News and Events

Selling to the US Government: Unraveling the Mysteries
Manchester, Belfast & London
January 24, 25 & 27, 2005 

Speaker Bios

April DuBois is the Director of International Business Development at the Greater Washington Initiative. Additionally, she implements marketing campaigns and connects companies with potential partners, service providers, venture capitalists and office space. Prior to joining GWI, April served as Manager of Strategic Accounts for a Washington area IT firm and Manager of Global Accounts for Teleglobe, Inc. She developed extensive export and trade-related expertise while working with the Susquehanna Economic Development Association – Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Office of International Business Development. Ms. DuBois also worked closely with the Governor’s Action Team, under PA Governor Tom Ridge, in the area of foreign direct investment for the Commonwealth. April’s professional background has included experience in: marketing, grants/fundraising, business incubators and university research parks, public speaking, technical training and international trade/relations. Additionally, she has published two books relating to international trade —Taking on the World and The Building & Construction Marketing Guide. Request a meeting

Stephen Johnson is the Director of European Operations for the Greater Washington Initiative. Based in London, Stephen works with European companies seeking to establish trade links with corporate and government customers in the Greater Washington region.  He also maintains regular contacts with regional economic development agencies, business groups and business media in the U.K. and other European countries. Prior to joining GWI, Stephen served as director of corporate communications for several technology companies in Greater Washington, and before that as a senior executive at Hill & Knowlton and Burson-Marsteller, two of the world's leading public relations agencies. Stephen also worked as a journalist for The Boston Globe and The Washington Star, and as European News Director for Fairchild Publications, a leading chain of U.S. business newspapers. He helped found two London-based online technology news wires -- Thames Tech Wire and European Tech Wire. Stephen worked as a professional staff member of the United States Senate. Stephen holds an undergraduate degree in history from Grinnell College and graduate degrees in international politics and economics from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Request a meeting

The Greater Washington Initiative (GWI) is the non-profit, regional economic development marketing organization created to promote the Greater Washington region as a premier business location. GWI is funded by area public jurisdictions that encompass the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland, and numerous leading area companies, and it is an affiliate of the Greater Washington Board of Trade (BOT), a regional chamber of commerce. GWI’s confidential and complimentary services help companies and associations to: identify strategic partners and venture capital contacts; meet public and private sector leaders; arrange site tours; and obtain demographic and real estate information about the region.

Gary Cook is a Business Development Specialist at the General Service Administration’s Federal Supply Service in the Information Technology (IT) Acquisition Center. He is responsible for assisting companies in obtaining GSA contracts and helping them develop viable marketing strategies. With more than 12 years contracting experience, Cook travels across the United States giving classes to both vendors and government agencies on the best methodologies to utilize GSA’s services. A decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, Gary Cook holds an MBA from Averett University. The IT Acquisition Center of the GSA was responsible for approximately $18 Billion in contract sales in FY 03 with an estimated $25 Billion dollars in overall sales from all GSA schedule contracts.  Request a meeting

Stephanie Turner is the Director of Customer/Vendor Relations at GSA/FSS’s IT Acquisition Center. She is a former Contracting Officer with over 10 years of contract experience with the IT Acquisition Center. Ms. Turner currently serves as a liaison between customer federal agencies and vendors within the IT industry. She educates federal agencies on the proper utilization of the GSA Schedules and provides guidance and training to vendors in understanding the process involved in obtaining a GSA Schedule Contract. In addition, she serves as the Small Business Outreach liaison for the IT Acquisition Center, and has forged partnerships with GSA’s Small Business Office, SBA, foreign embassies as well as other government agencies and small business organizations. Request a meeting

The General Services Administration Federal Supply Service leverages the federal government's vast buying power and the professional expertise of its staff to offer quality products and efficient service, enabling agencies to focus on their primary missions by reducing their own investments in acquisition and in the management of federal personal property assets. The Federal Supply Service serves customer agencies though four business lines: Supply, Services and Procurement; Vehicle Acquisition and Leasing Services; Travel and Transportation; and Personal Property Management.

Hope Lane is Director of Aronson & Company’s GSA Schedule consulting practice in Rockville, MD, responsible for assisting clients in obtaining GSA contracts and providing consulting support in the areas of pricing strategy and contract administration. With an exclusive focus on GSA Schedules, she possesses in-depth understanding and intensive hands-on experience. Hope’s background includes over 15 years of broad-based experience in the government-contracting arena. She has served in financial management positions with several regional federal contractors and has extensive experience in the management of all accounting and finance functions. Lane is actively involved in the National Contract Management Association and the Northern Virginia Technical Council. She is a guest speaker and lecturer for associations and industry trade groups and a featured speaker on GSA Schedules at Aronson & Company’s Executive Briefings, and was recently an invited speaker at the second annual GSA PSX Services Expo in Washington, DC. Request a meeting

Aronson & Company (A&C), established in 1962, is a nationally-ranked top 50 accounting and consulting firm providing quality business solutions in Greater Washington. For more than 40 years, A&C has offered the breadth of knowledge and experience of national accounting firms with the personal service of a local firm. The specialists at A&C are intimately familiar with the middle market and provide innovative business solutions to industry groups that include: construction, government contractors, homebuilders, nonprofit associations, professional service, real estate developers, technology and wholesale/retail companies. A staff of 200+ provides professional services, includes: audit and assurance, tax, business consulting technology/accounting systems, GSA schedule consulting, investment banking, litigation support and valuation.

Gerry B. Cater represents private equity funds in investments in private and public companies. He also represents corporations in securities offerings and cross-border acquisitions. His broad practice includes venture capital financings, private equity transactions, mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings and international joint ventures. This practice includes representing start-up entities in raising capital and private and public companies in various transactions. Mr. Cater has worked on matters involving some of the industry's most prominent venture capital and private equity firms, including Carlyle European Venture Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Camden Partners, ABN Amro International Venture Capital and Interconex. In addition to serving two years on the Audit and Investigations staff of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Cater also works on major transactions with important public policy components. Request a meeting

As a partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Christopher Grew advises technology companies in public offerings, venture capital transactions, and cross-border mergers and acquisitions. He regularly advises firms with respect to their international business operations, investment banks, as well as venture capital firms and other financial intermediaries. Grew has acted for issuers or underwriters in public offerings on the following stock exchanges: Copenhagen Stock Exchange; London Stock Exchange; NASDAQ Europe (formerly EASDAQ); NASDAQ; Neuer Market; Nouveau Marché, SWX Swiss Exchange; and Stockholm Stock Exchange. Christopher Grew has been recognized in various publications including Legal Business magazine Chambers Global, The World's Leading Lawyers, The Wall Street Journal (Europe)Time Magazine (European edition) and the Tornado Insider. Request a meeting

Stephanie Liston, Partner, co-heads the European Communications and E-Commerce Practice. Liston advises on communications-related contracts and commercial transactions and provides strategic and regulatory advice in connection with communications and broadcasting activities. She works with numerous firms in the UK, European and international markets, including investors, Internet providers, equipment suppliers and cable operators. She has advised Ofcom, Digicell, Verizon Global Solutions Inc, XchangePoint among others major companies. With more than 14 years of experience, Stephanie Liston is active with many organizations including the International Bar Association and the Director of Women in Telecoms and Technology, which she co-founded. Request a meeting

In 2004, Hale and Dorr LLP and Wilmer Cutler Pickering LLP joined to create a new law firm: Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP. This is one of the largest law firms worldwide and includes more than 1,000 lawyers. The combined firm's preeminent nationally and internationally recognized practices include: antitrust competition, bankruptcy, complex civil and criminal litigation at both the trial court and appellate levels (including white collar defense), corporate (including mergers and acquisitions, public offerings and venture capital), intellectual property, intellectual property litigation, international arbitration, life sciences, securities regulation, enforcement and litigation, telecommunications and trade. Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP has offices in Baltimore, Beijing, Berlin, Boston, Brussels, London, Munich, New York, Northern Virginia, Oxford, Princeton, Waltham, Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit WilmerHale.com.

As Vice Consul Trade, Terry Shear is responsible for the UK Trade & Investment's US Activities in Government Procurement and homeland Security sectors. She has driven the UK Trade & Investment Government Procurement/Homeland security sector strategy forward post September 11 th. Since taking up her new position in October 2003, Shear has assisted numerous UK firms, establish relationships with U.S. partners, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, organizations, industry and U.S. government procurement committees. Before taking up her current position Shear was the Commercial Policy Officer for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, working closely with staff officers to identify and report on commercial opportunities in the U.S. regulatory arena and monitoring threats to UK business in the form of tighter rules. Terry Shear has worked for the UK government undertaking commercial work for more than 15 years. Request a meeting

UK Trade & Investment is the government organization that supports companies in the UK doing business internationally and overseas enterprises seeking to set up or expand in the UK. With commercial teams based in more than 200 offices around the world, and a network of specialists throughout the UK, we are uniquely positioned to help your business across national boundaries.

Gary Turner is a Federal Government consultant with DART Ltd.  He is a retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander who now lives near Manchester. For the past eight years, he has been involved, as an independent consultant, in assisting European companies become GSA Contract holders. Three years ago, Turner joined Schedulemaster, again as an independent, helping the organization introduce U.K. companies to the GSA process. He has been involved with more than 20 GSA Contract offers and with Schedulemsater, has a 100 percent success record. Gary Turner has extensive contacts within GSA and the U.S. military and assists companies with post-Contract award marketing. Request a meeting

DART (Domestic Appliance, Refurb and Transport Ltd.), based in Seighford, Stafford, specializes in the supply of white goods. DART achieved GSA Contract holder status two years ago and has expanded its field of operations to include many other products and services, all of which are either under offer to GSA or in the process of being prepared for offer. DART has been successful using the GSA Contract process, managing projects throughout Europe and the Middle East, including Iraq.

Bill Matthews, Managing Director, has a background in commercial project management and office environmental solutions, and has worked in the field of GSA contracts for more than four years. His extensive administrative experience is the perfect grounding for dealing with the demands of the GSA Contract paperwork and his commercial acumen is essential for determining pricing and service level policy. Request a meeting

Schedulemaster was established in December 2001, to provide European companies with the opportunity to realize the sales potential in the largely hidden marketplace of dealing with the U.S. government.  In the last three years, Schedulemaster has written more than 20 GSA Contract offers on behalf of clients and has a 100% record in having the offers awarded by the GSA. If there is a GSA contract for the products or services a U.K. company provides, then Schedulemaster can give that company the best advice outside the U.S. on how to achieve the preferred status of a GSA Contract holder.

Richard Higgs is Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Thought. He joined the company as Commercial Director in January 1998 after a successful career in the software industry. With a degree in Management Sciences at Warwick University, he spent six years in software sales with high profile IT solutions companies, moving then into banking technology with Bankers Trust in the U.K. and U.S. In 1995, Higgs founded ADS Systems Ltd. to develop and deliver trading systems within Europe. After three years of operation, ADS grew to more than 50 percent of the group turnover when the parent company was acquired by SunGard Corporation in 1997. In 1999, Richard Higgs agreed to take over as Managing Director, as the company identified a dual problem: the need for a revised corporate strategy and a new approach to management more suited to a larger organization. Request a meeting

Strategic Thought, Ltd., founded in 1987, has more than 50 London-based staff. The company recently opened an office in Washington, DC and has representation in France, Germany and Australia. The company has two focused business lines: it develops, owns and markets an industry-leading enterprise risk management software called Active Risk Manager, the market leader for major program; and it provides operational risk management in the Fortune 5000 and top 500 European companies. The company's  solution and integration services business offers expert products to customers in the retail, financial services and telecommunications sectors. The company is an IBM Premier Business Partner.