Executive Women

Ms. Sandel was assigned the duties of Executive Director, Office of Naval Research July 2018 where she is currently responsible for oversight of the coordination, execution, and promotion of science and technology for the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Since taking the role as the Executive Director, Ms. Sandel has expertly developed, implemented, and led development of ONRs "1st" Balanced Scorecard (BSC) Measurement Process ensuring transparent, measured execution, insight and oversight internally & externally. Her hands-on leadership approach (Coach-Player) focused on instituting the “first of” repeatable, measurable business standards for performance and auditability, accountability in a collaborative, inclusive work environment. She modeled people as the most valuable resource regardless of education, implementing and enforcing inclusion and diversity policies, enforcing OPM, DON personnel, and merit system principles to ensure ONR exceptional performance, and instituted a workforce development framework, including a talent management program for the ONR workforce.
Ms. Sandel was appointed to the Senior Executive Service May 2000 for the position of Deputy Program Manager for the newly established Program Executive Office (PEO) Aircraft Carrier Programs Office (PMS 378) where she was responsible for the CVN 77 Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier Acquisition Program, the Future Aircraft Carrier Acquisition Programs, as well as all Aircraft Carrier technology development.
In October 2002, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition (ASN (RDA)) assigned her to be the founding Executive Director, for the Program Executive Office (PEO) Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS), responsible for realigning all Navy surface ship and submarine combat systems, missiles, radars, launchers, electronic warfare systems, anti-submarine warfare systems, and gun systems from five PEOs into an efficient, single integrated organization.
January 2004, Ms. Sandel was requested by the ASN (RDA) to be the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Integrated Warfare Systems (DASN IWS), exercising advisory & oversight responsibilities for the cost, schedule, and performance of all surface ships, submarines, and Marine Corps combat systems, weapon systems, electronic warfare systems, shipboard radars, and Navy missile defense programs.

Ms. Sandel was later assigned by ASN (RDA) August 2008 to be the first female civilian Navy Program Executive Officer for Littoral, Mine Warfare (PEO LMW). She was responsible for design, development, production, testing, and delivery of all warfighting capabilities for the littoral battlespace as well as lifecycle support. She led eight program offices comprised of over 220 programs, over $3.0B TOA, including multiple Acquisition Category I Programs and several SOCOM initiatives addressing urgent warfighting needs.
Ms. Sandel was later requested by ASN RDA to take over the role of Executive Director, Navy International Programs Office in March 2016 where she was responsible for oversight of the development, planning, and implementation of the Department of the Navy's International Programs, primarily in the areas of Security Cooperation, Cooperative Production, Research and Development, Technology Transfer, and Strategic Planning.
She began her professional career with the Newport News Shipbuilding Engineering Team where she worked aircraft carrier and submarine design & production. She was recruited to join the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Engineering Directorate in 1988. Ms. Sandel served in a series of progressively more responsible positions associated with design and development of surface combatants, aircraft carriers, submarines, polar icebreakers, and mobile offshore base design, construction and management.
Ms. Sandel’s personal awards include the Silver Medal Award, Association of Scientists and Engineers (ASE), the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award (2 Awards), and the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award (3 Awards), the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award in 2019, and most recently the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) Harold E. Saunders Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Dr. Anna Calcagno is currently the Deputy Associate Director for the Extramural Programs Division at the National Library of Medicine (NLM) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In this role, she carries out evaluations of the outcomes and impact of NLM's grant programs and coordinates collaborative extramural activities with other NIH Institutes and Centers. She previously served as the Deputy Director of the Office of Program Planning, Analysis, and Evaluation at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). Prior to joining NIGMS, Dr. Calcagno worked as the data analytics team lead within the Office of Program Integrity Coordination at the Department of Health and Human Services where she worked on one of the HHS Secretary’s Strategic Priorities. Dr. Calcagno began her federal career at the National Cancer Institute in 2006.
She earned her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Kansas, M.S. in Pharmaceutics from the University of Michigan, and B.S. in Pharmacy from West Virginia University. Dr. Calcagno is a graduate of the NIH Senior Leadership Program and the Partnership for Public Service’s Excellence in Government Fellows Program and has received numerous awards, including two NIH Director's Awards and two HHS Achievement Awards for Analytical Support for the Reimagine HHS initiative. She is a recent graduate of the EWG Mentoring Program where as part of her mentoring plan, she organized a mock SES interview panel for her cohort. She served on the FY20 Federal Data Strategy Working Group.
Outside of work, she is an avid fan of sports including football and hockey. Dr. Calcagno enjoys traveling with friends and family. She is creative and enjoys mosaics, painting, and glass fusing. The rest of her free time is spent with her rescue dog.

Emily Anderson is the Associate Director for Management at the Office of Financial Research (OFR), where she is responsible for the agency's strategic planning, budget and acquisition functions, internal oversight, and project management capacity. Prior to OFR, she served as the Senior Program Manager for Management Strategy at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where she implemented new processes and programs that improve the experience with human capital, technology, budget/procurement, travel, internal culture, and more across the agency. In Spring 2020, Ms. Anderson completed a rotation with the General Services Administration (GSA), where she helped lead GSA's efforts to implement the Evidence Act, including determining how GSA will build and use evidence to better accomplish its mission enterprise-wide. During her Federal service, Ms. Anderson has also served at the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. She has been recognized through a variety of performance and merit awards for management excellence and the impact of her leadership contributions. Ms. Anderson loves volunteering as a mentor and a career advisor for individuals inside and outside of her agency and is looking forward to serving the EWG community as an officer. Ms. Anderson earned a master’s degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and completed her undergraduate degree at Princeton. She is honored to have been both a Fulbright and Presidential Management Fellow. Ms. Anderson is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship at Harvard, where she completed coursework on creativity, innovation, competitive strategy, and organizational behavior. She also completed studies in people-centered design, change management, and leadership. Outside the office, Ms. Anderson loves cooking up new recipes for her food blog and exploring new places with her family.

Stephanie Brinley is the Assistant Director for Business Operations and Technology at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. In that role, she provides strategic oversight and planning for the museum’s Finance, Purchasing, Administration, Human Resources, Internal Controls, Information Technology and Exhibits Technology. Stephanie is an IS-15, a GS-15 equivalent.
Prior to joining the Smithsonian in November of 2017, Stephanie spent 6 years at the Department of Defense Joint Program Office for the F-35 Lightning II in Arlington, VA, where she held positions as the Director of Software, the Chief of Staff, and the Lead for Congressional and Audits Engagement.
Stephanie is a 1991 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and has a Master’s degree from Troy State University in International Relations. She served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force for 10 years as an intelligence officer, supporting fighter and cargo aircraft missions. After leaving active duty, she taught grade school in Goldsboro, NC, specifically middle school social studies and science. In 2003, she moved to the Washington D.C. area and worked in Air Force Acquisitions, providing fiscal and program management oversight for a number of different programs such as Air and Space Operations Center, Joint STARS radar upgrades, Special Tactics equipment and Cyber.
Stephanie currently resides in Herndon, VA, with her husband of 27 years, Darold Brinley.