About: Board of Directors

Director Talent Acquisition, Redhorse Corporation
Washington, DC Board Member since 2018
 
Tracy L. Collins, Director of Talent Acquisition for Redhorse Corporation, has more than 20 years of experience performing and managing staffing, recruiting and placement functions within government, for large and small federal consulting firms, the financial sector and the not-for-profit sector.

Mr. Collins is a veteran of the United States Air Force, where he was trained as a Russian Cryptologic Linguist at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. He served overseas tours of duty in the United Kingdom and Germany. After returning to the United States, Mr. Collins completed his USAF service while assigned at Headquarters, National Security Agency. Since leaving active-duty service, Mr. Collins has led staffing efforts in support of Y2K Remediation, the Global War on Terror, Sarbanes-Oxley Act Compliance, Cybersecurity and Digital Transformation. He has managed the staffing component of large environmental, energy, and information technology programs for clients.

Mr. Collins has been a congregant at Foundry United Methodist Church since 1997 and has been an active member on committees and ministry teams since 2007. He currently serves in leadership roles within the United Methodist Church’s regional, jurisdictional, and denomination-wide legislative and decision-making bodies.

He studied engineering at Boston University and completed a computer science fellowship at the University of Maryland. He served in the United States Air Force for 10 years as a Russian Cryptologic Linguist and is a recipient of the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Joint Service Commendation Medal.

His hobbies include gardening, grilling, reading presidential biographies, traveling, theatre and biking. He volunteers with organizations dedicated to social justice, creating inclusion and diversity in society, ending chronic economic injustice, and healing and strengthening families.​

SVP & Director, CRA Compliance
Washington, DC Board Member since 2019
 
Alphonso “Al” Pearson is a Senior Vice President, Director of Community Reinvestment Compliance for Primis Bank. With 30 years of Banking and finance experience, he is passionate about empowering people to gain control of their financial lives to build wealth.

Pearson joined Primis in June of 2022. Before joining Primis, he worked at JP Morgan Chase in Corporate Responsibility and as Community Manager of Baltimore for CHASE Bank. In these roles, he worked closely with the community on a number of financial health initiatives.

Pearson’s earlier career highlights include serving as the Community Development Manager for the Maryland Region of SunTrust Bank (Truist) and National Community Development Manager for E*TRADE. He also served in retail banking management roles at Citibank and PNC bank.

An active member of the community, he serves on the Board of Directors of a number of non-profit boards and fraternal organizations. He was the recipient of the 2021 Baltimore Business Journal Leaders of Diversity Award. He also is the Past-President of the Maryland Bankers Community Reinvestment Group and current Treasurer of the Metropolitan Bankers Group.

Pearson is a graduate of Bowie State University.

Deputy Director of the Defense Standardization Program Office in the United States​
Washington, DC Board Member since 2023
 
Latasha Beckman is currently the Deputy Director of the Defense Standardization Program Office in the United States. Since 2004, she has had various roles that promoted standardization as one of the key enablers to interoperability among NATO allies and partners. She is responsible for assisting the Department of Defense in the development and implementation of standardization policy for systems, subsystems, equipment, components, parts, materials and related engineering practices and technology areas.​

Ms. Beckman participates in Standards Development Organizations and Bodies on behalf of the Department of Defense. She is also a co-chair of the Materiel Standardization and Harmonization Team (MSHT), chair of the NATO Standardization Management Group and member of the ASTM International Board of Directors. In these capacities, she engages with stakeholders and experts that span the globe on standardization policy and procedures.​

Ms. Beckman holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from State University of New York at Buffalo, and a Master of Science in Industrial Technology with a concentration in Manufacturing Systems from North Carolina A&T State University.​

She enjoys road trips, music, reading, mentoring young people and spending quality time with family and friends.

Executive Director, Boys Town Washington, DC
Washington, DC Board Member since 2019
 
Kichelle Coleman assumed the position as Executive Director of the Washington, DC Boys Town site, October 21, 2019.

Coleman is a native of Paterson, New Jersey and always had an interest in working with vulnerable populations and communities, much like the one she grew up in. She came to the DC Metropolitan area in August of 1994 to pursue a degree in Social Work and live out her purpose in life. She believes that ‘If she can help someone during her lifetime, her living will not be in vain.’

She began her career of serving children and families here at Boys Town in 1996 and served a total of 12 years before leaving in 2012. Prior to returning to Boys Town, Coleman spent 7 years as a servant in non-profit leadership with Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area. There she developed, implemented, and managed programs serving children, families, and communities such as foster care, private adoption, refugee support, and health and wellness services.

As the current Executive Director of Boys Town DC, Coleman oversees all programs and operations. This includes the Behavioral Health Clinic & Care Coordination Services. During her tenure as the Executive Director, she is extremely proud of the launch of the Workforce Development and Continuing Education Programs. More than 700 children and families are served annually through Boys Town Washington DC’s integrated continuum of care.

General Manager, Ritz-Carlton​, Boys Town Washington, DC
Washington, DC Board Member since 2023
 
Bradley Cance has had an impressive career in luxury brand hotels and is currently a General Manager with Ritz-Carlton locally. After graduating from Michigan State University, his 34-year career started in 1989, working at The Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago. He spent 11 wonderful years with The Four Seasons Hotel Company in Chicago, Vancouver, B.C., and Seattle.

He then joined The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, working at the then flagship property in Naples, Florida. Bradley progressed and was named General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples, The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis, and The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach. Bradley made a career decision to lead the prestigious Bethesda Country Club where he was GM/COO from 2010 through 2018. Recently, he was General Manager of The Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach and served as the National Director of Procurement for Avendra Clubs. Bradley returned to The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in 2019 leading The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, as their General Manager from 2019 to 2021. Bradley is the current General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.

Cance has celebrated success in every property he has managed, whether achieving five diamonds and five stars for his hotels or leading a $125 million renovation and rebirth of The Ritz-Carlton in Palm Beach. His balanced approach of making sure his employees, guests and owners are all fully engaged is the secret to his success.

President & CEO, Driver on Demand, Boys Town Washington, DC
Washington, DC Board Member since 2023
 
Brad Fleisher is the President & CEO of Driver on Demand, a nationwide provider of drivers to the auto industry. In this role, Fleisher is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the company, revenue generation, risk management, team building and coaching of the management team.

Throughout his 30-year business career, he has worked for himself as a lawyer, middle-market investment banker and as part of a small team of leaders and entrepreneurs in early stage and small companies. As a professional, Fleisher has worked internationally and has transacted business deals across numerous industries – software, finance, healthcare administration, distribution, logistics and others. He has participated in two business exits as a part of the founding leadership teams. Fleisher founded and served as the president of the Washington Metro Chapter of the Exit Planning Exchange, a professional networking organization for individuals serving business owners.

He spends spare professional time coaching founders, small and medium size business executives, and young professionals beginning their careers. He is currently working towards a certified associate coaching credential with the International Coaching Federation.

Fleisher enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, long distance sailing, health and fitness, and stock trading.​

Founder/CEO, System Innovation
Washington, DC Board Member since 2021

Dr. Tracee Walker Gilbert is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at System Innovation. System Innovation has provided engineering services to various clients in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD) and the Department of Navy Modeling and Simulation. Additionally, System Innovation is engineering next generation technologies (i.e., blockchain, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing). Dr. Gilbert is also the Chief Executive Officer of Rapid System Innovation (RSI), which is a Digital Manufacturing joint venture between System Innovation and RGBSI Aerospace and Defense. Dr. Gilbert has over 22 years of experience leading large- scale initiatives and driving strategy and implementation for digital engineering, engineering research, and engineering programs across various domains including: defense, homeland security, medical and public health, commerce/census, and the education sector. She has held various leadership positions at Lockheed Martin, MITRE, Engility, and served as a fellow for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowship (STPF) at Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense (DoD). She received her B.A. (Physics, Minor Japanese) from Lincoln University and her M.S. (Systems Engineering), and Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering) from Virginia Tech. She also studied abroad with the Institute for the International Students in Tokyo, Japan while working as a staff editor for Tokyo Classifieds.

Pediatric Specialist, ALL Pediatrics
Washington, DC Board Member since 2019
 
Dr. Ashton-Lazaroae hails from Indianapolis, Indiana. She studied Biology, Chemistry and Music at Milligan College in Tennessee, then returned home to complete her Medical Degree at Indiana University in 1993.

Dr. Ashton-Lazaroae completed her pediatric internship and residency at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee in 1996. After two years of private practice in Rochester, NY, Dr. Ashton-Lazaroae joined All Pediatrics in 1998. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, with a special interest in infectious diseases, pediatric nutrition and asthma.

In addition to her work at ALLPeds, Dr. Ashton-Lazaroae serves on the Board of Directors for the Sanctity of Life Ministry of Northern Virginia.

Dr. Ashton-Lazaroae resides in Springfield, with her husband Bob and her sons Nicholas and Stefan. If she is not chauffeuring to soccer practice and musical activities or reading medical journals, she enjoys cooking, gardening, running, and cheering for the IU Hoosiers!

SVP & General Manager, ATCC Federal Solutions
Washington, DC Board Member since 2016
 
Dr. Joseph Leonelli is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of ATCC Federal Solutions. In this role, he is responsible for the overall strategy, management, and business growth of federal contract programs that provide products and services to help the government address emerging infectious diseases, biodefense, medical countermeasures, and global health security.

Before joining ATCC, Dr. Leonelli was Vice President of Engility’s National Intelligence Group of the National Security Business Area, where he managed three business units providing systems and software engineering to the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, and intelligence community customers. In addition, he has held leadership positions at various entities within Dynamics Research Corporation, Raytheon, Applied Signal Technology, Inc., General Dynamics, Battelle, and SRI International.

Dr. Leonelli earned his doctorate in inorganic chemistry from Indiana University and a master’s degree in inorganic chemistry from Saint Louis University. He is a graduate of the US Army War College and served as the Commander of the 455th Chemical Brigade and Chief of Staff of the 9th Theater Support Command at Ft Belvoir, VA, He retired from the Army Reserves at the rank of Colonel.

Vice President, Government-Wide Procurement Advisory Center
Washington, DC Board Member since 2020​
 
Chip Taylor is a three-decade information technology market veteran. As Vice President of ManTech International's Government-Wide Procurement Advisory Center, Chip oversees operations that leverage ManTech's portfolio of Government-Wide IDIQ contracts; understands, communicates, and enables procurement trends and best practices; and performs contract vehicle competitive intelligence.

Throughout his career, Chip has planned, established, managed, and controlled multiple contracts in complex environments with strict adherence to cost and schedule milestones. Chip previously served as a Business Development Senior Manager at Perspecta, VP IDIQ Operations Center at Vencore and IDIQ/GWAC Director at Engility. His industry career also includes various positions at Raytheon, STG, ActioNet, Harris IT Services, Apptis and Electronic Data Systems.