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MEET
OUR TEAM
Get to Know the Corporate Team Behind OCT Consulting
Atul Kathuria
ATUL KATHURIA
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Atul Kathuria is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of OCT Consulting. With more than 20 years of management consulting experience, Atul provides strategic leadership, management and vision. Prior to founding OCT Consulting in 2013, Atul worked as a management consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton and Ernst and Young.
EDUCATION
Atul holds a Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Business Administration (MBA). He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and holds Advanced Change Management Certification (CMAP) from Georgetown University.
Pronouns: he/him
JOE FALIT
Vice President, Strategy and Growth
Joe Falit is the VP of Strategy and Growth at OCT Consulting. Joe has more than 15 years of experience as a senior executive in management consulting, banking (retail and payments), and technology (SaaS). He has deep domain experience across strategic planning, program management, process improvement, and data and financial analytics. Prior to OCT Consulting, Joe's leadership experience included serving as an SVP at Citibank, VP of Corporate Strategy for a growth-stage technology company, and CEO of a payments and software company.
EDUCATION
Joe holds a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and a Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Pronouns: he/him
JOHN RAFFIER
Vice President, Operations
John Raffier is OCT's VP of Operations, and has significant leadership, strategic planning, human capital management, policy development, process improvement, and program/project management experience supporting the Department of Defense and other federal government agency. John is also a U.S. Navy veteran with 20 years of military experience.
EDUCATION
John has earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the College of the Holy Cross, a Master of Arts in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Masters of Business Administration in Human Resources Management from the University of Phoenix. He is a certified and current Project Management Professional.
Pronouns: he/him
NIKHIL GUPTA
Vice President, IT
Nikhil Gupta is OCT Consulting’s VP of Information Technology. As an IT executive, he provides strategic vision, planning, team leadership and development of mission-critical information systems, software applications and technology support and infrastructure systems that enable organizations to achieve long-term goals.
EDUCATION
Nikhil holds a Bachelor of Engineering from an engineering college in India and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from George Washington University, Washington DC.
Pronouns: he/him
WAYNE SMITH
Director, Corporate Program Management
Wayne Smith is OCT Consulting’s Director of Corporate Program Management. Wayne is a multifaceted manager with vast experience in Business Development, Program and Project management, Personnel Management, Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Services, Education and Training, and Exercise Development and Execution. He brings an extensive background in Program and Project Management, Emergency and Disaster Management, and expertise in Adult Education and Training. Wayne is also an Air Force veteran with 22 years of military experience.
EDUCATION
Wayne holds a Master of Public Administration from Villanova University and a Master of Science in Health Sciences, Emergency and Disaster Management from Trident University International. He obtained his bachelor’s in applied arts and sciences with a concentration in Political Science and International Relations from Midwestern State University. He also holds certificates in Essentials of Project Management, Mastering Project Management, and a Master Certification in Applied Project Management from Villanova University.
Pronouns: he/him
JAMES HARLESS
Director, Cybersecurity
James Harless is the Director of Cybersecurity with OCT Consulting. Jim is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional with more than 20 years of Cyber Security and IT experience. He has experience at many federal agencies. Jim has extensive Cyber, IT, Project Management, Agile, DevSecOps, and Recruiting experience.
EDUCATION
James holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems from Salisbury University. He also is Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certified.
Pronouns: he/him
PHILIP ERDIE
Program Manager
A U.S. Marine Corps veteran with significant experience with technical program management including wireless communications, electronic warfare, and supporting research and development activities with multiple Federal Government agencies and the Department of Defense.
EDUCATION
Phil holds a MBA from Boston University and a Master of Science in Systems Engineering (Electronic Warfare) from Naval Postgraduate School. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona.
Pronouns: he/him
JENNIFER PURDY
Human Resources Manager
Jennifer Purdy is OCT Consulting's Human Resources Manager. She is a certified HR Professional with an extensive background in office administration and full life cycle human resources activities within the private and Government Contractor sectors. As a member of OCT's Corporate Team, Jennifer provides recruiting, benefits administration, and other infrastructure functions.
EDUCATION
Jennifer has earned Associates Degrees from Northern Virginia Community College in both Liberal Arts and General Studies with an emphasis in Business Administration. She also holds an active Society of Human Resources Certified Professional certification.
Pronouns: she/her
ATHENIA WILLIAMS
Human Resources Generalist
Athenia Williams is a Human Resources Generalist with more than fourteen years of experience. Athenia offers a wide range of knowledge and practical understanding of business needs. Athenia has developed her human resources background in the areas of employee relations, performance management, benefits administration, compliance reporting, HRIS systems management, and onboarding. As a member of OCT's Corporate Team, Athenia provides recruiting, benefits administration, and onboarding.
Pronouns: she/her
MARIA DEACY
Human Resources Generalist
Maria has HR and Office Administration experience, which includes a strong recruiting background with Government contracts. Her experience includes sourcing, scheduling, applicant tracking, and qualifying candidates. At OCT Consulting, she assists with recruiting and other HR functions and started in December 2022.
EDUCATION
Maria has earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from Radford University with a concentration in Management and a Minor in Communications. I also am HRCI certified in having my Associate Professional in Human Resources certification, earned in October 2020.
Pronouns: she/her
GULBAHAR OKUYAN
Manager, Business Development
Gulbahar Okuyan is a Manager of Business Development at OCT Consulting. She brings more than ten years of business development experience, working with a range of federal agencies, development banks, and foundations. Her expertise is strategy development, process management, writing, and research.
EDUCATION
Gulbahar holds a bachelor's degree in International Affairs from George Washington University and an MBA from SDA Bocconi.
Pronouns: she/her
BRIANNA CEBELLO
Manager, Business Development
Brianna Cebello is a Manager of Business Development at OCT Consulting and brings over two years of experience in capture management, market analysis, and proposal coordination for various government clients. Before joining OCT, she was a Senior Business Development Associate at IESC and an education volunteer for the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. She joined the OCT team in 2023.
EDUCATION
Brianna holds a Bachelor's Degree in International Affairs with a minor in Spanish Language and Literature from George Washington University.
Pronouns: she/her
ALLISON WHYTE
Business Development Associate
Allison Whyte is a Business Development Associate with extensive project development experience across multiple industries. Prior to joining OCT, Allison worked on developing projects in manufacturing, theatre, and other live events, and commercial construction and development. She joined the OCT team in 2023.
EDUCATION
Allison holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from Carnegie Mellon University. She has also completed several project management training courses through the Project Management Institute (PMI) as well as the Harvard Business School Online’s CORe program.
Pronouns: she/her
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