NCMA 2013-14 Chicago Chapter Leadership Bios Final 100213

NCMA Officers’ Bios 2012-13 Program Year Chicago Chapter 11 March 2013

2013-14 Officers President Vice-President/Pres. Elect Treasurer Secretary Programs Chair Membership Chair Graalman Co-Chair Graalman Co-Chair Education/ Certifications/ Fellows Chair Communications Chair Webmaster/ Social Media Board of Advisors

Trae Howell Sean Garcia Jay Gauthier Tonya Tickler Open Amanda Ewertowski Kery Bartkowiak Jennifer Krocza Sean Garcia Open Open Open

Trae Howell Biography • Assistant Vice President at CNA Insurance • Leads Vendor Management Office with over $300m+ in contracted services • CNA employee for over 6 years • Member of NCMA since 2012 • Originally from Galveston Texas • BS in Computer Science from Northwestern University • Candidate for Executive MBA from Purdue • No kids. One Mini-Schnauzer

Roles & Responsibilities • Lead the Chapter to ensure that the objectives of the Association are achieved and to specifically meet the professional needs of Chapter members. • Manage the timely performance of all chapter activities

Sean Garcia Biography • Director of Corporate Contracts & Pricing, Contract Policy & Process • Boeing employee for over 24 years • Member of NCMA since 1993 • Has earned CFCM and CCCM certifications • Moved to Chicago (Deerfield) 1.5 years ago from St. Louis • Grew up in Phoenix, AZ • BS in Economics from Northern Arizona University • MBA in Strategic Planning from Arizona State University • Married with three children • Plays the string bass and electric bass guitar Roles & Responsibilities • Certifications - Educate chapter members on the CFCM, CCCM, & CPCM, organize study groups, and recognize individuals when they become certified • Education - Communicate NCMA/other educational opportunities • Fellows – Promote the Fellows designation and support members if interested

Jay Gauthier Biography • Contract Specialist, Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) • Formerly awarding and administering national IDIQ contracts for pharmaceuticals and medical equipment for the VA • Served three years as Contract Specialist with Dept. of Army, Fort McCoy, Wisconsin • Earned DAWIA Level II certification and commensurate warrant • Member of NCMA since 2008 • Operated private law firm for over 12 years primarily focusing on contract related matters • JD from DePaul University College of Law Roles & Responsibilities • Ensure that effective systems of accounting, budgeting and forecasting, investment management, credit and debt management, and cash flow management are maintained.

Tonya Tickler Biography • Contract Price/Cost Analyst at Defense Contract Management Agency • Federal employee since 2001 (DCMA, Air Force, National Park Service) • Received DAWIA Level III Certification in 2010 • Member of the Defense Acquisition Corps since 2010 • BS in Business Operations from DeVry Institute of Technology, Addison, IL • Member of NCMA since 2012 • Born and raised in Stephenson, MI • Married with one German Shepherd

Roles & Responsibilities • Take minutes at monthly Board Meetings • Create & distribute program year calendar • Support the Chapter president in recording the chapter activities that support the Graalman requirements

Amanda Ewertowski Biography • Sr. Program Manager at CDW-G • Manages team that covers State, Local, Education and Healthcare Contracts • CDW employee for over 13 years • Member of NCMA since 2006 • Grew up in Garland, TX • BS in Political Science from Texas A&M University • Completed Contract Management Certification from Villanova University in 2007 • Married with two boys

Roles & Responsibilities • Responsible to recruit and retain members for membership in the Association • Help the chapter achieve steady and healthy growth

Kery Bartkowiak Biography • Contracts Manager, Northrop Grumman • Northrop employee for over 10 years – –

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5 years in Southern California, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems 5 years in Rolling Meadows, IL, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems

Member of NCMA since 2012 Returned to Chicago 5 years ago from Southern California Grew up in Mount Prospect, IL BS in Human Resource Management from University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign Married with two children and one on the way!!! Enjoys cross country skiing, kayaking, and wine tasting

Roles & Responsibilities • Graalman Award - Guide Chapter Board members on the criteria utilized to evaluate our Chapter’s success and value provided to our members. The Walter A. Graalman Award is a national award to outstanding chapters, with three categories of awards based on chapter size, and is presented by the NCMA President at a Leadership Conference.

Jennifer Krocza Biography • Contracts Manager at Northrop Grumman Corporation • Managing $800M in defense contracts • Northrop Grumman employee for over 10 years • Previously worked for a defense contractor in Atlanta, GA for 5 years • Experience in Contracts, Export Management (ITAR and EAR), Security, and Supply Chain • BS in Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago • Member of NCMA since 2011 • Grew up in Addison, IL • Married with two daughters Roles & Responsibilities • Co-Chair of Graalman Award - Guide Chapter Board members on the criteria utilized to evaluate our Chapter’s success and value provided to our members • Support strategic planning and developing organization’s objective plans