FORUM Founders Circle

The federal landscape has shifted. The government is no longer just looking for "hours for dollars"; they are hungry for packaged solutions that deliver immediate mission impact. As industry leaders rush to blend services with proprietary products—supercharged by AI accelerators—the very definition of a "GovCon company" is being rewritten.Join a curated room of founders for an evening focused on the GovCon 3.0 evolution.

We are moving past the era of simple P&Ls and into the era of the Valuation Stack.This isn't just about "selling your company"—it’s about building a firm that is fundamentally more valuable because it operates at the intersection of human expertise and machine efficiency. We’ll dive deep into:

• The Shift to Packaged Solutions: Why the government is pivoting away from pure-play staffing toward integrated offerings.
• AI as an Accelerator: Moving beyond the hype to use AI-enabled operations as a tangible margin expander.

The Details

• When: Monday, June 15th | 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
• Where: Ice Miller, Washington, D.C.
• The Vibe: An invitation-only, candid gathering of founders who built their firms from the ground up. No fluff—just high-level strategy among peers who understand the high stakes of the "3.0" transition.

Meet our Speakers:

Donald Bauer is a senior federal executive and technologist with 25+ years modernizing mission-critical HR systems across government. Currently Senior Advisor for Human Resources Solutions at OPM, he has led large-scale transformation at the Department of State, DHS, and CBP — and co-founded QuickHire, the federal government's first commercial staffing system.

LaVon Lewis is the Founder and Creative Director of Creative Velocity, an award-winning Atlanta-based branding firm that helps companies turn bold ideas into powerful brands. After building his multi-million-dollar agency from a college student with a laptop into a firm that now attracts some of the world’s most recognized brands, LaVon discovered a simple truth. The brands that win do not chase attention. They create pull. That insight became The Gravity Effect, now captured in his book The Gravity Effect: The Three Forces That Decide If Your Brand Gets Attention, Trust, and Revenue. His work has been featured on NBC, VH1, ABC, and BlackEnterprise.com, and today he is known for helping leaders turn perception into profit.

Ashley Brush is SVP of Operational Excellence & Strategy at MetroStar, bringing 15+ years of experience leading technology teams across federal agencies including DHS, State, IRS, and USDA. A champion for women in the workplace, she has earned recognition including ACT-IAC Rookie of the Year and Leadership Center for Excellence 40 Under 40.

A founder who has built, sold, and operated GovTech companies end-to-end, Alex Cohen focuses on applied AI for government and high-stakes regulated environments. His work spans workflow automation, decision support, and production-grade systems designed for auditability and institutional scale. Less optimism theater. More systems that hold up under scrutiny. Currently building what's next.

Sandeep Kathuria is Senior Counsel in Ice Miller's Business Practice Group, focusing on government contracts, cybersecurity, and defense tech. With experience spanning aerospace, IT services, and telecom, he serves as outside general counsel for defense tech startups and has built cybersecurity legal functions for multiple major government contractors.

Tim Belevetz is the co-chair of Ice Miller’s White Collar Defense & Investigations Group. A former federal prosecutor and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission attorney, he focuses his practice on white collar criminal defense, internal investigations, SEC enforcement, and corporate compliance. He represents companies and individuals in high-stakes government investigations and enforcement actions, including matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and other potential corporate misconduct, and in congressional investigations. Tim also provides compliance counseling designed to help prevent the need for such investigations.

Matt Vean is a Commercial Banker with JP Morgan's Aerospace, Defense and Government Services team, partnering with middle-market GovCon clients across the Mid-Atlantic. With 20 years in commercial banking, he advises C-suite executives on capital structure, credit, and treasury strategies — and serves on the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters National Capital Area.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher FORUM: HealthIT|FedCiv|Department of Defense