OUR ADVISORS
AttainX advisors consists of former Federal and commercial C-Level executives. Our advisors meets every quarter and reviews the roadmap and strategies of AttainX. The advisors provides guidence, and direction on future next steps for AttainX, offer thought leadership for AttainX Federal and State Information Technology Solutions.
Steve I Cooper
Steven I. Cooper served as Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the U.S. Department of Commerce from June 16, 2014 to January 20, 2017. As CIO, Cooper served as the principal adviser to Commerce’s 12 agencies’ CIOs and the Deputy Secretary. He also led development and implementation of the Department’s enterprise-wide information technology (IT) strategy and operations, oversaw the building and operation of a robust enterprise IT security risk program, and served as an adviser on mission and business IT systems and services.Prior to joining Commerce, Cooper served as the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Acting Assistant Administrator for Information Services and CIO. Previously, Cooper was the Deputy CIO, as well as IT Director and CIO of the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization, where he oversaw a team of 400 professionals working to ensure the operational excellence of mission support and business systems and the underlying technology infrastructure. In February 2003, Cooper was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as the first CIO of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where, among other accomplishments, he developed the Department’s first IT Strategic Plan.
Prior to joining DHS, Cooper was appointed Special Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and served as Senior Director for Information Integration in the White House Office of Homeland Security. In this role, he guided the integration of the terrorist watch lists, and launched the development of the first ever National Enterprise Architecture for Homeland Security to address information integration within the federal government and the sharing of information with state, local, and relevant private-sector entities.
Cooper also has more than 20 years of private sector experience, including service as Senior Vice President and CIO of the American Red Cross, where, most notably, he helped start the first-ever National Call Center to provide emergency financial assistance during Hurricane Katrina. Cooper is a founding partner of Strativest, a firm focused on identifying emerging technologies applicable to homeland security, emergency response and preparedness. He served as President of Fortified Holdings, CIO, Staffs at Corning, and in senior management at Eli Lilly, Computer Sciences Corporation, MAXIMA, Inc., and CACI, Inc.
In 2007, Cooper was named one of the Top 100 CIO’s in America by CIO Insight. He was also named Government Civilian Executive of the Year by Government Computer News in 2003; a Titan of Technology by the Northern Virginia Technology Council; was a recipient of the Fed 100 Award recognizing the 100 Most Influential People in Federal Government Technology; and was named by the Washington Post as one of the Five to Watch while serving in the White House. Cooper has served as a board member and officer of several nonprofits and humanitarian organizations working to more effectively help people and emergency responders prepare for and respond to natural disasters.
Cooper received a BA from Ohio Wesleyan University, and was honorably discharged as a Naval Air Reserve petty officer following service during the Vietnam War.
Natalia Olson-Urtecho
Natalia Olson-Urtecho was the Regional Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration, served as a Presidential Appointee from 2012-2017, she was responsible for delivery and management of small business programs, financial assistance, and business development initiatives throughout the mid-Atlantic region. She served a population of nearly 30 million in 7 district offices though out Pennsylvania; Delaware; Maryland.; West Virginia; Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Olson-Urtecho oversaw more than 180 SBA offices; SCORE chapters; Business Development Centers and other resources while managing a field staff of more than 100 loan, business, community outreach specialists and support personnel. She worked with local lenders and successful firms across the region, overseeing more than $34.2 billion in federal government contracts for goods and services purchased from local entrepreneurs.
She has more than 18 years of experience working with international, regional and local entities in Latin America, Central Europe and Asia. She has professional experience in finance, government contracting, international collaboration, commercialization of clean technologies, environmental planning, sustainable building, zoning, land use, transportation, public engagement and infrastructure policies and development. She was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to the U.S. Innovation Advisory Board and by Philadelphia’s Mayor to the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and Zoning Code Commission boards.
Olson-Urtecho was recently recognized as a “Latina Powerhouse” by the Maryland Hispanic Business Conference, was named one of Delaware Valley’s (PA,NJ, DE) Most Influential Latinos in 2014, and received the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2010 Minority Business Leader Award. In 2009 she received the Women of Distinction Award. She has lived in seven countries and speaks Spanish, French and Portuguese and was a guest lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University.
Joyce Hunter
Joyce Hunter is a strategic-doer and a social entrepreneur. An appointee in the Obama Administration, she is the former Deputy Chief Information Officer for Policy and Planning at the Department of Agriculture. In addition to policy and technology planning, Ms. Hunter oversaw the Departments 3.4 billion dollar IT investment portfolio, is the creator of the USDA’s Open Data STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Agriculture and Math) summer camp for underserved youth, managed 3 successful Hackathons and was the executive sponsor of the IT Fellows Program. With over 30 years’ experience in the information technology industry, Ms.Hunter demonstrated a strong ability to build and sustain relationships with public/private stakeholders, develop and lead innovative projects and inter-agency initiatives.
Ms.Hunter was the CEO of Vulcan Enterprises prior to her Federal appointment and has returned to that role. Vulcan is an IT service and strategic management consulting organization, where she also provides executive advisory services to corporate and federal CXO’s.
She served over 10 years with Lotus Development Corporation, rising to the level of Global Account Manager for Ernst and Young International and Marriott International for the US, Asia, Europe and Africa.
Ms.Hunter earned a BA from Villanova University and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business and has a certificate in Emotional Intelligence.
She was selected by the editors of FedScoop to be included in the 2017 and 2016 annual list of “D.C.’s Top 50 Women in Technology”, the 2016 Top 50 Federal Leaders, a 2017 recipient of the Roy L. Clay Sr. Technology Pinnacle Award as one of the 50 Most Important African-Americans in Technology and a recipient of the Wharton DC School Club’s Joseph A. Wharton Award for public service.
Ms. Hunter is on the steering committee of the Global Women in STEM, a member of STEMConnector’s Million Women Mentors and recently published in The Handbook of Federal Government Leadership and Administration: Transforming, Performing and Innovating in a Complex World (Routledge).