FORUM Founders Circle II

Cybersecurity is no longer just a compliance requirement—it's the foundation of mission success. As federal agencies confront increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, industry leaders must evolve beyond traditional service models to deliver secure, scalable, and AI-enabled solutions that strengthen national resilience.

Join an exclusive gathering of GovCon founders, executives, and innovators for an evening of strategic discussion focused on the next generation of cyber leadership and growth.

As the federal market shifts toward integrated cybersecurity platforms, zero trust architectures, automation, and AI-powered defense, the companies that create the greatest value will be those that combine deep technical expertise with innovative products and repeatable solutions.

Together, we'll explore:

• The Future of Federal Cyber: Emerging priorities across civilian and defense agencies and what they mean for growth-focused companies.
• AI-Driven Cybersecurity: How artificial intelligence is transforming threat detection, incident response, and operational resilience.
• Building High-Value Cyber Businesses: Moving beyond labor-based contracts to scalable solutions that increase margins, differentiation, and enterprise value.
• Innovation Through Collaboration: How founders can leverage strategic partnerships, acquisitions, and emerging technologies to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market.
• Preparing for What's Next: Understanding the evolving cyber landscape, procurement trends, and the opportunities shaping the next decade of government contracting.

The FORUM Founders Circle II is designed to foster candid conversations, meaningful connections, and actionable insights among the executives building the future of cybersecurity in the federal marketplace.

The Details

• When: Monday, October 5th | 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
• Where: Ice Miller, Washington, D.C.
• The Vibe: A 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.
• Agenda: 5:30 Registration opens, 6-6:30 panel discussion, 6:30-7 networking

Speakers:

potential speakers

Gloria Fenwick-yes hadshot and bio attached

LaVone Lewis-yes headshot and bio attached

Donald Bauer-yes headshot and bio attached

Jamie Holcome-yes bio and headshot attached

Dondre Lawson yes bio and headshot attached

Jothi Dugar-yes headshot and bio attached

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.

Jamie Holcombe is responsible for scaling Electrosoft’s operational execution and program delivery, aligning business development pursuits with delivery readiness, maturing the company's GovCon infrastructure, and operationalizing AI-enabled cyber offerings across Electrosoft’s federal portfolio. A proven operational leader, Jamie brings a rare combination of executive breadth and technical depth to the role.

A results-oriented executive with more than 30 years of federal technology and cybersecurity leadership, Jamie previously served as Chief Information Officer for the United States Patent and Trademark Office. His career spans civilian, defense, and intelligence missions across both large defense primes and small, mission-focused firms, with particular strength in managed security services, IT infrastructure, and enterprise systems modernization.

Jamie began his career in the U.S. Army, serving as a company commander in the 1116th Signal Battalion. He holds a B.S. from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (finishing first in his class in computer science), an MBA in information systems from Chaminade University, and an M.S. in computer science from George Washington University.

JoJo D, also professionally known as Jothi Dugar in her federal leadership work, is a senior cybersecurity executive, transformational speaker, and human-centered leadership strategist known as The Chaos Guru. She currently serves as Chief Information Security Officer at the National Institutes of Health Center for Information Technology, where she leads enterprise cybersecurity strategy in one of the world’s most complex research environments.

With more than 25 years of experience, JoJo D is also an internationally bestselling author, certified coach, podcast host, and founder of the growing Cyber Wellness movement. She helps leaders and organizations transform chaos into clarity through resilience, innovation, and sustainable high performance.

Gloria Fenwick Founder & CEO, Fusion Advanced Technology, Gloria is an accomplished cybersecurity executive with deep expertise in National Security operations, where she served in a senior leadership role supporting national-level command and control missions. Throughout her career, she has provided strategic oversight and mission-driven leadership across Global Joint C2 operations, systems integration, and high-consequence environments, partnering closely with senior executives and interagency stakeholders. Her extensive background includes collaboration with the Intelligence Community, DoD, and U.S. CYBERCOM on Defensive Cyber Operations planning, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to strengthening the security, resilience, and readiness of critical national infrastructure.

As Fusion’s founder, Gloria has guided the company’s growth and aligned its technical capabilities with the evolving federal market. Fusion holds SBA Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Maryland Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), and NaVOBA Service-Disabled Veteran’s Business Enterprise (SDVBE) certifications.

A recognized voice in the GovCon community, Gloria is a recipient of the Leading for Impact Forum Award for advancing mission-focused programs and has received two Governor of Maryland citations celebrating women-owned and veteran-owned business excellence. She is dedicated to helping federal agencies move beyond compliance toward scalable, integrated, and AI-enabled cybersecurity platforms.

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.

Dondre Lawson is the founder and owner of Emerald Technical Solutions, where he leads the company’s mission to deliver innovative, secure, and mission-focused cloud, cyber and AI solutions to commercial and government clients. Emerald Technical Solutions, a C3PAO, 8(a), SDVOSB, delivering digital engineering and technical services supporting federal and commercial customers. Mr. Lawson has spent much of his career supporting Army and Navy mission systems, working directly with military and government teams to design, secure, and operate enterprise and cloud driven environments. His experience spans into engineering, cybersecurity implementation, cloud migration, and infrastructure modernization in support of operational missions.

Beyond his technical endeavors, Mr. Lawson is an advocate for STEM education and workforce development. He founded Defense Interns, a nonprofit program designed to provide Maryland high school students with hands-on exposure to the defense industry by rotating interns through three defense contractors for four-month periods. The program provides free technical certification training and vouchers while equipping students with practical technical skills while strengthening the pipeline of technical ready talent for the defense sector.

Thank you to our sponsor:

Ice Miller LLP is an Am Law 200 firm providing practical, business-focused legal counsel across the entire lifecycle of federal contracts. With a deep bench in D.C., they help GovCon leaders navigate the regulatory and corporate complexities of a shifting industry.