Anne Defot-Sido comes to us with almost twenty years of experience, making her an expert in government contracting, procurement, the federal marketplace, acquisition practices, and federal contract mechanisms. Anne’s passion for team building and data-driven decision making aligns perfectly with our company's values, culture, and mission. In her previous role at Akima, Anne pioneered a newly implemented growth strategy team, leading them to an impressive double-digit improvement in win rate for the organization’s top deals. We are excited to have someone with such a proven track record of success on board.

‍‍Catherine most recently was the interim CFO for Bart & Associates where she provided financial oversite. Prior to that, Catherine held the CFO position at Aleut Federal and ACT I.  She has also worked in senior finance and business operations roles at Unisys Federal, ASRC Federal, and CSC. She has an M.B.A. in Finance from Marymount University and a B.A. from Providence College.‍

Angela brings 20 years of experience to the role. Before joining Makwa Global, Angela held various positions spanning proposal management to Vice President of Corporate Development Operations. She started in industry with Strategic Insight, where she provided technical and coordination support to the Department of Navy’s Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems. Angela then joined Deloitte and was responsible for proposal management in the Defense Government Consulting Services. She subsequently supported Akima (one of the largest Alaska Native Corporations) as their Vice President of Corporate Development Operations during a period of record growth where she was the executive overseeing significant shared services functions including proposals, capture, business intelligence, and the PMO.  Angela most recently was the Vice President for Business Development and Proposal Operations of Tenax Aerospace where she implemented industry leading best practices, policies, and procedures to position the BD and proposal teams to grow the Airborne-ISR portfolio. 

Jim brings over 30 years of industry, military, and government experience to the role, where he will support the company’s growth strategy and vision. He is responsible for leading and growing the Makwa Global IT/Cyber portfolio. Before joining Makwa Global, Jim most recently was the CEO for Corvus Consulting, a subsidiary of Castellum. Prior to joining Corvus, Jim served as the President of Five Rivers Services, LLC and Synteras, both subsidiaries of Akima, LLC, a $1.3 billion government contractor. Previously, he held senior positions at SRA International and SAIC after serving over 25 years on active duty in the U.S. Army with his last tour of duty at CENTCOM. He has an MBA from Central Michigan University and his undergraduate degree in business from Indiana State University.

Jose brings over 15 years of industry experience to Makwa Global, specializing in operations and strategic business development. Most recently, he served as an Account Executive for the Department of State at All Native Group, where he managed client retention and drove business growth. Before that, he was a key member of the business development team at S&K Technologies. Earlier in his career, Jose was President of Alutiiq Professional Training, LLC, overseeing daily operations, business development, and profitable growth while ensuring successful project execution. He also brings a strong foundation of leadership and discipline from his eight years of service in the United States Marine Corps.

Ben brings over 25 years of industry experience, including program execution, client relationship management, business development, people leadership, and corporate operations. He is responsible for helping to lead and grow the Makwa Global Federal/Civilian IT portfolio. Before joining Makwa Global, Ben most recently was the Vice President of Business Development for Centennial Technologies where he led all aspects of the business development lifecycle. Previously, Ben held a position at Karsun Solutions as the Senior Vice President for Client Delivery, where he provided executive leadership for Karsun’s client engagements, building strong relationships to guide the delivery teams. Prior to that, Ben spent 17 years as a Principal at Booz Allen Hamilton within their Strategic Innovation Group and led a $100M account portfolio in the Federal Civilian market. He has a M.P.P. in Public Policy from Duke University and a B.A. in Government from Colby College.

Andy brings more than 30 years of law enforcement, government, and security experience to Makwa Global. Before joining Team Makwa, Andy was with DECO Inc. as Program Manager for the Global Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program and developed or assisted in developing other international courses and security training programs. He served as the Deputy Director General of a company in the United Arab Emirates. He was responsible for building the team to implement the pre-construction, construction, operational phases of security, and security training for the emerging civil nuclear energy program of Abu Dhabi and the Critical National Infrastructure Authority (CNIA). Andy has served in other roles, such as East Africa Manager, where he managed the training and security efforts in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Sudan. He was the Chief Compliance Officer for a major security provider and conducted security and quality assurance in the USA, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries.

Teri is a seasoned executive who began her 20+ year career at NASA, overseeing multiple contracts valued at $50M per annum. She has deep experience creating policies and processes to support growing teams and navigating the complex relationships and compliance challenges of organizations and agencies, such as the DOS, DOD, and DHS. Having worked in both the private and government sectors, she brings invaluable insights into Makwa's many business units. Her ability to execute big ideas and bring together the best talent has made her a key player in scaling organizations and initiatives from inception to exponential growth.

Stephanie is an experienced business development and marketing professional with over 20 years of demonstrated history of working in the government, commercial, and private industries. Prior to Makwa, Stephanie spent 16 years at DECO, Inc. in which she was instrumental in helping grow the business from $24M to at one point over $120M with a global presence in over 100 countries. Serving in roles from Business Development Specialist to Vice President, she managed the business development and proposal process for more than 55 contract awards, 110 task order awards, and 2,500 training course awards. Prior to DECO, she served in marketing roles in the telecommunications and data networking industries. In addition to government contracts, she is a passionate entrepreneur with interests in business startups, consulting, as well as commercial and residential real estate.

‍

Celia de la Torre brings over 20 years of industry experience. Celia has served as an HR partner to companies that effectively managed portfolios of federal contracts across multiple disciplines, driving annual revenues between $40M and $600M. Most recently, Celia served as the Human Resources Director at Dignari, LLC, where she excelled as a strategic HR partner and advisor. Prior to that role, she was the Talent Management Director and Facility Security Officer at DSFederal, Inc. Celia also founded and led a small HR consulting firm, providing comprehensive HR services to startups and small organizations. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Celia is an active member of the HR community. She serves on the board of directors for the Human Resource Leadership Forum and regularly participates in HR conferences, workshops, and seminars to stay abreast of the latest trends, compliance issues, and best practices in human resources.