Staff - Virginia APEX Accelerator at George Mason University Virginia APEX Accelerator at George Mason University

Meet The Team

"Strategy is not really a solo sport – even if you’re the CEO."
― Max McKeown, The Strategy Book

Lisa Wood

Statewide Director

Ms. Wood holds a MBA from the University of New Haven and a BSBA through the Robert Morris University of Pittsburgh. She previously was the Statewide Director of the APEX Accelerator formerly known as the Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC) for the Connecticut PTAC and prior to that was Statewide Director with the Ohio Department of Development after serving as PTAC Director for the Northwest Commission of Pennsylvania. Before joining the PTAC/APEX community, Lisa was a Contracting Officer for Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc. in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. In her prior roles, Wood performed contract administration and negotiation duties. She also recommended bidders, handled issue inquiries, negotiated bids, performed cost and price analysis, and prepared comprehensive letters to justify recommended contract actions.

Cecelia Cotton

Procurement Counselor, Hampton

As a Procurement Counselor for the Hampton Roads area, Cecelia F. Cotton coordinates support services to assist businesses in finding government procurement opportunities, and assists government agencies in reaching socioeconomic goals. Retired from Civil Service after 31 years, Ms. Cotton served as a Contracting Specialist, Procurement Analyst, and OSDBU for the Army. She has an A.A. in Public Administration, B.A. in Human Resources Management, and a Graduate Degree in Religious Studies. She is Level III DAWIA certified contracting professional. Cecelia loves serving the needs of others, and lives by the motto: “Time is money to the small business person.” She enjoys singing, writing, public speaking, studying Scripture, old movies/sitcoms, and spending time with family.

Shana Dixon

Training Facilitator, Fairfax

Shana joined the team in August 2025 following a distinguished 34-year federal career. She served as a Regulatory Compliance Auditor and Level III Contracting Officer’s Representative with the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration. Throughout her career, Shana managed high-risk, high-visibility support services contracts that enabled frontline personnel to focus on securing the nation’s borders and maintaining the safety and efficiency of U.S. airspace. She holds a Master’s in Administrative Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. A kinesthetic learner by nature, Shana is a certified personal trainer and recently earned certification to teach English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). In her free time, she enjoys exercising and volunteering with community organizations to help improve the lives of others.

Margaret Edmond

Procurement Counselor, Central Virginia

Margaret Edmond is dedicated to assisting small businesses grow and maneuver through the maze of local, state, and federal government contracting. Margaret earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Virginia State University. She has worked for several state agencies across the Commonwealth of Virginia and has always had a desire to work in procurement. Margaret started with the Virginia State Police, where she was the Procurement Technician for the Information Technology Division. Throughout her career, she has discovered that nothing brings her greater fulfillment than guiding others on the journey to success.

Lorie Henderson

Procurement Counselor

Lorie Henderson joined the team with more than 39 years of combined military, federal, and private industry contracting/acquisition experience procuring and administering a wide range of products, services, and construction. She recently retired from the Federal Government as a Procurement Analyst/Small Business Professional of the Acquisition Management and Integration Center (AMIC) at Langley AFB, VA. She has a Master’s Certificate in Contracts Management, with George Washington University, and a BS in Social Science with Colorado State University – Pueblo. Ms. Henderson is Level III DAWIA certified in Contracting and is an active member of NCMA, with a CFCM certification. Lorie is passionate about working with small businesses and wants to help them navigate through the federal contracting processes.

Lynne Mann

Procurement Counselor, Central Virginia

Lynne Mann has over 30 years in business administration which includes, management, human resources, operations management, finance, strategy, project management, IT, supply chain, risk management, organizational leadership and Government contracting. She started as a counselor with the Crater Procurement Technical Assistance Center in April of 2021 and then became Regional Director in April of 2022. Mrs. Mann has worked directly with a wide variety of companies from large corporate companies to small locally owned businesses. In her years of working with small business, she personally encountered the difficulties that small businesses face, and she enjoys helping clients successfully navigate the maze of the government contracting world. In addition to the work she does with the Virginia APEX Accelerator, she is currently serving on the board of the Veteran Community Network of Central Virginia and is the Lead on the Transitions Team.

Michele McCoy

Procurement Counselor, Chesapeake

Michele McCoy joined the team in July 2015 following 33 years of federal service with the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). While at NOAA she held the positions of Purchasing Agent, Contract Specialist, and Branch Chief, Simplified Acquisitions. Michele was Small Business Specialist from 1994 until her retirement as a Contracting Officer with a Level III unlimited warrant at NOAA. She worked closely with the Commerce Office of Small Disadvantaged and Business Utilization (OSDBU), and often spoke on behalf of the department at events throughout the country. Michele has a BA in Humanities from Virginia Wesleyan College, post graduate courses in Business Management, and enjoys helping small businesses find success in the federal government contracting world.

Crystal Ober

Procurement Counselor, Central Virginia

Crystal Ober has 33 years of acquisition experience with 19 years of federal small business expertise–protecting the interest of small businesses on contractual issues, assisting them in navigation of procurement systems and partnering with government and commercial entities to further small business participation. She was Deputy Director of the Office of Small Business Programs at DLA Aviation for 19 years where she implemented DLA Aviation’s small business program initiatives including facilitation of DLA’s first Mentor Protégé agreements. Prior to her service in Small Business Programs, she was a Supervisory Contracting Officer for Airframes, Engines and Petro/Chemical. Crystal was awarded the 2014 Office of Procurement Policy Chief Acquisition Officer Council Small Business Excellence Award and the 2014 DoD Acquisition Workforce Achievement Award for Small Business. She is DAWIA Level III certified and has received DoD Small Business Professional Credentialing. She believes that small business agility and adaptability are the keys to sustaining the industrial base and is excited that her role with Virginia APEX Accelerator will support that effort.

Linda Owen

Procurement Counselor, Chesapeake

Often working from the Chesapeake Economic Development Office, Linda Owen has provided procurement counseling since retiring from Civil Service in 2007. A graduate of St. Leo University, she began government service in 1976 at the Naval Air Station, Norfolk. She has worked in procurement and purchasing for a many naval installations including NAVAIR, NAVSEA, NAVFAC, NAVSUP, NAVAL MEDICAL, and SPAWAR. While Director of the Small Business Program, she met all small business goals for both of the commands under her direction. She enjoys meeting new people, learning their stories, and providing valuable information to assist them to grow their business and achieve the American Dream.

Claude Barnett

Procurement Counselor, Hampton Roads

Claude D. Barnett is a seasoned business owner with over 28 years of expertise spanning multiple industries, bringing a unique perspective as both an entrepreneur and a military spouse. As the founder of a multi-client advertising agency in Monterey County, Claude has built a reputation for crafting and executing customized, long-term marketing strategies that earn client trust and deliver tangible results. His background also includes ownership and management of Gershwin’s, a renowned 100-seat fine dining restaurant in Norfolk, Virginia and more recently as a Client Services Manager at the Business Development Center in the Old Dominion University Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship before joining the Virginia APEX Accelerator team.

Kellie Burns Peterson

Client Services Coordinator, Fairfax

Kellie came to the team after 12 years as the Director of Office Administration and Communication for a non-profit. In her role there she handled a variety of duties including facility management, facility scheduling, equipment purchasing, website maintenance, social media marketing, print media, monthly/weekly printed and online newsletters and bulletins. With previous experience in sales and marketing positions for several private sector firms, she also trained as a technical writer for a small Defense contractor and has experience with Procurement and Contracts with the Department of the Army. Drawing on a diverse background of experience, Kellie especially enjoys working with clients while learning all the aspects of Virginia APEX Accelerator’s role in connecting small business to Government contracts and assisting clients to meet with knowledgeable counselors.

Lisa Powell

Procurement Counselor, Fairfax

Lisa Powell worked for the U.S. Small Business Administration at the Connecticut District Office from 1998 to 2019 as an Economic Development Specialist monitoring the HUBZone and 8(a) portfolios for the local office before joining the team as a Procurement Counselor in January 2021. During her time at the SBA, Lisa worked closely with all of SBA’s resource partners to facilitate procurement workshops held at local Community Colleges, Chambers of Commerce and libraries. As a Business Opportunity Specialist, she was involved with the Government Contracting programs that the SBA provides and worked very closely with the purchasing agents for the Federal and State Agencies as well as the larger prime contractors while organizing SBA Matchmakers and assisting small business.

Becky Pulliam

Procurement Counselor, Central Virginia

Rebecca Pulliam has 11 years of military service in the US Army. Once she left the military, she went on to achieve 4 ½ years of government contracting with General Dynamics, AECOM and Honeywell. With a bachelor’s degree in social sciences, Mrs. Pulliam gained experience owning a small business startup, managing personnel, and office administration before becoming a Procurement Counselor at Crater APEX Accelerator. Rebecca joined the team at the Virginia APEX Accelerator in 2025 and looks forward to conquering the complex challenges brought by our government contracting clients.

Staci Redmon

Procurement Counselor

Ms. Staci Redmon, a part-time Procurement Counselor at the Virginia APEX Accelerator, is a growth executive with experience at Fortune -500 management and small businesses who served honorably in the US Army and later as a civil servant. She built multi-million-dollar companies, drove marketing and communications efforts, and led business development and growth strategies. Ms. Redmon’s 40+ years of experience in the federal landscape proved invaluable to clients in government operations and small businesses. Staci has an MBA in Acquisition and Government Contracts Management and embodies the spirit of continuous learning because she understands that growth, innovation, and excellence are driven by an ongoing commitment to knowledge.

Michael Townsend

Procurement Counselor, Northern Virginia

Michael Townsend is the former Sr. Director for Small Business Development and Utilization at SAIC. He was the corporate point of contact for all small business matters related to federal government, state and local government customers and commercial small business vendors and partners. His responsibilities included promoting small business utilization and outreach within the company, government customers and industry. Mr. Townsend developed and implemented the corporate small business processes in accordance with statutory requirements and was also the Small Business Liaison Officer (SBLO) responsible for small business compliance and reporting. Additionally, he oversaw and managed SAIC’s small business special programs including Mentor-Protégé (Federal Civilian and DoD), HBCU/MI and Ability One. B.S. Computer Management of Information Systems, University of Maryland University College Project Management Professional (PMP)

Elizabeth Torrens

Operations Manager, Fairfax

Elizabeth moved into her role as Operations Manager in 2014 after working as the Assistant Business Manager for the MEC-Fairfax incubator. She loves learning and finding big-picture solutions while still accounting for detail. With more than a decade of assisting the Director of the Virginia APEX Accelerator and implementing process improvements, Elizabeth maintains a deep institutional knowledge of the program. She enjoys working behind the scenes in training, fiscal, and database oversight to keep things running smoothly and isn’t afraid to look outside the box for solutions clients can use to leverage all Virginia APEX Accelerator services.

Christina Collins

Fiscal Operations Assistant

Christina manages compliance, financial reporting, and recordkeeping. Having first joined the organization as a Training Facilitator in 2023, she leverages her deep internal knowledge of the program’s mission alongside training through the Mason Fiscal Administrator Certificate Program to fulfill her program finance and compliance duties. With over 18 years of cross-sector experience in financial management, community engagement, and client services, Christina has a proven track record of improving processes and data management. Her background includes roles at the Tampa Bay Women’s Business Centre and extensive experience supporting military members and educational initiatives. Christina holds an MBA from the University of Mary Washington and a dual BS in Management and Marketing from the University of Delaware and holds professional certificates in Project Management, Digital Marketing, and TESOL.