Advisory Board
A Vision for Greatness
David Frost
David Frost is a seasoned investment professional with over 30 years of expertise in investment banking and middle market lending. David is a Partner with Putnam Hill Capital Partners and previously held senior positions with Annaly Capital, Plainfield Asset Management and Houlihan Lokey. David’s industry experience includes advising and investing in aerospace, defense and government services sectors. David holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.
Dennis Kelly
Dennis Kelly is a well-known and highly respected leader in the federal government contracting community and a Navy veteran. Dennis serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tyto Athene and brings over 30 years of executive experience in the defense and intelligence community. Previously, Dennis was CEO of Eqlipse Technologies and has served in multiple CEO, President, and Chief Operating Officer (COO) roles with fast growth companies in the national security market including Anteon International, Tech Team Government Solutions, A-T Solutions, PAE, IOMAXIS, Buchanan & Edwards and Centauri. Dennis holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from Roger Williams University and an Executive Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Rhode Island.
Debbie Ricci
Debbie Ricci has more than 35 years of experience in executive roles for foreign and domestic operations at mid-market defense, technology and manufacturing companies. Her expertise includes end-to-end financial management, corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and capital management expertise and leadership within public and commercial sector organizations. Debbie serves as Partner, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Chief Administrative Officer of Guidehouse, and previously served as CFO of Constellis, Centerra Group, and A-T Solutions. She was named the CFO of the Year for mid-sized companies by the Washington Business Journal. Debbie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Bentley University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. She is currently on the Board of Advisors to the University of Pittsburgh Business School.
Rich Sawchak
Rich Sawchak is known for driving technology companies to succeed through financial scalability, operational excellence, and people-first culture. Rich serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SPA and has over 25 years of leadership experience. Rich was Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for four private equity or venture-backed companies and has completed over 40 M&A and financing transactions during his career. Rich holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurial Finance and Strategic Cost Management from the Olin Graduate School of Management at Babson College.
Tom Weston
Tom Weston currently serves as President of Valiant Solutions, LLC, a cybersecurity and IT systems firm, and has over 35 years of executive experience in the federal contracting industry. Previously, Tom was the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of ECS Federal, LLC, a leading provider of advanced technologies and solutions in the cloud, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning and IT systems modernization areas. Tom has served as CFO for both publicly traded and private equity held technology companies. During his career, Tom has led over 40 M&A and financing transactions as both a buyer and a seller. Tom graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and currently sits on the Board of Directors for several entities, where he also serves as chair of the audit committee.