2024 OPEXUS Annual Summit - Better Together

As a Former NASA Propulsion Engineer, Maureen Zappala knows the pressure that government professionals are under, facing increasing expectations while budgets and staff are shrinking. Now as a professional speaker and coach with the Impostor Syndrome Institute, Maureen works with organizations and individuals to exceed their own expectations. Maureen knows how government leaders can get their best people to give their best effort, propelling them to their peak performance!

Michael Bell is the FOIA Officer for the Department of Transportation/Office of the Secretary (DOT/OST), a position he has held since December 2018. Since becoming the DOT/OST FOIA Officer, he has focused on improving efficiency and response times through the increased use of technology. Prior to this position, he served as the Deputy Director of the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Division and the FOIA Public Liaison for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). While at HHS, Mike served on the 2016-2018 NARA FOIA Advisory Committee. He has also held FOIA leadership positions at the Department of Defense FOI/PA Division and the Department of Treasury Office of Financial Stability. Mike also served as an Officer in the United States Air Force, received his BA in Political Science from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, and his MPA from Troy State University.

Starr Lewis is an experienced Program Analyst with a strong background in international affairs. She has expertise in government operations, strategic planning, leadership, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Starr holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Project Management and currently serves as a Government Information Specialist at USAID. Her work demonstrates a commitment to public service and government transparency.

Mike Sarich is the Director of the VA FOIA Service and the founding Co-Chair of the Chief FOIA Officer’s Technology Committee. With a 1,000 member strong team, the VA processes over 115,000 FOIA requests per year across 12 time zones with a sub 1% backlog to request ratio in FY24. During Mike’s tenure at VA and VHA, the VA FOIA program has won multiple awards from the Department of Justice for tech advances and for reducing the VHA FOIA backlog by over 90% in just 14 months. In addition to previously leading the VHA FOIA program, Mike’s served in the Office of General Counsel at the Social Security Administration where he handled FOIA litigation issues, significant FOIA cases, and led a major rewrite of SSA FOIA Regulations in accordance with the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 and at the Bureau of Land Management where he helped establish a central FOIA office. Mike is also a licensed attorney, a class of 2011 Presidential Management Fellow, and a United States Army Veteran who served in Korea, Germany, Texas, and Maryland.

Paul Levitan has over 20 years of experience in all aspects of the FOIA process. This includes over nine years of supervisory experience and 11 years of experience in creating and implementing Bureau and Department level FOIA Policy. In the Chief FOIA Officers Council (CFOC) Technology Committee, Paul Levitan chairs the Data Working Group, which aims to establish and disseminate best practices and recommendations in the use of FOIA data for program management and reporting, aggregating and reporting agency data, responding to requests for large data sets and the intersection of FOIA and open data.

Rebecca Conner has a bachelor’s degree in American studies and history from Skidmore College, a master’s degree in information and library studies from The University of Michigan. Rebecca is both a Certified Records Manager and an Information Governance Professional.  She lives in the Washington, DC area with her wife Sophia and two adorable cats, Samwise and Rosie.

Kellie Robinson is responsible for ensuring that the Department of State’s policies and procedures are established and that they comply with FOIA, FOIA Amendments, Executive Orders, case law, and government-wide policy changes. She works to improve awareness of FOIA programs and policies throughout the State Department through training and communication. As the Department’s FOIA Public Liaison she is an advisor to senior leadership, the Department bureaus and offices, and other federal agencies on all matters related to FOIA processing and policy matters at the Department and assists in the resolution of disputes between the requester and the Department.

Drew Pruett has 29 years at all levels of Federal Government, with the last 15 years spent delivering Enterprise HRIT capabilities at the Department of Defense, most recently joining the VA in 2021. In his current role, he is Product Owner for the VA HRIT Portfolio that includes ER/LR, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Workers Compensation, ePerformance, and Enterprise Occupational Safety and Health. Drew is laser focused on ensuring the best use of VA dollars in these areas, while maximizing use of COTS in order to meet the needs while minimizing technical debt. He is passionate about collaborating with other Agencies, in understanding shared opportunities and in seeking improvements in the tools provided to our end users.

Jeanne Miller serves as the Chief of the Programs and Policies Division in the Bureau of Administration’s Office of Information Programs and Service at the Department of State, developing policies, practices, procedures, and guidelines for the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). In 2009, she joined the civil service as a FOIA analyst for the DoD, Office of Inspector General (OIG) and was promoted a year later to Chief of the FOIA, Privacy, and Civil Liberties Office. She served as an Initial Denial Authority for the DoD OIG and was appointed as the Chief Civil Liberties Officer and Senior Privacy Official for the agency by the Inspector General. In 2015, she accepted a position as the FOIA Branch Chief for the European, Africa, and Near Eastern Affairs Branch in IPS and served in this role for six years prior to being promoted to her current role.

In his role as Assistant Inspector General for Investigation at NASA’s OIG, Robert oversees a cadre of special agents, investigative auditors, technical investigators, data specialists, and support personnel responsible for conducting criminal, civil, and administrative investigations involving NASA programs, personnel, and operations. Robert has over 25 years of Federal law enforcement experience and has been with the NASA OIG since 2009. Robert served in the United States Marine Corps and holds an accounting degree from the University of Cincinnati.

Kim Wilkins retired last year as the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility (DEIA) Program Manager after 33 years with the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. During her tenure as DEIA Program Manager, she formed and chaired a robust DEIA Committee with nationwide representatives throughout the Immigration Court system, facilitated the Department’s Diversity and Inclusion Dialogue Program, and hosted a monthly speaker series for Special Emphasis observances. She earned Certificate of Mastery in DEIA from the Institute for Federal Leadership; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace certificate from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business; and a certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from eCornell. She was a member of a group of D&I professionals who were honored with the 2016 Attorney General’s Award for Equal Employment Opportunity.

Cindy Dillow has been with OPEXUS for 23 years, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to her role as the resident FOIAXpress subject matter expert. She is deeply passionate about working with the FOIA Community, ensuring that their needs are met with precision and care. Cindy’s expertise and dedication to her work make her an invaluable asset to OPEXUS and her clients.

Naitik Vyas, born in India and raised in Ohio, combines his passion for aviation with a strong business acumen, holding both a degree in Aviation and an MBA. For over a decade, he has been a driving force in GovTech, partnering with Federal Agencies to modernize government services, enhance customer experience, and champion innovative solutions for the public sector.

Liam Fitzgerald supports customers in leveraging OPEXUS open government and workforce management products. He believes there is great potential in leveraging technology to drive social impact. He has spent his career working alongside local, state, and federal government agencies to modernize their way of working for the public’s benefit. Most notably, his efforts have included him equipping government agencies with the necessary technology to connect residents to health and social care resources during the COVID-19 pandemic and following natural disasters.

Alex Chiaramonte leads the development and maintenance of solutions across the Open Government product suite at OPEXUS, including FOIAXpress, ATIPXpress, and PAL. Alex brings several years of experience in government technology consulting and B2B software product management and innovation to the Product Management team. He uses a passion for modern technology, user-centric design, and strategic problem solving to unlock value for the OPEXUS team and its customers.

Jonas Dodoo oversees the FOIAXpress, ATIPXpress, and PAL product suite. With a passion for problem-solving, Jonas collaborates closely with customers to identify challenges and works with internal teams to deliver effective solutions. He brings extensive experience in leading product development, specializing in software development life cycle (SDLC) efficiency and go-to-market strategies, always focused on delivering high-quality, customer-centric solutions.

Stephanie is the Product Manager behind OPEXUS’s eCASE, Audit, Investigations, and Government Workforce Management products and is on a mission to transform customer challenges into innovative software solutions that truly make a difference. With an eye for prioritizing the right work, she ensures our products deliver maximum value to the widest range of customers. Her journey through product management and strategy consulting has equipped her with the tools to tackle any challenge. Stephanie is passionate about prioritizing what matters most for her customers.

Destinee Bunn specializes in the eCASE application. In her current role, she is a bridge between customer requirements and the development lifecycle. She is passionate about providing customers with the smoothest configuration process possible. She works to increase her product knowledge and develop creative ways to improve her client’s configuration and adoption of eCASE.

Mitch Bennett has been a leader in the SaaS industry for the past decade. Mitch has a deep passion for transforming the customer experience with professional services delivery teams through efficiency, innovation, and team building. Before OPEXUS, he led the Implementation & Managed Services teams for the North America division of an AI Search company, Yext, and led technical coordination for nationally recognized healthcare systems, like Johns Hopkins, with the world’s leading healthcare software company, Epic. Mitch brings best-in-class delivery to get government and higher-ed customers unstuck!

Russ Miller has extensive experience providing implementation support for the HR Product Suite at OPEXUS. His expertise helps ensure products are delivered on time and on budget. He is passionate about using technology to improve the day-to-day functionality of the middle office. In his free time, Russ enjoys Boston’s sport events, boating, and spending time with his family.

Andrew Flynn has years of experience helping federal agencies get “unstuck” with innovative SaaS solutions. Since joining OPEXUS, he’s been on a mission to simplify government operations, ensuring smoother processes and happier clients. Known for his ability to build lasting relationships, Andrew takes pride in delivering real value and seeing the positive impact of OPEXUS’s case management platforms across agencies.

Caitlin McCrea joined OPEXUS this year as the Director of Customer Success. Caitlin began her career in client services for large, international law firms, and then transitioned into the field of gov-tech. She has worked with federal, state, and local agencies, helping them achieve their goals with strategic solution consultation and enablement.

Amith Kedilaya brings with him more than a decade of experience in various phases of project management and business development and sales. He is extremely passionate about improving professional services and prioritizing the customer experience. Though he often misses the Bay Area, after almost 15 years, he is proud to call himself a Marylander. In his spare time, Amith enjoys traveling, playing pickleball, and spending time with his wife, two adorable boys, and a rambunctious rescue pup named Rocket.