2025 Mentors

Amir Abouelnaga

Amir Abouelnaga is an adjunct faculty member within the Information Systems and Operations Management Area in the Costello College of Business at George Mason University. Dr. Abouelnaga is a computer scientist and systems engineer with over 30 years of full System/Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Information Technology (IT) service management and program management experience. His industry experience includes delivering mission critical IT systems solutions to the US Government, private sector and international clients. His specialty is developing highly resilient safety critical information systems and holds patents related to this specialty. His program management experience includes managing large IT systems development and services delivery programs. He is currently a principal program manager at the Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute (SEI). Prior to this assignment, he supported the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in developing the next generation air traffic control system as a senior engineer. Amir holds Project Management Professional (PMP), Program Management Professional (PgMP), IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) V3 Expert, CSM and CISSP certifications. Amir has experience teaching electrical engineering, information systems and operations management as well as computer science courses at the University of South Florida, George Mason University, California State University and UCLA Extension. Amir is a Senior member of the IEEE.

Anjan Chimaladinne 

Anjan Chimaladinne is a seasoned IT professional with over 30 years of experience. As Co-founder and COO of Anshultech, he drives strategic growth for a firm specializing in management consulting, data services, and IT staff augmentation. His leadership has been pivotal in mission critical applications for clients like the DoD and U.S. Bureau of Census. Anjan previously held senior roles at SAIC, CGI Federal, and Accenture, managing federal programs. He holds a Master’s in Technology Management from George Mason University (GMU). He previously served on the Virginia Governor’s IT Advisory Council (ITAC) and currently serves on the Board of Visitors at George Mason University.

Scott Hine 

Scott Hine is a member of the executive leadership team within the Department of Energy, Office of the Chief Financial Officer where he is the Deputy Director of Corporate Business Systems. Scott has over 30 years of portfolio, program and project management experience. As a collateral duty, Scott is the Executive Sponsor of the Federal Government’s Program and Project Management Community of Practice (FedPM CoP) with approximately 1,700 members from over 90 federal activities. Scott is a veteran of the Unites States Army where he was a Military Intelligence (Signal Intelligence) analyst. Scott has given numerous program and project management presentations at Project Management Institute and University of Maryland symposiums. Scott was appointed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to serve as a Commissioner on the Fairfax County Consumer Protection Commission (2007-2021). Scott holds a BS degree in Decision Science from George Mason University, MS in Systems Engineering from Binghamton University, Masters Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University, and PMP, FAC-P/PM, FAC-COR, CIO, DAWIA, Information Security, ITIL, Acquisition Professional certifications.

Daniel Williams 

Daniel Williams has a breadth of experience in building, implementing, and advising on enterprise and digital solutions. He helps companies solve technically complex and strategic problems across multiple industries and domains. He has been described by clients and peers as a relationship-builder who just happens to solve strategic and technology problems. With more than 22 years of consulting experience, Daniel brings deep knowledge in program management, technology solutions development, and IT strategy. His primary areas of expertise are product development, IT portfolio management, and digital solutions. He has leveraged his passion for data and machine learning frameworks to assist commercial and nonprofit organizations in identifying how to best engage in these rapidly changing technology landscapes. Before joining Pariveda Solutions, Mr. Williams held positions at the Federal Reserve Board, SAIC, Booz Allen Hamilton, and BeyondSoft Consulting where he led a wide variety of programs across automotive, intel, and strategic investments. Daniel has also written white papers on topics such as “Meeting the Challenges of a Modern CIO,” “People, Process, Technology Strategy for Enterprise Collaboration,” “A Framework for Building a FutureReady Nonprofit,” “The Impact of AI as Companies Address the Labor Shortage,” and “Investing in Education and Examining the Massive Amount of Student Debt Impacting the U.S.” His ideas and recommendations have been adopted by Law Enforcement, Intelligence, Defense, and Homeland Security agencies in the public sector, as well as Automotive, Media, and Energy firms in the private sector. He currently leads Pariveda’s nonprofit solutions and advisory strategy.

Jay Chikobe 

Jay Chikobe leads Resonance’s Design & Innovation practice. At Resonance, he advises private and public-sector clients on building shared-value partnerships within innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems, to achieve impact and sustainability goals. He brings over 11 years of experience in innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem development in emerging markets. He has advised over five hundred startups, social enterprises, incubators, and accelerators on growth strategy and partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East & North Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. An avid entrepreneur and ecosystem developer, he has co-founded three ecosystem development organizations in the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa.

Chaimaa Fekkak 

Chaimaa Fekkak is a Deal Structuring Manager at Accenture with over a decade of experience in financial strategy. She holds a BS in Finance and Management from George Mason University and an MBA from Virginia Tech. Passionate about mentorship and service, Chaimaa serves on multiple university boards, leads workshops, and advocates for marginalized communities. As a mother, she involves her daughter in volunteer work to instill values of compassion and service. Chaimaa believes leadership is measured not by titles, but by the positive change we create—and is dedicated to empowering the next generation of leaders

Toyah Miller 

Toyah Miller is a Full Professor at the School of Business at George Mason University. She received her doctorate in Management at Texas A&M University, and before getting her doctoral she worked as a management consultant for Ernst & Young. She has published over 14 articles in such journals as Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, and Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, and she has served on the editorial board of Journal of Business Venturing and Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal and as an associate editor of Academy of Management Journal. Her research has focused on introducing these ideas to four interrelated areas: entrepreneurship, innovation and change, international strategy, and corporate governance. She has a strong interest in social entrepreneurship and inclusive innovation, and is Director of Research for the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at George Mason. She has taught undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students at several Research 1 institutions and finds mentoring students very rewarding. As a first-generation college student in her family, she has a strong faith in the rewards of education and the benefits of giving back to your community.

Stephanie Song 

Jinyuan (Stephanie) Song is an Assistant Professor of Management at the Costello College of Business, George Mason University. She teaches Advanced Business Models and Introduction to Entrepreneurship. Stephanie’s research interests are centered around the stakeholder perspective (e.g., executives, shareholders, regulators, media, etc.) of firm sustainability. In the broad domain of firm sustainability, she is particularly interested in studying a firm’s ESG (environmental, social, and governance) practices and firms’ adaptation to technological development. Stephanie holds a Ph.D. in Management from Penn State University, an MBA from Yale University, and undergraduate degrees from Peking University with double majors in International Relations and Economics. She has worked at PwC, Fleishman-Hillard, and the United Nations. She also has start-up experience in the high-tech industry.

Ann-Marie Johnson 

Ann-Marie Johnson is a Vice President for Federal Market Engagement at CGI Federal in Fairfax, Virginia. Her role is to elevate CGI’s engagement with professional associations, business technology partners, and universities for mutual benefit by shareholders, clients, colleagues, and communities. 

Ann-Marie serves in leadership roles in several professional associations, such as American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT IAC). She chairs the ACT IAC Federal Insights Exchange (FIE) program, growing it to 15 teams producing over 35 events a year, multiple projects, and podcasts that foster substantive engagement between government and industry. Ann-Marie is also the President and a co-founder of JMU Federal Dukes, an alumni chapter fostering engagement of alumni, faculty and students interested in federal government market. Association engagement is a preferred place to spread Ann-Marie’s message of “Team USA”, which encapsulates the importance mutually beneficial engagements amongst government, industry, and academia in service to our nation. 

Ann-Marie is a respected leader with a knack for cultivating exceptional client relationships, bringing over three decades of experience in business development and program management at large and small firms including Ardent Management Consulting, Unisys, ASI Government, and Computer Sciences Corporation. She started her career in government service with the Government Accountability Office. 

Ann-Marie won the prestigious ACT IAC 2021 Chairs Award. She also won a Fed100 award in 2017 for acquisition innovation. 

Ann-Marie holds a Master of Science in Information Technology from George Mason University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from James Madison University. She has a certificate from the Advanced Management Program at the National Defense University. 

Ann-Marie is the proud mom of two Eagle Scouts and a labradoodle named Luna.

Adam Phillips

Adam H. Phillips is the Founder and Managing Director of AthletesInnovate, the Co-Founder of One More Store and a Managing Director at Techstars in the Washington DC metro region. He primarily invests in early-stage businesses and startups, but also works with athletes and others interested in starting and running and using entrepreneurship to change their lives and neighborhoods. Adam is also the former Founding Managing Director at MoxE Venture Partners, a former Senior Attorney and Director of Innovation at USDOT, and former Adjunct Professor but he still thinks of being a basketball coach to 7th graders as the best job he ever had. Adam is also a Board Member at Owners in Honor, a non-profit committed to bringing the benefits of entrepreneurship through acquisition to the veteran community. He holds a Bachelor’s (Psychology), a Master’s (History) and Juris Doctorate. 

“Entrepreneurship isn’t a straight path; it’s about resilience, adaptability, and learning from failure. Anyone who has faced challenges and learned to make tough decisions can excel at it however, since the technical parts of running a business can be taught, but grit and perseverance can’t."

— Adam Phillips, Founder and Managing Director of AthletesInnovate, Co-Founder of One More Store, Managing Director at Techstars

Jeremy Plotnick

Jeremy E. Plotnick is the director of minor programs for the Costello College of Business, and an instructional assistant professor in the Business Foundations Area. Prior to joining George Mason University he worked in international communications consulting for over 20 years, where he provided counsel to clients in the areas of corporate communications, issues management, change management, and organizational communications. Dr. Plotnick holds a BA in political science and a MBA in marketing from Rutgers University, and a MA and PhD in international relations from Northern Illinois University.

Brad Stein 

Brad Stein is a retired Technology Services Government Contracting Executive with an impeccable track record for growing business value and building customer partnerships through delivery excellence. He brings proven performance in all aspects of strategic planning, P&L and operations management, client relationship development, and capture leadership with federal IT and consulting organizations. He has managed some of the largest and most complex Federal transformation programs including modernizing the system FAA uses to plan and manage traffic across the National Airspace System. Brad is an active member of the Costello Alumni Chapter Board, and volunteers his time mentoring and supporting the next generation of business leaders. When he is not supporting George Mason, Brad is busy playing golf and chasing grandkids.

Jerry Daneshvar 

Gerald Farrokh Daneshvar, M.D. has held various positions in the medical field since 2007. In 2007, they were a Research Assistant at The National Institutes of Health. From 2011 to 2013, they were a Medical Reviewer at MedXM, and a Clinical Consultant at Andrologix Health and Wellness. From 2014 to 2017, they were a Quality Assurance Physician at Octapharma Plasma, Inc., and a Plasma Center Director at CSL Behring. Since 2021, they have been a Business Development Executive at American Gene Technologies International Inc., and a COVID Laboratory Physician. Since 2023, they have been an Adjunct Faculty at George Mason University – Costello College of Business, teaching MGMT 453 for the Costello College of Business. Gerald Farrokh Daneshvar, M.D. began their education at the University of Michigan, where they earned a B.S. in Biology in 1999. Gerald Farrokh then attended Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, where they received their M.D. in 2003. Following this, they completed post-graduate training at the University of Michigan from 2004-2005, followed by post-graduate training at the University of Maryland, Baltimore Graduate School from 2005-2007. Finally, they completed post-graduate training at Penn State University from 2008-2011.

Craig Havenner 

Craig has been working in the residential construction and development industry since graduating from Purdue in 1979. 

As the recently retired co-owner and President of the Christopher Companies, he directed the planning and execution of multiple community development projects in the Mid-Atlantic. 

Over the years Craig has served numerous leadership roles in the greater Fairfax community as well as the Homebuilding Industry at the state and national level. He has actively supported George Mason University for many years Including the Costello School Dean’s Advisory Group, the Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship, and the George Mason University Foundation. 

He enjoys giving back to his community, his profession, and thrives on the positive energy he derives from working with our students.

Patrick McCreesh 

Patrick is the founder and Managing Partner of Simatree, a Strategy and Analytics consultancy, that was acquired by Galway Holdings. Patrick designs and executes institutions that are built to last with over 20 years of consulting experience including more than a decade with consulting leader Booz Allen. He is a leader in the global change management community, writing and teaching on change management and related topics through George Mason University. Patrick received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia, Master of Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Ph.D. in Public Policy from George Mason University.

Jonathan Morse 

Jonathan is a principal with Business Architecture Implementation LLC, which provides management consulting services that focus on creating business models, digital media presence, governance, and business process improvement. Jonathan is a Senior Business Counselor with the Mason Small Business Development Center (SBDC), where he advises a portfolio of businesses across multiple domains, including retail, food, manufacturing, real estate, construction, consulting, and IT services. He is an advisor to the George Mason University Costello School of Business, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and a mentor for the Mason Enterprise Center. Jonathan earned a BS in Entrepreneurship and Finance from Northeastern University and an MBA from George Mason University. He is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), and Project Management Professional (PMP).