1. NCMA Officers’ Bios 2012-13 Program Year Chicago Chapter
11 March 2013

2. 2013-14 Officers President Trae Howell
Vice-President/Pres. Elect Sean Garcia
Treasurer Jay Gauthier
Secretary Tonya Tickler
Programs Chair Open
Membership Chair Amanda Ewertowski
Graalman Co-Chair Kery Bartkowiak
Graalman Co-Chair Jennifer Krocza
Education/ Certifications/
Fellows Chair Sean Garcia
Communications Chair Open
Webmaster/ Social Media Open
Board of Advisors Open

3. Trae Howell Biography Assistant Vice President at CNA Insurance
Leads Vendor Management Office with over $300m+ in contracted services
CNA employee for over 6 years
Member of NCMA since 2012
Originally from Galveston Texas
BS in Computer Science from Northwestern University
Candidate for Executive MBA from Purdue
No kids. One Mini-Schnauzer
Roles & Responsibilities
Lead the Chapter to ensure that the objectives of the Association are achieved and to specifically meet the professional needs of Chapter members.
Manage the timely performance of all chapter activities

4. Sean Garcia
Biography
Director of Corporate Contracts & Pricing, Contract Policy & Process
Boeing employee for over 24 years
Member of NCMA since 1993
Has earned CFCM and CCCM certifications
Moved to Chicago (Deerfield) 1.5 years ago from St. Louis
Grew up in Phoenix, AZ
BS in Economics from Northern Arizona University
MBA in Strategic Planning from Arizona State University
Married with three children
Plays the string bass and electric bass guitar
Roles & Responsibilities
Certifications - Educate chapter members on the CFCM, CCCM, & CPCM, organize study groups, and recognize individuals when they become certified
Education - Communicate NCMA/other educational opportunities
Fellows – Promote the Fellows designation and support members if interested

5. Jay Gauthier Biography
Contract Specialist, Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA)
Formerly awarding and administering national IDIQ contracts for pharmaceuticals and medical equipment for the VA
Served three years as Contract Specialist with Dept. of Army, Fort McCoy, Wisconsin
Earned DAWIA Level II certification and commensurate warrant
Member of NCMA since 2008
Operated private law firm for over 12 years primarily focusing on contract related matters
JD from DePaul University College of Law
Roles & Responsibilities
Ensure that effective systems of accounting, budgeting and forecasting, investment management, credit and debt management, and cash flow management are maintained.

6. Tonya Tickler Biography
Contract Price/Cost Analyst at Defense Contract Management Agency
Federal employee since 2001 (DCMA, Air Force, National Park Service)
Received DAWIA Level III Certification in 2010
Member of the Defense Acquisition Corps since 2010
BS in Business Operations from DeVry Institute of Technology, Addison, IL
Member of NCMA since 2012
Born and raised in Stephenson, MI
Married with one German Shepherd
Roles & Responsibilities
Take minutes at monthly Board Meetings
Create & distribute program year calendar
Support the Chapter president in recording the chapter activities that support the Graalman requirements

7. Amanda Ewertowski Biography Sr. Program Manager at CDW-G
Manages team that covers State, Local, Education and Healthcare Contracts
CDW employee for over 13 years
Member of NCMA since 2006
Grew up in Garland, TX
BS in Political Science from Texas A&M University
Completed Contract Management Certification from Villanova University in 2007
Married with two boys
Roles & Responsibilities
Responsible to recruit and retain members for membership in the Association
Help the chapter achieve steady and healthy growth

8. Kery Bartkowiak Biography Contracts Manager, Northrop Grumman
Northrop employee for over 10 years
5 years in Southern California, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
5 years in Rolling Meadows, IL, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems
Member of NCMA since 2012
Returned to Chicago 5 years ago from Southern California
Grew up in Mount Prospect, IL
BS in Human Resource Management from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Married with two children and one on the way!!!
Enjoys cross country skiing, kayaking, and wine tasting
Roles & Responsibilities
Graalman Award - Guide Chapter Board members on the criteria utilized to evaluate our Chapter’s success and value provided to our members. The Walter A. Graalman Award is a national award to outstanding chapters, with three categories of awards based on chapter size, and is presented by the NCMA President at a Leadership Conference.

9. Jennifer Krocza Biography
Contracts Manager at Northrop Grumman Corporation
Managing $800M in defense contracts
Northrop Grumman employee for over 10 years
Previously worked for a defense contractor in Atlanta, GA for 5 years
Experience in Contracts, Export Management (ITAR and EAR), Security, and Supply Chain
BS in Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago
Member of NCMA since 2011
Grew up in Addison, IL
Married with two daughters
Roles & Responsibilities
Co-Chair of Graalman Award - Guide Chapter Board members on the criteria utilized to evaluate our Chapter’s success and value provided to our members
Support strategic planning and developing organization’s objective plans