U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Mike Studeman assumed leadership of the Office of Naval Intelligence and the National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office during a ceremony held at the National Maritime Intelligence Center in Suitland, Maryland.

Studeman, formerly director for intelligence at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Honolulu, Hawaii, succeeds Rear Adm. Curt Copley, who has served as the commander of ONI and director of NMIO since June 2021, the Navy reported Monday.

Studeman is a distinguished graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School and previously held intelligence leadership positions in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom deployments.

He also led the intelligence directorate of U.S. Southern Command in Miami, Florida.

In his new position, he will oversee the integration and sharing of maritime information across the U.S. intelligence community.

Seasoned finance executive Morgan Higgins has been appointed to the board of directors of defense sector-focused information technology company Client Solution Architects.

Currently a principal at government services growth equity firm Blue Delta Capital Partners, Higgins’ board addition formalizes her involvement with CSA after working closely with its executive team since BDCP’s 2021 investment, the Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania-based company said Tuesday.

Amy Bleken, CEO of CSA, said that as a board member, Higgins is poised to assist with generating organic and inorganic growth and deliver value to the company’s clients and national security objectives.

Higgins began her career at SunTrust Bank as a management associate, eventually rising to the position of relationship manager for the government contracting group, where she spearheaded a segment with 40 customers in the GovCon industry and totaling over $40 million in committed capital. She was also in charge of assigning and distributing lines of credit and financing for mergers and acquisitions deals to public and private contracting companies.

Subsequently, Higgins served in various roles for nearly six and a half years at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Starting as an underwriter, she transitioned to middle market manager and executive director, as well as middle market banker. In this position she also collaborated with government contracting companies alongside other Washington, D.C.-based commercial enterprises.

Bleken additionally said Higgins’ capabilities will be well-matched to the skill sets of other CSA board members, like SAIC board chair Donna Morea and retired Vice Admiral William Hilarides, formerly of Naval Sea Systems Command.

Versed in the finances of government contracting, Higgins’ main skills include financial modeling and analysis, credit evaluation and portfolio management.

Reportedly, Higgins has played a pivotal role in CSA activities such as the company’s acquisition of Capstone in July 2021.

“I’m eager to scale my contributions to CSA and Amy’s leadership team as the company accelerates all avenues of growth, especially as CSA continues to pursue strategic tuck-in acquisitions,” Higgins commented.

Former Juniper Networks executive Marie Russell has been appointed vice president of federal alliances at government services company Maximus.

As a member of the federal alliances team, Russell will be expected to manage and grow Maximus’ various collaborations between agencies and technology organizations, the McLean, Virginia-based company said Monday.

Teresa Weipert, general manager of federal services at Maximus, shared that Russell has been brought on to bolster the effort to amplify federal agencies’ missions by identifying and embracing new technologies that will meet their needs and help them achieve their goals. To do so, Weipert, who is a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, added, Russell will tap into the company’s “ecosystem of technology partners.”

Russell has gained experience through work such as serving as assistant vice president of channel sales and marketing at Alcatel, which was eventually bought by Nokia. She established the channel program at the company and nurtured it to reach over $120 million in revenue.

She also occupied the role of business development executive at telecommunications company Walker and Associates, where she handled the accounts for AT&T, Verizon and various federal government contractors.

Before coming to Maximus, Russell spent the last eight years at Juniper Networks in positions such as director of federal field and partner marketing, senior director of global partner programs and marketing and most recently, senior director of EMEA field and partner marketing.

During her career, Russell has earned distinctions such as the Chairman’s Superior Performance Award from the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International, on which she served for a time on the board of directors.

Expressing her excitement to come aboard at Maximus, Russell explained, “As federal agencies look to the future and modernize, there is an opportunity for Maximus and our technology partners to re-imagine what is possible and find ways to do more for our customers and for our citizens.”

Russell’s appointment comes on the heels of Maximus’ June hire of Robert Knapp as VP of digital government solutions