Food and beverages
will be served at 4:30pm

AFCEA Central Maryland's Small Business and Strategic Partnerships Committees are hosting a panel that will explain the process and timeline of awarding a contract from the very first steps of market surveys and an RFI all the way to announcing a winner. We plan to cover topics such as BD Pipelines, Small vs Large contracts, Proposal Writing, Teaming Strategies, and the question everyone asks: why do proposals take so long to award?

Alex Sheedy
Jr. Proposal Manager at Calibyr Corporation
Vice President, AFCEA Central Maryland Emerging Leaders

Alex Sheedy is an accomplished professional with more than six years of experience in proposal coordination, office management, and administrative support. She specializes in streamlining operations, driving project management, and coordinating complex proposals with exceptional organizational skills, meticulous attention to detail, and a commitment to excellence. She serves as a Junior Proposal Manager within Calibyr's Commercial Services team, collaborating with internal teams and external clients across all phases of the proposal development lifecycle. She brings significant domain experience, having successfully coordinated the production of ten government proposals. Her structured approach and dedication ensure consistent alignment with mission objectives as she expands her leadership scope at Calibyr. 

She is an active contributor to the Intelligence community, serving as Vice President of the AFCEA Central Maryland Emerging Leaders Board (2026–2027), having been a board member since 2023. In this capacity, she leads the strategic planning and execution of key industry events focused on networking, and mentorship. Recipient, AFCEA Central Maryland Chapter Chrissy Bobb Emerging Leader Award (2025–2026)

Heather Johnson
Senior Vice President, Jovian Concepts Inc.

Heather Johnson has served in the Intelligence Community for over 25 years.  Her career began by enlisting in the U.S. Air Force where she spent 9 years as a Morse Code Operator and Signals Analyst.  She spent the next 20 years performing a wide variety of Systems Engineering functions.  She was a Section Manager in Systems Engineering while working at Northrop Grumman Information Technology, TASC from 1999 – 2010.  Her core expertise resides in the End-to-End Systems Engineering required for deployed systems.  She joined Jovian Concepts Inc., in 2010 as Senior Vice President, while working on contract as a Systems Engineer Technical Assistant (SETA) for the RF Common Framework.  She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Technology and is a PMI certified PMP.

Scott Sheldon
Strategic Business Consultant, Imasuit Consulting

After eight years as a United States Air Force Intelligence Officer, Scott Sheldon moved to Columbia, Maryland in 1997, performing a combination of successful line, business development, and capture management roles for companies including SAIC, ManTech, Booz Allen, KeyW, and BigBear.ai. As a Division Manager at SAIC, Scott grew the organization to over 80 direct charge personnel using a combination of subcontracts and prime contracts such as Sector Analysis and GREYGOOSE. After transitioning to business development, he successfully led the capture of NANA, SIGDEV PDS II, and GW RIS2. Now, he runs imasuit consulting and provides strategic support for businesses primarily in the Maryland Procurement Office (MPO) and USCYBERCOM markets. He’s a member of Columbia Presbyterian Church and serves on the Board of Trustees for his alma mater King University. In his spare time, he and his family enjoy flying single-engine airplanes, sailing, travel, running, skiing, and playing with their family dog.

John Martin
Vice President of Business Development

John Martin is an experienced national security and defense industry leader with more than 25 years of experience supporting mission-focused programs across the defense and intelligence communities. His background spans engineering, systems delivery, and executive leadership, with a strong emphasis on customer-driven growth. As Vice President, Business Development for the Maryland Region, John leads Vibrint’s strategic growth initiatives, customer engagement, and capture efforts across key defense and intelligence markets. He works closely with mission partners to align Vibrint’s capabilities with evolving national security requirements. John is proud to give back to the community through the AFCEA Central Maryland chapter and as a member of the Fort Meade Alliance Board of Directors. John holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, and is a PMI-certified Project Management Professional.