Aaron Gillison serves as the Director of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Indianapolis, leading one of the Department of Defense’s largest and most complex finance and accounting operations. He oversees a global network that includes DFAS Indianapolis, DFAS Rome, DFAS Texarkana, DFAS Europe, and 38 Defense Military Pay Offices, directing a workforce of about 4,000 civilian personnel who provide military and civilian pay, travel pay, disbursing, debt and claims management, customer care services, security cooperation accounting, and accounting and audit support to 26 Defense Agencies and multiple uniformed services.
Previously, Mr. Gillison served as Deputy Director of DFAS Indianapolis, supporting more than 3,500 employees and delivering essential finance and accounting services to millions worldwide.
Mr. Gillison also served as Director of DFAS Rome, leading more than 1,100 personnel providing full-spectrum accounting support and travel pay services to organizations such as the Army Medical Command, Navy Bureau of Medicine, U.S. Special Operations Command, and multiple Army Commands, while also overseeing DFAS Europe operations.
Before entering civilian service, Mr. Gillison completed a distinguished U.S. Army career, culminating as Commander of the 13th Finance Group at Fort Hood, Texas. He led over 760 Soldiers, Army financial managers, and DFAS civilians supporting III Corps and established the first specialized Wounded Warrior Pay Management Team.
Mr. Gillison is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute, the U.S. Army War College, Indiana University Bloomington, and Southern University.

Brigadier General Roger W. Scearce, USA (Ret) is a founding partner of Vanguard Advisors, LLC, providing advisory and consulting services to business and government leaders. Before Vanguard, he was a senior vice president at a professional services firm, leading the DoD Strategic Account Group. His last active-duty role was as deputy director of DFAS, managing global DoD finance and accounting operations. General Scearce’s military career includes service in Desert Shield/Desert Storm and roles as commandant of the U.S. Army Finance School and chief of the Finance Corps. He is a trustee of the U.S. Army War College Foundation and a director on the board of the Flag and General Officers Network. Scearce is married to Deborah J. Cranis; they have 2 children and 1 granddaughter.

General Scearce graduated from Florida Southern College in 1971 as a ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate with a BS in accounting and a minor in economics. He earned his MBA from Syracuse University in 1979. He is also a graduate of the US Army War College and the General Officer CAPSTONE course.

Carlos Rodgers is a former Department of the Air Force senior executive with over 38 years of financial management experience.  In his last assignment, he served as the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, Pentagon, Washington D.C., where he was responsible for the budgeting, cost estimating, and financial operations for $213 billion in annual resources.  Additionally, Mr. Rodgers led the professional development of over 13,000 military and civilian members of the world-wide Air Force Financial Management Community.

Mr. Rodgers entered government service in 1987 as a Palace Acquire Intern after graduating with an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.  During his career, he held progressively more responsible financial management positions across of wide range of mission areas.  He served for over two decades in senior financial management positions in single and joint service major defense acquisition programs such as the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office.  In addition, Mr. Rodgers has over 30 years of management experience at every organizational level within the Department of the Air Force.

Mr. Rodgers holds a Master of Science Degree in Management, from Troy University, and is a graduate of Air War College, a senior military service development education program.  He has also earned certifications in DoD Financial Management, Acquisition Professional Development Program (Business Financial Management-Expert Level), and Business Process Reengineering.

Charles S. Tapp II currently works at SteerBridge Strategies, LLC (SteerBridge) as the VA Account Executive. He is responsible for strategic initiatives focused on driving mission-focused, operationally aligned technology solutions that support the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in delivering benefits and services to Veterans and their families.

Prior to SteerBridge, Charles worked with Gartner as an Executive Partner with their Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Practice from January 2024 to April 2025.  In this role, he served as a strategic advisor to public sector CFOs and senior finance leaders where he delivered actionable, objective insight that drove smarter decisions and stronger performance on the organization’s mission-critical priorities.

Charles served over 10 years in various roles at VA’s Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) that culminated with his appointment as CFO in April 2019.  As a key member of VBA’s Senior Leadership team, Charles provided advice and counsel on all fiscal matters related to the $188.6 billion budget. VBA’s $3.9 billion General Operating Expense (GOE) and $1.8 billion Toxic Exposures Fund (TEF) budgets supported operations for more than 31,500 employees focused on providing $183.9 billion in benefits and services to over 7 million Veterans, Servicemembers, and their families. He was also responsible for the direction and oversight of a 312-person team focused on budget, finance, accounting, enterprise risk management, and fraud, waste, and abuse (FWA) operations. Under his leadership, the Office of Financial Management was recognized as VBA’s “Best Place to Work” from 2020-2022 via the VA-wide All Employee Survey.

Before joining VBA in 2013, Charles spent seven years as a management consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton (Booz Allen), where he led several teams responsible for delivering budget, statistical, risk, and cost analysis support to clients in the Joint Staff, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and NASA.

From 1996-2006, Charles served in the Air Force as a career Financial Management Officer.  During his 10-year tenure, he developed innovative solutions for senior Air Force leaders in budget execution, cost analysis, and financial services at the Wing, Major Command, and Field Operating Agency levels, and deployed overseas in support of Operations Southern Watch and Iraqi Freedom.

Charles earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting (Summa Cum Laude) from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, a Master of Science degree in Acquisition Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership from Regent University.  Charles is also a Certified Defense Financial Manager.

Significant Awards and Honors:

• 2024 Department of Veterans Affairs Distinguished Career Award
• 2022 Presidential Rank Award (Distinguished)
• 2010 Booz Allen Excellence Award
• 2008 Booz Allen “Values in Practice” Award
• 2008 Inside Business “Top Forty Under 40” Honoree, The Hampton Roads Business Journal
• 2008 Corporate Volunteer Coordinator of the Year, Virginia Business & Volunteer Hampton Roads
• 2006 Meritorious Service Medal (United States Air Force)

Gwendolyn Sykes is the executive vice president, finance, and chief financial officer of SRC, overseeing the fiscal and daily financial operations. She brings 31 years of federal service, having served as CFO of the United States Secret Service, where she managed resources and led a financial team. Sykes is the first African-American female to serve as CFO at NASA, where she was responsible for the financial management of a $16 billion agency and led over 500 finance professionals. She also served as CFO at Yale University and Morehouse College and has experience with the Department of Defense and U.S. Senator Ted Stevens. Recognized by Black Enterprise, Newsweek, and the Today Show, she continues to mentor future leaders as an adjunct professor at American University.

Sykes holds a BA in accounting from Catholic University and a master’s in public administration from American University, where she continues to serve as an adjunct professor in the School of Public Affairs. In May of 2022, Wilson College conferred upon her an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.

Michael C. Mehrman is a seasoned financial management executive with extensive experience across the U.S. Department of Defense. He retired as the Deputy Director and Senior Advisor for Army Budget in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller). In this role, he oversaw the formulation, presentation, and execution of the Army’s budget, ensuring effective allocation and utilization of resources.  Prior to his current position, Mr. Mehrman was selected and served as the first Chief Financial Officer for the Army National Guard (ARNG). There, he managed the financial plannig and execution of over ARNG appropriated budget, supporting payroll, readiness and sustainment programs across 54 states, territories and the District of Columbia.

Mr. Mehrman’s career also includes significant roles in the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Financial Management and Comptroller at the Pentagon served at several major commands across the country, In addition he served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Wounded Warrior Care & Transition Policy Office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

He holds a Bachelor of Science from Northeastern University and a Master of Business Administration from Western New England College. His professional development includes programs at the Center for Creative Leadership, the Federal Executive Institute, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

Throughout his career, Mr. Mehrman has demonstrated a commitment to excellence in financial management, contributing significantly to the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department of Defense’s financial operations.

Ms. Pamela Franceschi proudly served as Site Director for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) in Columbus, Ohio until retirement in June 2025. In this commanding role, Ms. Franceschi was responsible for the day-to-day operations while managing a budget of more than $250M and nearly 1,900 accounting and finance professionals in support of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Defense Agencies. As a customer-focused leader, she also served as Client Executive to the United States Air Force, Space Force and 10 Defense Agencies, in addition to overseeing operations for the DFAS Limestone site.

Ms. Franceschi had been with DFAS since its inception in 1991, and she upheld the DFAS core values of integrity, service and innovation. She has a diverse background in Human Resources, Defense Fuels Operation, Commercial Pay Operations and Finance. In 2009, Ms. Franceschi was selected to be a member of the Senior Executive Service as Deputy Site Director for DFAS Columbus.

Prior to her final role, Ms. Franceschi led over 1,100 Information and Technology professionals across DFAS as the Chief Information Officer.  She safeguarded the DFAS infrastructure along with 100+ systems to ensure the systems were accessible and up to date in support of the Agency’s mission.

In addition to more than 37 years of federal service, Ms. Franceschi has a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Psychology from Mercyhurst University, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Central Michigan University. She supported the financial management community as a member of the Association of Government Accountants, and as a member and past chapter president of the Society of Defense Financial Management. In 2019, she was awarded the Presidential Rank Award for her dedication to preventing improper payments and spearheading business reform in government spending through the use of data analytics.

Rich Brady is the CEO of the American Society of Military Comptrollers (ASMC), a global organization representing over 14,000 finance and accounting professionals in the defense/aerospace industry. ASMC promotes the education, training, and certification of the defense financial management workforce and drives financial transformation in the defense sector. Rich joined ASMC after 32 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring as a colonel in 2021. His military career includes command and staff positions in the U.S. and overseas, a combat tour in Iraq, and diplomatic service in Georgia. He chairs the global board of directors of the Institute of Management Accountants, serves on the advisory board of the Georgian think tank GEOCASE, and chairs the membership committee of the DC Metro Chapter of the Private Directors Association. He is a certified defense financial manager and certified government financial manager.

Rich Brady holds an MS from the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, a degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an MS in finance from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a BS in international business from Saint Louis University.

Stephen Kunze was the Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Commerce for over 8 years until his retirement on March 31, 2025.  In that position, he was responsible for: financial management and accounting throughout the Department, which included the annual consolidated financial statements and the development and implementation of a modern Department-wide integrated financial system.  Mr. Kunze’s passion for mentoring and developing staff led him to be the Chair of the US CFO Council’s Workforce Modernization Executive Committee where he assisted in the development and implementation of a strategic workforce plan for the federal financial management community as well as the Career Planning Training Tool (CPTT).  The CPTT provides a single portal to access career development training from top rated vendors, all aligned to the competencies for the four most popular job series in the financial management career field.  Mr. Kunze has also helped develop future finance leaders through mentoring current finance professionals as well as students and career assistance for current college students.

Mr. Kunze lives in Maryland with his wife and two granddaughters in New England.

Tom Steffens has over 39 years of service with the Department of Defense, including 27 years as an Army Financial Management Officer. A former Deputy Chief Financial Officer for DoD, he advised top Defense leaders on financial operations and compliance, led major initiatives, and upheld financial reporting integrity. Previously, he was the Chief Financial Officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, overseeing $40 billion in annual outlays and achieving unmodified audit opinions. A retired Army Colonel, his career highlights include leadership roles in budgeting, accountability, and audit readiness, as well as deployments in support of critical missions.

Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Saint Peter’s University, an MBA from Syracuse University, and an M.S. in National Security Studies from the Naval War College. Among his numerous accolades are the Presidential Rank Award, the Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit.