ARS Aleut Construction LLC

Geoff Vaughan brings 20 years of diverse consulting roles with expertise in delivering successful large-scale business transformation and systems integration programs for the federal and commercial client-based.  He has particular expertise in directing highly complex projects that build/optimize IT Systems, organizational processes, and infrastructure to maximize business results and outcomes in organizations worldwide, including high-tech, finance, manufacturing, supply chain, and federal defense and civilian services markets.  Prior to Aleut, Geoff was a director at Accenture, Deloitte, Steampunk, and TeraThink leading large federal transformation initiatives.

Here at Aleut, Geoff leads our Technology Group. Leveraging his leadership and delivery experience, Geoff works directly with clients and teams to focus on providing a client and mission-first approach to all of his clients regardless of size of the project or client.

Geoff graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Business Information Technology, and now serves on the Board of Advisors for the Business Information Technology Department.  When Geoff is not working with his teams or clients, he loves skiing, woodworking, and spending as much time as possible with his amazing wife and three children.

Jenn Henriques leads our People Organization. In her role, she drives the care and support of the great people that make up Aleut Federal. She operates with a very people-centric mindset and strives to equip employees with the resources, tools, and confidence to perform at their best. She aims to foster a positive culture and team pride for her workforce in support of the most important asset of the company, our people!

Jenn brings over 20 years of progressive human resources and talent growth experience to Aleut Federal. She has extensive experience in deploying human resources strategy in rapid-growth situations, 8(a), and large enterprise, global-presence organizations in both the federal and commercial sectors. Prior to joining Aleut Federal, Jenn was the HR Chief of Staff and Global HR Director for both Unisys and Unisys Federal where she developed and led strategic HR programs around diversity, talent growth, career planning, benefits program design, and talent acquisition. She has previously held HR leadership roles at NT Concepts, URS, EG&G Technical Services, and NJVC-LLC.

Jenn holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Resource Management from Virginia Tech. Outside of work, she loves taking adventures with her husband and their sons, along with their two rescue pups.

Jim Villa has been the Company’s Chief Legal Officer since February 2021. Prior to joining Aleut, he was the Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer of Hensoldt Inc. Villa has also been the Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer of Versar, Inc., a publicly-held government contractor. He has also been the Vice President and General Counsel of Colonial Parking, Inc. and before that, was Vice President and Chief Counsel at AOL, Inc. Villa spent 11 years as a Trial Attorney with the United States Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.

From 2015 to 2021, Villa served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Corporate Counsel, National Capitol Region, serving as the organization’s President in 2019. Since 2014, he has served as an Adjunct Professor at the George Washington University Law School. Villa was a member of the Board of Directors of Gifts for the Homeless, Inc. an organization serving those in need in the Washington, D.C. area, from 1992 to 2019, and now serves on that organization’s Leadership Council. Since 2016, he has served as a Member of the Advisory Committee for Legal Council for the Elderly, an organization within AARP that provides legal advice to seniors in Washington D.C.

He is a former commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, having commanded a combat support Military Police company in support of Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and Task Force Freedom. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his service during that conflict. Mr. Villa received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

John P. Mroz serves as Vice President of Operations for the Construction Services Group, which includes ARS Aleut Construction (AAC) and Aleut Field Services (AFS).  He joined Aleut Federal in January of 2021 and he has over 25 years of experience in management in the construction industry, the last 10 years in leading SBA 8(a) construction companies.

Previous to joining Aleut Federal, John spent 10 years at Goldbelt, Inc., an Alaska Native City Corporation, where he held positions including Director of Construction, Vice President of Construction, and President of an SBA 8(a) construction company.  He led the growth of that company from $3M to $60M in revenue and was promoted to a corporate role as Vice President of Construction for Goldbelt, Inc. in October 2016.  In that role, he led the establishment of a second SBA 8(a) construction company that is on a solid growth path.  Prior to his experience at Goldbelt, Inc., John held positions as Operations Manager for Gaven Industries, a specialty construction subcontractor, Regional Sales Manager for Envirotrol, Inc., an innovative chemical recycling company, and Regional Sales Manager for Ross Environmental Services, LLC, a leader in hazardous waste disposal and incineration.

John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1986.

Mark Gragg brings 20+ years of experience in program management to his role at Aleut. Most recently, he spent five years as an integral part of the leadership and growth of Aleut’s own Environmental Services Group (ESG). He has expertise working with high-level government customers including the Department of Energy, Department of Defense, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, among others.

He serves as the General Manager for two of Aleut’s subsidiaries which are Small Business Administration certified 8(a) program participants and is well-versed in managing strategic growth within the 8(a) program.

In his role, Mark oversees the safe execution of environmental and waste management services for ESG’s federal customer base. He also manages ESG’s specialty laboratory analytic programs and has a large technical and administrative services portfolio.

Mark holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Loyola University of New Orleans and has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Centenary College of Louisiana.  Mark lives in Knoxville, TN with his wife, five children and two dogs.

Martin J. Hanofee as President of Aleut Federal is responsible for the executive leadership and business operations of Aleut Federal.

Prior to joining Aleut, Martin served as Vice President of Fluor Government Group’s Intelligence Services business line. In this role, he oversaw all Fluor Programs supporting the intelligence community.

Martin has more than 20 years of related industry experience, including leadership and executive positions in operations and business development. Prior to joining Fluor in early 2017, Martin served as the President of the Tatitlek Corporation, headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. Tatitlek provides IT Services, Base Support, Satellite Imagery, and Construction Services to the U.S. Government and the U.S. Armed Forces.

Martin has significant expertise in Base and Mission Support Operations, Critical Infrastructure, and IT Services to include Cyber Security, Construction Management, Business Development and Strategy. He also has held senior roles at Chugach Alaska, Raytheon, and General Dynamics.

Martin holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Haven in Connecticut.

Nick Trzcinski has more than 19 years of Defense experience, both in and out of uniform, supporting a varied array of customers in the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, the Joint Staff, and the Secretary of Defense’s office.  He has experience in the areas of professional services and analytics, IT infrastructure, software development, command and control, and weapons control systems.

Nick, a United States Navy veteran, most recently served as Senior Vice President at Steampunk leading the defense portfolio. Nick worked to build Steampunk’s defense practice from the ground up, focusing on bringing human-centered design and platform solutions to the warfighter. Prior to that, he was the Senior Vice President for National Security Sector Growth at Salient CRGT where he led a retooling of the Growth engine in a revitalized Defense and Intelligence practice.  Prior to Salient CRGT, he was the Vice President and General Manager for General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) serving the US Navy, US Marine Corps, US Air Force, and the US Coast Guard customers where he was responsible for over 4,000 GDIT personnel and $900M in annual revenue.  Other prior experience includes Vice President roles at CSRA, Inc. and SRA International, Inc. leading portfolios in the Sea Services and National Capital Region DoD respectively.

Nick holds a Bachelor of Science degree in History from the United States Naval Academy and a Master of Arts degree in Government from the University of Virginia.

Stephen R. Watkins joined Aleut in October 2017.  He is responsible for our Infrastructure Group. Mr. Watkins brings 30 years of experience in Global Contract Management, Procurement & Supply Chain Management (SCM) related to support of Large U.S. Government (USG) Programs as well as Foreign Government and Commercial Operations. He has extensive international experience working throughout the Middle East, Northern Africa, Southern Asia and Canada.

Prior to joining Aleut, Steve recent experience included directing a Government contracts function for PG Environmental and also leading a large multi-functional SCM team for AMEC-Foster Wheeler that sourced, negotiated, awarded, and managed $2B+ in contract awards in support of a $5B (USD) EPCM program in Saskatchewan, Canada. Prior to those he held positions as Global Director of Procurement for IAP Worldwide Services and Director of Procurement & Business Management at The Shaw Group supporting multiple U.S. Government contracting efforts. He also held positions as Director of Contracts & Procurement at AECOM where he supported a large international contract with The Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Housing and Infrastructure Board where it launched one of the World’s largest public infrastructure investment programs – a $50-billion (USD) program to improve/build housing, roads, bridges, water and utilities – and Director of Procurement and Supply Management at KBR where he supported a $10B (USD) LOGCAP III program as well as numerous Design/Build and EPC projects spanning multiple USG agencies.

Steve possesses a Master of Science degree in Operations Management from The University of Arkansas and a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Arts (Management) from Excelsior College.

Tony Law has over forty years of combined construction experience. His leadership experiences have been utilized in Africa, Europe, Micronesia, Caribbean Islands, North America and Central America. Over thirty years of his experience is in construction management in the federal, public and private sectors.

Law’s proficiency in overseeing multi-million-dollar operations, as well as his expertise in planning, coordinating, scheduling and cost control, attributes to his success in the construction industry. Law’s qualifications also include Department of State (DOS) and Department of Defense (DOD) Government Contracting, as well as holding a DOD Top Secret Security Clearance. His many accomplishments range from hospitality/hotels, private resort developments, high-rise construction, the healthcare industry, roads/bridges/infrastructure, shopping malls, airfield/hangers, airport terminals, housing, marine/waterfront and fueling.

Chris Tande serves as the Western Operation Manager for ARS Aleut Construction after recently retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel, having served 21 years of active duty service in the Army.

Tande holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management, International Business, Montana State University, a Masters of Science Degree in Program management from University of Maryland, and three masters level certificates in construction management from Auburn University. He is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certified level III in both Program Management and Contracting, as well as Federal Acquisition Certification Level III in Contracting.

As a soldier, Tande served in Infantry and Military Intelligence Units before becoming an Acquisition Officer specializing in program management and contracting. Tande has numerous awards and decorations which include the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal; Army Commendation Medal, Joint Achievement Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal as well as Joint Meritorious Unit Citation with two oak leaf clusters; Parachutist Badge, and Combat Action Badge.

Mr. Day has extensive experience providing environmental assessment, remediation, storage tank, and landfill services. He has over 25 years of experience working with Army/USACE, Navy, Air Force, EPA, private industry, and State governments. 

At AAC, Mr. Day is responsible for the regional program management and leadership of AAC’s environmental team. He is intimately involved in business development, proposal development, estimating, pricing strategy, and negotiation. He routinely maintains responsibility for the project throughout the performance period, and provides direct contributions toward client satisfaction and retention, as well as development of additional business opportunities. He oversees development of the scope, schedule, subcontractor selection/management, work force planning, project execution, change management, and project closeout. 

Mr. Day holds a B.S. in Geology; is licensed Professional Geologist in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Kentucky; and is a licensed Florida Pollutant Storage Specialty System Contractor.

Over the past 39 years, Mr. Martin has served in project and program management roles in both the private and federal sectors of the construction industry, to include international and domestic projects ranging from $500K to $1.3B. During his 26-year tenure at companies such as Bechtel and Fluor, Mr. Martin has worked in the United States, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Belgium, Australia and India. His experience includes successfully managing and delivering projects to companies such as Procter & Gamble, DuPont, AT&T, Philips Semiconductor, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, LSI Logic Corp, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Schering Plough, Carolina Power and Light, Dayton Power and Light, Mississippi Power and Light, and Union Electric. Specific knowledge includes building processes, liaison to regulatory bodies, large-scale personnel management, securing financing, and business development. In the government sector, Mr. Martin has been integral in winning awards at the Pentagon, and with multiple federal agencies such as USACE, NAVFAC, DOS, ASAID, DHS, VA, and GSA. Federal projects range in size from $1M - $250M and vary between short term firm fixed price, as well as long term IDIQ’s and MACC contracts. 

Mr. Martin also has experience with all aspects of the life sciences; from pharmaceutical formulations and processes to complex bioprocesses and R&D operations. Further, Mr. Martin has held extensive, in- depth leadership and management roles executing Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) and cost reimbursable contracts. He routinely serves as the subject matter expert for government pursuits. 

As General Manager of ARS Aleut Construction, Mr. Martin maintains operational and financial responsibility for all aspects of the company. Additionally, Mr. Martin formulates strategic methods for achieving the objectives of the business plan, as well as management of all large-scale government and commercial clients.

As Vice President of Eastern Operations for ARS Aleut Construction, Todd Niefeld oversees all project teams East of the Mississippi River.

Through 30 years of progressive contributions and experience with government, hospitals, medical, educational, and commercial projects, Niefeld has developed his individual and company growth. Niefeld’s background includes working with Government agencies such as Smithsonian, NAVFAC, NIH, and more as well as designing and building educational facilities throughout the D.C., Virginia and Maryland areas. These projects range from $1M to over $100M. Working as a senior program manager and consultant, he renovated, restored or replaced schools throughout the city of Baltimore on a $1.3B multiyear program titled 21st Century Schools.

Kara Thomas joined AAC in 2017 after serving as a business development consultant to the company. She collaborates with Mr. Martin and AAC’s executive team to drive smart growth and lasting partnerships across the public and private sector, and her oversight includes AAC’s targeted expansion across multiple divisions including construction, energy and environmental services. In addition to marketing, Ms. Thomas manages AAC’s business opportunity pipeline from capture and proposal management through award. Only two years into the 8(a) program, AAC has a 65% win rate including single award contracts ranging from $5-25M, and multi-year contracts with a capacity up to $500M.

Ms. Thomas began her career nearly thirty years ago working as a junior associate for a bipartisan lobbying firm in the energy and environmental sector, and since that time has partnered with both large and small businesses to identify opportunities, increase market share and develop strategic visibility within the federal marketplace.  She has worked for nearly a decade in service to Native American 8(a) and Small Disadvantaged Businesses. Ms. Thomas graduated with Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from DePauw University.

As Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Catherine Urban provides strategic planning and overall financial control and direction for Aleut.  She has nearly 25 years of finance and business management experience in the government contracting industry serving in leadership positions as a business partner and finance professional throughout the federal government contracting industry. 

Prior to joining Aleut, Catherine served as the CFO at Advanced Concepts and Technologies International (ACT1) and Unisys Federal until its sale to SAIC.  During her 8-year tenure with Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Federal Holding (ASRC Federal), Catherine served as Vice President of Business Operations and Finance. She was responsible for full financial and business operations lifecycle management of ASRC Federal’s largest revenue operating group. In addition, Catherine lead multiple enterprise-wide optimization initiatives to improve execution and financial performance.  In this role she gained in-depth knowledge and understanding of the complexities of Alaska Native Corporations.

Catherine has extensive experience assisting organizations in setting and meeting financial objectives. Her expertise includes strategic financial planning, forecasting and budgeting, standing up and executing 8(a)s, joint ventures (both populated and unpopulated), mentor/protégé agreements, and managing all areas of finance to include pricing, IT and facilities.  Her experience expands to include many aspects of mergers and acquisitions.

Catherine graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Providence College and holds a Master of Business Administration from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.

Tammy Onorato has over 17 years’ experience working in the Environmental Services sector. During this time, she has demonstrated leadership in multiple positions; from her first job as a hydrologic technician to her recent role as AAC’s Director of Operations. Ms. Onorato currently serves as the Vice-President of AAC’s Environmental Division.

In this role, Ms. Onorato is responsible for the regional program management and leadership of AAC’s environmental team.  She is responsible for overseeing the budget to ensure maximum profitability. Managing personnel and company resources effectively enables her to improve AAC’s efficiency and increase each project’s value to both the customer and AAC. Ms. Onorato is responsible for contributing to the development and refinement of AAC’s vision and overall environmental strategy. Of particular benefit is her extensive experience providing environmental assessment and remediation services. She has successfully managed professional teams of geologists, engineers, field technicians and scientists during complex, multi-phased projects, and achieved cost-effective project goals leading to site closures.

Ms. Onorato is a graduate of Eckerd College where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science. She is a licensed Geologist in Florida and Georgia, and holds multiple certifications in a broad range of  Environmental Services.