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Dr. Rod Fontecilla Named Chief Innovation Officer for Guidehouse; CEO Scott McIntyre Quoted
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Dr. Rod Fontecilla Named Chief Innovation Officer for Guidehouse; CEO Scott McIntyre Quoted

Guidehouse announced on Tuesday that the company has announced Dr. Rod Fontecilla, formerly of Dovel Technologies, has been named the chief innovation officer for the company to oversee the strategic innovation framework and drive innovation initiatives as a part of the organization’s overall growth strategy. 

“I am thrilled to lead Guidehouse’s next chapter of innovation to support the delivery of advanced solutions that outwit its clients’ complex challenges in the public and private sector,” said Dr. Fontecilla. “I look forward to working with our segment leaders across the organization on emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing to accelerate modernization efforts.”

Following the completion of Guidehouse’s acquisition of Dovel Technologies back in Oct, Dr. Fontecilla has transitioned into his new role with the company to lead the expansion of its Innovation Agenda to new areas that align with the firm’s vision and its clients’ mission. 

Previously, Fontecilla acted as the chief innovation officer and chief data scientist for Dovel and led all aspects of technology development in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and predictive analytics for the company, which included software engineering, application modernization, and cloud computing. 

In his new role, Dr. Fontecilla will combine his nearly 30 years of professional experience in implementing large and complex mission-critical IT solutions along with Guidehouse’s existing innovation programming. 

“I’m confident that his background, expertise, and passion for innovation will both push Guidehouse to be more innovative and have an immediate impact on our overall business,” said Scott McIntyre, CEO of Guidehouse and a five-time Wash100 Award recipient. 

Following last year’s record-shattering participation from the GovCon community and the most competitive Wash100 voting season in the award’s history, the 2022 Wash100 Award winners are expected to be the most esteemed list of elite federal leaders who demonstrate the high level of commitment, innovation, vision, reliability and achievement in our industry and community.

Please ensure your choices for the highest honor in all of GovCon are included for consideration. Visit Wash100.com to submit your nominations for the 2022 Wash100 Award before Dec. 31st, 2021.

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Defense IT Leader Patrick Fitzgerald Joins Sev1Tech to Lead Navy Programs; CEO Bob Lohfeld Quoted
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Defense IT Leader Patrick Fitzgerald Joins Sev1Tech to Lead Navy Programs; CEO Bob Lohfeld Quoted

Sev1Tech announced on Tuesday that Patrick Fitzgerald, former Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic Enterprise Systems Department head, has joined the company as the senior vice president of Navy Missions to lead its U.S. Navy programs and drive innovative solutions supporting the service branch’s mission goals.

“The Sev1Tech team’s commitment to balancing practical, timely and fit-for-purpose solutions with a bold vision for the future aligns well with my approach to leadership,” said Fitzgerald. “I look forward to working with the team to drive growth across the U.S. Navy business unit and provide our customers with the innovative solutions they need to confront increasingly fluid threats and challenges.”

In his previous role, Fitzgerald has overseen a diverse workforce of more than 500 civilian and military personnel and led a broad portfolio worth approximately $200 million a year in revenue.

He’s also an experienced Department of Defense (DOD) professional who has dedicated his career to identifying and implementing affordable IT solutions for sailors, the Navy and across the DOD.

“Patrick is an innovative spirit and proven leader who understands the Naval landscape and shares our deep commitment to their mission,” said

Bob Lohfeld, CEO of Sev1Tech. “His experience and perspective will add key value to the team, and I look forward to working with him closely as we continue to elevate Sev1Tech’s high standard of support for U.S. Navy sailors and warfighters across the Armed Forces.”

MetTel Expands Digital Transformation Services to Government Clients With SAIC Partnership; Rob Dapkiewicz Quoted
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MetTel Expands Digital Transformation Services to Government Clients With SAIC Partnership; Rob Dapkiewicz Quoted

MetTel is partnering with Science Applications International Corp to provide enhanced digital transformation services to U.S. government customers.

The Washington, D.C.-based telecommunications service provider is currently working with a federal agency to convert its legacy technologies into an SD-WAN and IP voice architecture, and the newly announced SAIC partnership will allow the company to expand its growing federal practice, MetTel said Tuesday.

Rob Dapkiewicz, senior vice president and general manager of MetTel’s federal arm, said, “We have already proven the value of our partnership with a major federal agency and have identified further opportunities for government transformation.”

In July 2021, MetTel secured an Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract to provide the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission with Internet Protocol services.

MetTel’s portfolio of digital transformation services, including its fully managed Mobility-as-a-Service offering, has been recognized for two consecutive years as a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Managed Network Services.

The company utilizes cost-effective access technologies, including 4G, 5G and satellite, depending on the individual needs of government sites. Additionally, MetTel’s network connects services from major telecommunication and cable companies to lower costs to government customers.

In a recent Executive Spotlight interview with ExecutiveBiz, Dapkiewicz highlighted the company’s leading-edge digital transformation offerings, and commented, “MetTel partners with all of the major telecom providers and has an extensive partner ecosystem, giving us best-of-breed solutions across the spectrum of telecom, broadband, networking equipment and software.”

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Report: Pentagon Eyes Reorganization of 3 Offices Dealing With AI, Data
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Report: Pentagon Eyes Reorganization of 3 Offices Dealing With AI, Data

The Department of Defense is considering a reorganization of DOD and the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), Defense Digital Service and the office of the chief data officer to help streamline processes and establish a cohesive approach with regard to the use of data and AI, Breaking Defense reported Monday.

The publication cited sources that say the three offices would still operate independently but would report to a new leader that will be called chief data and AI officer.

According to the report, Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of defense and a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, has enabled her office to focus on data and AI.

“Hicks is right to focus on this topic and to make sure the department has an effective method to rapidly implement effective software and data practices at all levels,” said a former DOD official. “It’s the right problem and needs senior leadership focus.”

TSA Eyes Info Sharing, Analysis Center for Public Transport Situational Awareness
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TSA Eyes Info Sharing, Analysis Center for Public Transport Situational Awareness

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is looking to establish an information sharing and analysis center that will provide situational awareness data on public transportation assets.

TSA posted a request for information on SAM.gov with the intent to explore potential industry partners that can help the agency form and maintain a public transit ISAC.

The agency expects the proposed center to conduct analyses of security incidents, cyber-related events and counterterrorism efforts associated with modes of transport such as over-the-road buses, subway and waterborne platforms, and high-speed passenger, light and commuter rails.

A possible contractor for the data-sharing hub would develop recommendations, white papers and guidelines to protect mass transit and passenger rail services from terrorism and cybersecurity threats, according to the RFI notice.

Interested parties can submit capability statements until Dec. 6th.

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FY 2022 NDAA Falls Short of Votes Needed to Advance in Senate
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FY 2022 NDAA Falls Short of Votes Needed to Advance in Senate

An effort to end debate on the Senate version of the fiscal year 2022 National Defense Authorization (NDAA) Act led to a 45-51 vote, falling short of the 60 votes needed to pass the defense policy bill in the upper chamber, Politico reported Monday.

The latest setback facing the FY 2022 NDAA stemmed from a dispute over amendments, including a measure that would impose sanctions over the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline.

The lawmakers should address the dispute to approve the defense policy bill as Congress needs to pass another continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown. The government is operating under a stopgap measure that is set to expire on Dec. 3.

Reuters reported the NDAA would authorize approximately $770 billion in defense funding.

“I’m still very supportive of this bill and hope we will pass it soon,” said Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

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DOD’s Global Posture Review Calls for More Cooperation With Allies to Advance Stability in Indo-Pacific Region
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DOD’s Global Posture Review Calls for More Cooperation With Allies to Advance Stability in Indo-Pacific Region

The Department of Defense’s Global Posture Review calls for the U.S. to strengthen cooperation with allies and partners to pursue initiatives in the Indo-Pacific to help advance regional stability and deter potential military aggression from China and threats from North Korea.

The initiatives cited in the review include improvement of infrastructure in Australia and the Pacific Islands, rotational aircraft deployments in Australia and regional access for military partnership activities, DOD said Monday.

A senior DOD official said the guidance’s impact will be evident through routine posture-related decisions in the next two to three years, Defense One reported.

“Direction from the GPR will strengthen the department’s focus on China by reducing posture requirements in other theaters to enable improved warfighting readiness and increase activities in the Indo Pacific,” the official said. 

The review also assessed the Pentagon’s posture in other regions, including Europe, Africa, Central and South America, the Caribbean and the Middle East. In Europe, the GPR further builds up U.S. deterrence against Russian aggression and strengthens NATO forces.

DOD noted that it expects the GPR to inform the forthcoming National Defense Strategy and help enhance the department’s response capability and posture decision-making processes.

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Air Force Demos Palletized Cruise Missile Launch From Lockheed-Built Aircraft
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Air Force Demos Palletized Cruise Missile Launch From Lockheed-Built Aircraft

The U.S. Air Force released a long-range cruise missile test article from a Lockheed Martin-built transport and special operations tanker aircraft using a palletized weapons deployment system as part of the service branch’s Rapid Dragon experimentation program.

The flight test at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico sought to demonstrate the feasibility of conducting standoff munition delivery operations through airdrop approach and using a transport plane as a lethal strike platform, the Air Force Research Laboratory said Monday.

AFRL noted that the cruise missile separation test vehicle was able to perform aerodynamic control and pull-up maneuvers while moving toward its target, just seconds after the system launched from the four-cell deployer unit via Air Force Special Operations Command’s MC-130J aircraft.

The event saw the first time the missile’s onboard battle management system received and uploaded targeting data from a beyond-line-of-sight command and control node, moving away from previous practices of using an emulator.

Lockheed’s missiles and fire control business, Systima Technologies, Safran Electronics & Defense and Parachutes USA participated in the demo.

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Marc Salit to Lead Synthetic Biology Development as MITRE Fellow; Charles Clancy Quoted
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Marc Salit to Lead Synthetic Biology Development as MITRE Fellow; Charles Clancy Quoted

Marc Salit has been tapped to spearhead the development and expansion of MITRE’s synthetic biology work as a MITRE Fellow.

As part of his appointment, Salit will lead MITRE’s new Open BioFoundry which will leverage synthetic biology to develop tools and applied capabilities in engineering biological systems, MITRE said Monday.

Charles Clancy, senior vice president and general manager of MITRE Labs and chief futurist, said, “Marc brings significant experience and leadership overseeing important synthetic biology work, and we are thrilled to have him on board to help develop one of the most impactful technologies for the future.”

Salit currently serves as an adjunct professor at Stanford University, where he directs the Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology, which is a collaboration Salit established between Stanford, industry partners and the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop standards and tools for cultivating bioeconomy products.

The new MITRE Fellow also previously served as senior staff scientist at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

Prior to his time at Stanford, Salit spent nearly three decades at NIST, where he led the institute’s genome scale measurements and multiplexed biomolecular science groups.

As a MITRE Fellow, Salit’s work will focus on leveraging synthetic biology to improve remote sensing and detection, among other critical sponsor problems.

Additionally, MITRE has named synthetic biology expert Pam Silver, Ph.D. as a member of its Labs Advisory Committee.

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DARPA Program Seeks to Advance Space-Based Bioproduction Study
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DARPA Program Seeks to Advance Space-Based Bioproduction Study

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched a program to investigate basic research questions that are key to the development of biomanufacturing capabilities in space.

The Biomanufacturing: Survival, Utility and Reliability beyond Earth (B-SURE) program will gather information on the optimization of microbial growth in variable gravities, microbial use of alternative feedstocks in space and strategies for mitigating the identified effects of galactic cosmic radiation on bioproduction and microbial growth, DARPA said in a Nov. 22nd news release.

“The B-SURE program is a fundamental study that will explore adapting microbes to space conditions. As a proof of concept, the microbes will produce reporter molecules with the hope that eventually this technology will enable in-space production of molecules relevant to space flight,” said Anne Cheever, B-SURE program manager.

B-SURE is an 18-month initiative composed of three tracks: alternative feedstock utilization, variable gravity and variable radiation.

DARPA is set to hold a Proposers’ Day for the B-SURE program on Monday, Nov. 29th, and will accept proposal abstracts through Dec. 9th. Full proposals are due Jan. 25th, according to the broad agency announcement.

The agency eyes multiple awards for the program that could be in the form of a procurement contract, cooperative agreement or other transaction agreement.

Space Acquisition Forum

GovCon Wire will hold its Space Acquisition Forum on Jan. 19. Click here to register for the virtual forum to hear from defense officials as they share their insights on military acquisition reform and modernization efforts.

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