Conference Agenda

Born and raised in California, Cynthia began her professional journey working for a small business as a purchasing officer quickly earning a promotion to Manager of Information Systems and Office Supervisor, all while taking college courses at night. She eventually transferred to the University of Florida as a full-time student, where she juggled work and studies to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. After graduation she was recruited by Lockheed Martin where she excelled as a Project Planner and later as Task Order Manager with oversight of a $10 million contract supporting the FAA’s nationwide airport configuration management.
Cynthia‘s appetite for personal growth led her to strive for another milestone: becoming an attorney. She was admitted to the George Washington University’s National Law Center in Washington DC and, while continuing to work full-time at Lockheed Martin, earned her Juris Doctor degree. She is an active member of the Virginia and the District of Columbia Bar Associations.
With her law degree in hand, Cynthia shifted gears to become the Associate General Counsel for Legislative Affairs in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) of the District of Columbia. There, she managed intergovernmental affairs, drafting legislation and, deftly navigating the intricate web of relationships between the Mayor, the Council, the OCFO and various congressional committees. Her tenure was so impressive that, upon her departure to take on a leadership position in IHA, the DC Mayor and City Council passed a resolution declaring, "Cynthia L. Gross Day" in the nation’s capital as a tribute to her service and dedication to the city.
Today, Cynthia is the CEO/COO of IHA, which specializes in managing aerospace medicine, environmental health, and occupational health services programs. Under her leadership, IHA has earned multiple accolades, including NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Small Business Office’s Contractor of the Year, not once, but twice; has secured successive contracts worth over $300 million; and most recently, has been awarded the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site Occupational Medical Services contract, proudly joining the One Hanford Team.

Kaustav serves as the Vice President of US operations and Project Delivery for Atlas Agro and has extensive experience in executing several FEED, PMC, and EPC Projects around the globe. He was with Fluor Corporation for 15 years, 10 of which were in Energy and Chemicals working on Sour Gas, Carbon Capture and LNG Projects and 5 years in Infrastructure building Transit, Multi lane freeways and airport projects. Most recently he was engaged in the development of Machine Learning data center hubs for
Amazon Web Services in Oregon, Indiana, and Georgia. Kaustav is passionate about safety and sustainability and strives to incorporate them in all his projects.

Stephen Mazurkiewicz is a Framatome Senior Advisor for Fuel Operations and Advanced Reactors at the Richland, Washington nuclear fuel manufacturing facility. As a graduate of both the University of Tennessee and the University of Virginia, Stephen’s career in the nuclear energy industry dates back to
2000. Stephen has worked for three of the most prominent companies for nuclear energy in the Pacific Northwest including, Energy Northwest, TerraPower and Framatome. Stephen is a subject matter expert in nuclear fuel design, fabrication, and irradiation performance as well as experienced in both conventional light-water reactor and advanced reactor technologies. Throughout his career, he has been actively involved supporting industry stakeholders realize the benefits of nuclear power as a safe and reliable power source. Stephen is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Washington and a board member for the Clean Energy Supplier Alliance.

Dave McCormack is CEO of the Clean Energy Supplier Alliance, an industry-led nonprofit established to accelerate the deployment of next-generation nuclear energy technologies to maintain energy security as demand increases and carbon-emitting facilities are retired. The Alliance brings together business and labor members to address supply chain gaps, create competitive solutions and foster innovation. Dave has 50 years technical, management and executive experience in developing business and providing services to government and commercial clients and is a 30-year resident of the Tri Cities. Dave has been an active member of the Tri Cities Local Business Association (TCLBA) for 15 years, was elected to the position of Executive Director in 2019 and was instrumental in TCLBA’s founding of the Clean Energy Supplier Alliance in 2022. Dave began his career as a Nuclear Power Plant systems engineer with Stone & Webster Engineering after receiving his Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering from Oregon State University in 1974.

Sean V. O’Brien is Executive Director of the Energy Forward Alliance (EFA), a clean energy non-profit subsidiary of the Tri-City Development Council. EFA is a community-formed organization driving clean energy innovation and partnerships in the Tri-Cities region, aiming to create a sustainable energy community model by leveraging existing capabilities and developing new solutions for a reliable, clean energy future. He is the former Executive Director of the Congressional Western Caucus, a coalition of more
than 100 Members of Congress whose mission is to represent the voices of rural communities across the country in our nation’s capital. O’Brien previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for Congressman Dan Newhouse of Washington’s 4th District, during which he was the lead staffer in handling the Congressman’s Hanford Site, energy, public lands, and natural resources portfolios. He studied Political Science at Gonzaga University and currently serves as co-chair of the Tri-
Cities Legislative Council.

Based at Economic Alliance Snohomish County, Cara Buckingham helps businesses with government contracting as an advisor with Washington APEX Accelerator. Buckingham helps firms cut through the complexity of government contracting through education, one-to-one advising, market research, bid discovery and solicitation reviews. She also helps clients navigate government registrations and certifications and provides outreach and networking opportunities.

Prior to her current role, Buckingham worked in the construction industry where she helped build relationships with buyers and tracked small business programs to pursue government contracts. Buckingham served as a member of both the AGC of Washington Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the Washington State Business Diversity Advisory Group which seeks to improve small business access to state procurement. Her other past professional lives include marketing and PR for the shopping center industry and working as a radio and television journalist. As a communications professional, she enjoys connecting people and resources to help them meet their business goals.

When not at work, you can find Buckingham running the trails in Bellingham, plotting her next epic hiking adventure, promoting her author-husband’s work, and as a recent empty-nester, trying out new activities like improv theater.