Eric Schnabel is the Chief Operating Officer at the National Institutes of Health. In this role, he is responsible for guiding the agency's national security strategy to safeguard sensitive scientific and proprietary information.

Eric has 25 years of distinguished service in the United States Army, including multiple deployments to overseas conflict areas with Airborne Divisions and Special Operations Task Forces. He has also held pivotal security and operations roles within the Army, the Department of Defense, and corporate America. Eric’s experience includes serving in C suite position within small businesses and working as the joint staff lead of the Secretary of Defense's Close Combat Lethality Task Force, Deputy Director of the Joint Staff J-7 Directorate's Office of Irregular Warfare, and Strategic planner for the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Operations Planner for the Secretary of the Army as well as serving in multiple Airborne Ranger assignments.

Ms. Kathleen L. Berst is the Acting Assistant Director Support/Component Acquisition Executive for the Defense Health Agency, Falls Church, Virginia. Her responsibilities include leading DHA’s research and development, acquisition, medical logistics, contracting, and information technology enterprise. As CAE, she establishes the Agency’s acquisition framework and implementation of tailored principles to support a diverse portfolio of over $19B annually of medical products, devices, equipment, and services that enable the DOD’s readiness and care missions. She has held numerous positions in DHA, including the Deputy Assistant Director for Acquisition and Sustainment and the Deputy Component Acquisition Executive.

Berst graduated in 1997 from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology, and in 2017 from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, with a Master of Business Administration. She is a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps and holds Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act Level III certification in Program Management. Additionally, Berst has achieved Program Management Professional certification and a Regulatory Affairs Certification. She has held numerous progressive positions within the DOD medical community in research, acquisition/program management, and regulatory affairs. She served as a biologist at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, conducting research on Yersinia pestis and Bacillus anthracis vaccines.

In 2001, she left the laboratory and started working for the Chemical Biological Defense Program’s Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program, where she advanced from Assistant Vaccine Manager to Director of Development Program Integration, leading multiple ACAT II programs. She transitioned to the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity in 2011 and served as the Project Manager for the Medical Countermeasures Test and Evaluation Facility, a program that she terminated, resulting in over $1 billion of cost avoidance for the DOD. Berst served in many other roles at USAMMDA, including Director of the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine Project Management Office, leading a team responsible for managing a diverse portfolio of research and development efforts for novel products to treat and restore service members from traumatic injuries. She has also held leadership roles in Regulatory Affairs and Clinical Development divisions. In January 2013, Berst was selected as USAMMDA’s Deputy for Acquisition, where she led USAMMDA’s Project Management Offices and provided integration and oversight to a large portfolio of operational medicine acquisition programs spanning the medical continuum of care.

Berst’s awards include four Department of the Army Commander’s Awards for Civilian Service, Achievement Medal for Civilian Service, Federal Executive Career Service Award (Gold) for Outstanding Professional Technical, Scientific, and Program Support, two Department of the Army Superior Civilian Service Awards, Fort Detrick Woman of the Year (2011), the Order of Military Medical Merit, and the prestigious Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award.

Katrina Brisbon is a distinguished former career member of the Senior Executive Service with extensive leadership experience in federal acquisitions and procurement strategy. Most recently, she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisitions and Senior Procurement Executive at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this role, she advised the HHS Senior Executive leadership on matters related to the HHS Acquisitions Enterprise while ensuring delivery of transparent, best value solutions across the $40 billion HHS acquisition portfolio.

Prior to her tenure at HHS, Ms. Brisbon served as the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Contracting and Procurement and Head of the Contracting Activity at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). There, she directed all aspects of TSA’s $3.8 billion acquisition operations, including oversight of contract operations, contract policy, business systems, and strategic planning. Ms. Brisbon also served as the executive liaison to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chief Procurement Officer on all matters related to TSA contracts and procurement, policy legislation, and the workforce.

Ms. Brisbon’s federal service also includes a key leadership role as the Deputy Head of the Contracting Activity for the Defense Information Systems Agency.  In this capacity, she provided strategic direction and oversight for the acquisition of telecommunications systems, information technology assets and associated services for annual obligations of approximately $7 billion.

Prior to joining the Senior Executive ranks, Ms. Brisbon held several influential roles, including Director of Acquisition Policy & Systems for the U.S. Coast Guard; Chief of the Contracting Office for the U.S. Army Intelligence Command; and Director of Major Acquisition Systems – Information Technology for the U.S. Coast Guard. In each role, Ms. Brisbon was responsible for developing and optimizing acquisition practices and advancing the capability and effectiveness of the acquisition workforce to ensure the most efficient means of acquiring supplies and services for the nation’s military forces.

Ms. Brisbon earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration & Computer Science from Newbery College, Newberry, South Carolina. She also earned a Master of Science in Human Relations (Concentration in Counseling Services) from the University of Oklahoma, and a Master of Business Administration from Liberty University.

Ally Cimino is a University of Kentucky College of Law graduate and holds Bar licenses in Kentucky and Washington, DC. After law school, she was accepted into the Presidential Management Fellows Program. She held roles at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and VA Central Office, including in the Secretary’s Center for Strategic Partnerships and the Homeless Programs Office. During her time at VA, she managed a number of department-wide partnerships related to food insecurity, homelessness, telehealth, and precision medicine. After her tenure at the VA, she worked at Cognizant Technology Solutions on Education and Workforce policy. In March 2021, she joined the House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity as a Professional Staff Member where she managed a policy portfolio related to veteran education, employment, and housing issues. Now, Ally serves as the HVAC Dem’s Deputy General Counsel and Staff Director for Oversight & Investigations, where she leads a policy portfolio related to acquisitions & procurement, workforce & labor issues, construction & infrastructure, justice-involved veterans, housing, logistics, and whistleblower protection

Chris Hamm is the Founder and CEO of FIN Acquisitions, a strategic consulting firm for Federal Acquisition and Capture services. Chris and his team provide decades of experience supporting the Department of Defense and Federal Civilian Agencies.  

Prior to FIN Acquisitions, Chris was a Senior Executive at GSA, where he ran AAS Defense and FEDSIM. Chris was also GSA’s first Acquisition Innovation Advocate

Walter Harris is the President of Harris W Consulting, LLC, and has over 25 years of public and private sector experience. A certified executive coach and C-level leader, Walter has held senior roles across multiple U.S. federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). His government career spans critical leadership positions such as Deputy Commissioner at the FDA and Senior Executive Officer at HUD and CDC, where he led large-scale organizational transformation and workforce development initiatives. Walter also brings military experience as a U.S. Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer and remains an approved executive coach for CDC since 2018. 

Brian C. Lein, MD leads partnership efforts between the Defense Health Agency and the Veterans Health Administration. His previous position was the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Assistant Director, Healthcare Administration. 

Dr Lein served 30 years in the U.S. Army as a physician and leader, retiring as Major General and Chief of the Army Medical Corps. 

He commanded at multiple levels, including the Army Medical Department Center and School, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Other leadership roles include the Deputy Army Surgeon General, Deputy Commanding General for Operations, U.S. Army Medical Command, theater surgeon in Afghanistan (ISAF), and command surgeon for US Army Forces Command CFLCC/Third Army, and 4th Infantry Division. 

After retiring from the Army, he served as a volunteer with the National Coronavirus Task Force as Serology Testing lead and at Hospital Corporation of America as Division Vice President for Graduate Medical Education. 

Dr. Lein received his Bachelor of Science Degree from The United States Military Academy and his M.D. from Temple University School of Medicine. He is board certified in General Surgery and a Fellow, American College of Surgeons. He received his Master’s in Strategic Studies from The U.S. Army War College.

Elizabeth joined the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (SVAC) in August 2023. As Senior Policy Advisor to Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal, she leads a broad healthcare policy portfolio, provides strategic guidance on the Department of Veterans Affairs’ $370 billion budget, and oversees key VA programs and operations. She plays a central role in shaping legislative strategy, fostering bipartisan coalitions, and advancing major veterans’ health reforms through Congress.
Prior to rejoining the Senate, Elizabeth served for seven years as Democratic Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Health on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. There, she was a lead negotiator on significant veterans’ healthcare legislation—including reforms to VA’s community care program, expansion of healthcare for veterans exposed to toxic substances, and initiatives to improve long-term care access.
From 2012 to 2016, Elizabeth held various policy roles on the SVAC. She also worked at Guidehouse (formerly PwC) as a congressional affairs advisor to VA’s Office of Community Care.
A native of rural Maine, Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Glasgow and an M.Litt. in International Security Studies from the University of St. Andrews. She earned her dual B.A. in Political Science and History from the University of Maine at Farmington. She resides in Northern Virginia with her husband, Andrew, and their son, Alexander.

Chandra Mohan is the Chief Information Officer at SAMHSA. In this role, he is responsible for envisioning and driving enterprise strategies and solutions to increase organizational IT maturity and improve process efficiencies to deliver citizen services. He is engaged on initiatives delivering on organizational goals for IT Governance, Data Strategy, AI adoption and Intranet overhaul.
Chandra is an accomplished business & technology executive with decades of experience providing strategic consulting advice and delivering complex technology programs. Besides supporting several Federal agencies (DOJ, DHS, Treasury), Chandra has worked in multiple countries advising global leaders in banking, retail, telecom and insurance sectors, on digital transformation and process improvement initiatives. 

Ms. Smith is the Acting Chief Digital Health Officer for the Veterans Health Administration. She leads and manages the planning and execution for the establishment of a new Digital Health Office, at the direction of the Undersecretary, and coordinates with all key officials and stakeholders involved. Ms. Smith is an executive with over 25 years of management and technology consulting experience serving commercial and federal government clients. She has experience leading large and small teams to modernize programs, systems, and applications using user-centered design, product management, data-driven and agile delivery methods. Ms. Smith holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and is a Certified Scrum Master (CSM).

Mr. Larry Stubblefield is the Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Government Contracting and Business Development.

Mr. Stubblefield joined the SBA in 2016, serving as the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity & Civil Rights Compliance, and most recently as the Associate Administrator for OVBD. Prior to the SBA, he held numerous leadership positions with the US Army, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Diversity and Leadership.

Mr. Stubblefield has first-hand military experience, having served 30 years as an enlisted soldier and active duty officer in the US Army. In 2005, he retired from the military as a Colonel and was appointed to the Senior Executive Service. Mr. Stubblefield is the recipient of the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award, holds an MBA from the University of Tennessee and a BS in Business Management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.