Creative Team Concepts LLC

Brian V. Buzzell (Brian) is a retired career Naval Officer and Managing Partner of Creative Team Concepts LLC (CTC), a company that specializes in consulting services to the Federal government with particular emphasis on the Department of Defense (DoD). Past areas of support include advising DoD on the conduct of the recent BRAC 2005 to include its relationship with the BRAC Commission, infrastructure support to the Office of the Secretary of Defense BRAC Office and working with other government agencies to ensure the Commission process was executed. Mr. Buzzell has over 38 years experience working with the Federal Government and DoD.

James R. Casey (Jim) is a CTC Managing Partner and has managed CTC’s support for DoD’s Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) (Installations & Environment) from 1998 to 2007. Previously, Jim, a senior retired Air Force officer, managed the Air Force’s BRAC efforts during earlier rounds and, in that position, supported numerous commissions and groups. His experience also includes: establishing programs for foreign clients; working directly with numerous communities and states helping them through Commission processes; and, in some cases, helping clients create internal commissions/groups to proactively approach critical issues. Mr. Casey has a Masters Degree and over 35 years experience working with the Federal Government and DoD.

Ralph M. Alford (Marty) is a retired career Naval Officer and founder and president of Alford & Associates, a congressional and government relations firm specializing in consulting services to a broad spectrum of defense and homeland security companies. With over twenty five years of military service, past areas of effort include consulting support to the Office of Secretary of Defense BRAC Office during the 2005 BRAC process. Mr. Alford also played a significant role as head of the Department of the Navy’s Legislative Affairs effort in the US House of Representatives during BRAC 1995 deliberations. His expertise and knowledge played a key role in managing, supporting and communicating recent BRAC processes and deliberations.

Mark Besser (Mark) , a co-founder of Qualitas Knowledge Management, brings more than 20 years of high-level IT expertise to the company. Mark has had extensive experience crafting creative solutions for multi-national corporations as well as State, Federal and Local Governments. Mark specializes in showing organizations how to best leverage their investments in technology and how to utilize various staffing models (onsite, offsite, near shore, off shore) to deliver enterprise wide technology based solutions. Mark has extensive experience across technology platforms, infrastructures, package software, and custom developed applications, giving him the unique ability to architect and construct the right combination hardware, software, and services to solve any business issue.

Glenn Brown (Glenn) is the co-owner, Treasurer, and MIS expert for SSI Business Solutions, a woman-owned business. Mr. Brown's diverse career includes experience in project management, manufacturing and product development, computer information systems, and air logistics. He has served as an expert consultant to the General Services Administration (GSA) for the development of automated management information systems. A Commander in the Naval Reserves, Mr. Brown has over 16 years active military service. His experience includes flying helicopter search and rescue missions, managing a 400-person aircraft maintenance department, operating logistics detachments in remote areas of the world, and serving as the Navy air logistics operations officer for the Mediterranean and as a department head for a major Naval air station overseas. Mr. Brown holds an MS degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California and a BS in Analytical Management from the United States Naval Academy.

Michael D. Callaghan (Mike) is a retired senior Air Force officer who has provided management support to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for three rounds of BRAC. Mike was the Air Force team lead during BRAC 2005 and was responsible for development of the Air Force analytical process, preparation of the recommendations, and management of the $4 billion dollar budget implementing the final recommendations. His experience also includes: working with the State Department and foreign governments to establish new bases, close overseas installations, and assisting communities and states with the beddown of new aircraft. Mr. Callaghan has a Masters Degree, holds an Airline Pilot Rating, and has over 36 years experience working with the Federal Government and DoD.

Mark A. Cohen, Esq. (Mark) , founder of Qualitas Knowledge Management, was for almost 25 years a national law firm managing partner and internationally recognized civil trial lawyer. He started his career as an award winning Assistant United States Attorney where he tried 21 major federal lawsuits and represented numerous agencies of the Federal Government. Mark has applied his extensive expertise in litigation and law firm management to Qualitas, turning it into a unique company that organizes and manipulates content related to legal activity, providing both human resources and information technology to promote efficiency and to reduce costs of legal services, particularly as they pertain to documents. The company’s recent work for DoD’s BRAC efforts is an outstanding example of this fresh approach.

W. Ronald Dietz (Ron) is President and CEO of W.M. Putnam Company, an outsourcing company that assists nationally-based companies in locating, establishing, and maintaining branch offices and retail stores. W.M. Putnam also serves government entities as a veteran-owned small business. Mr. Dietz has a broad background in both general management and consulting. He founded a consulting company focused on a range of business strategies and risk management issues in the financial services arena. He has also served as a CEO of two financial services companies. Mr. Dietz started his career at Citibank where he moved through several senior assignments to become SVP & Division Executive in charge of Citibank’s operations in the Caribbean and northern South America. He is Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee of a major financial institution. He also sits on a variety of other company and civic boards and serves as a senior advisor to Qualitas Knowledge Management. He holds an MBA degree from Stanford University and has served as a Naval Officer.

Marian Harvey (Marian) served as a senior management analyst with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) where she led teams that evaluated foreign aid programs, and DoD’s military housing privatization, base closure, and base reuse programs. She served with the President’s Commission on the Agency for International Development and with CTC as a consultant to DoD during the BRAC 2005 process. She led a multi-service team dealing with the capacity of military bases to perform certain functions, and managed large BRAC databases and a Web site. She holds an MA from George Washington University.

Dr. Donna Heivilin (Donna) , a consultant in public financial management, has extensive expertise in strategic planning, auditing, studying organizational cultures, financial management, federal/state budgeting, public finance, and evaluation methodology. She retired from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) in April, 2004 as Director for Applied Research and Methods, where she supervised over 160 experts in various disciplines providing consulting services to the GAO analysts assigned to specific programmatic areas. While at GAO, Dr. Heivilin testified before Congress over 35 times. She holds a Doctorate in Public Administration from George Washington University (Public Financial Management). She also completed Penn State Business School’s Executive Management Program, Harvard’s Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security, and MIT’s National Security & International Politics Seminar Program.

John H. Hoggard (Jack) , a Naval Academy graduate with a Duke MBA, has over twenty years experience with the Federal Budget process, serving as Comptroller of the Navy Recruiting Command, as well as Branch Head for the Navy Budget Officer, in charge of the OPN, WPN, and PMC Appropriations. Following his retirement, he spent ten years as Legislative Director to U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), and two as Legislative Director to U.S. Senator John Warner (R-VA). Recently, he established and coordinated the continuing logistics for the Rosslyn facility of the OSD BRAC organization, which included more than 200 individuals over a two-year period. He also established, on very short notice, a 12-person all-electronic Clearing House, which received, tasked out, and returned over 1,500 questions for DoD, originating from the BRAC Commission as well as Congress.

Michael G. Jones (Mike) is a retired senior Army officer with extensive experience in strategic planning, performance management, and program based budgeting. He directed the Army's BRAC 1995 process and later served as leader of the Chief of Staff Army's Strategic Planning Group. From 1998 to 2007 he served as a staff consultant to the Secretary of Defense's BRAC Planning Office. An experienced Malcolm Baldridge examiner-instructor, Mr. Jones received an MS Degree in Systems Analysis from the University of Southern California and has over 35 years of experience working with federal and state government.

Robert L. Meyer (Bob) is a former Naval Reserve Officer and retired member of DoD’s Senior Executive Service. He directed and managed the DoD BRAC process in 1995, and developed the legislation, policy and procedures that have allowed privatization of over 300,000 military family housing units nationwide. In addition to his DoD experience, Mr. Meyer has a long record of service in key federal government positions, having served on the House Appropriations Committee Surveys and Investigations staff; the House Armed Services Committee staff; and as Assistant Director, National Security and International Affairs, U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). He was awarded the DoD Exceptional Civilian Service Award in 1997 and the Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service in 1998. Throughout the BRAC 2005 process, Mr. Meyer worked with CTC as a consultant to DoD.

Dr. Kathleen J. Robertson (Kathleen) is President and CEO of Athena Strategies, Inc., a consulting company that designs and implements senior-level complex games that challenge decision makers and organizational assumptions for both government and commercial clients. Prior to founding Athena Strategies, Inc., Dr. Robertson served as faculty at the Naval Postgraduate School where she was appointed the Wargaming Policy and Advisory Chair, and served as a Charter member of Naval War College Wargaming Advisory Panel. Dr. Robertson also served as the Director of Research and Analysis on the Presidential Commission Assignment of Women in the Armed Forces. She is currently a member of the Advisory Board for the Federal Laboratory Consortium. Her education includes a JD/PhD International Corporate Law, International Economics and Defense Policy, from the University of Alabama and a MPS, International Relations, from Auburn University.

Dr. Marlene S. Shaul (Marnie) served as a senior executive and assistant director at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) for 17 years. As assistant director, she led teams that produced reports on FAA staffing, airport security and airline competition. She worked closely with Congressional staff and testified before Congressional committees on education–related topics. Prior to GAO, she was a deputy director in the Department of Development for the State of Ohio where she supervised Ohio’s offices in Brussels, Tokyo and Lagos, Nigeria, and oversaw the Department’s business and community development activities. Dr. Shaul holds a PhD in economics from The Ohio State University and a BA in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin.

S. Alexander Yellin (Alex) was the Navy Team Leader for the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission from 1991 through 1995 and helped manage the commission. He has worked with CTC as a consultant to DoD, Office of the Secretary of Defense (Installations & Environment) since 1998. He assisted with the development of policies and procedures used for the BRAC 2005 round, trained DoD personnel in the use of analytical tools, and participated in the development of joint recommendations. He also played a key role in DoD’s support to the BRAC 2005 Commission including assisting with commission startup activities and staff orientation. Mr. Yellin has an MBA from Harvard Business School and is a retired captain in the Civil Engineer Corps of the Naval Reserve.