporated, President and CEO
·        Cameron Hamilton, The McLean Group LLC, Principal – Vice Chairman
·        Devon Hewitt, Protorae Law, Partner
·        Jack Hughes, Phoenix Financial & Advisory Services, LLC, Principal – Treasurer
·        Sirena Johnson, Thompson Greenspon, Principal
·        Jeannette King, SRE, Inc., President & CEO
·        Shiv Krishnan, INDUS Corporation, President
·        Mark Moore, John Marshall Bank, Executive VP & CLO
·        Kwesi Rogers, Federal National Commercial Credit, President
·        Andrew Sherman, Jones Day, Partner
 
 
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About The Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum
The Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum (SECAF) enables the small and emerging government contractor to achieve maximum growth rates in a highly competitive marketplace. Providing members with business resources, access to influencers and government agencies, and advocacy opportunities and education, SECAF is an important resource for a growing company.  SECAF also serves the medium to large government contractors, providing invaluable introductions to specialized small businesses that enable the overall contracting community to work successfully in tandem. For more information, visit www.secaf.org.