Meet the Officer Candidates! (Register Here)
The EWG Nominating Committee concluded a membership-wide search and solicitation for candidates to serve as EWG Officers for the 2020-2021 term. The proposed candidates for President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer are presented below for your consideration. Please “meet” the candidates by reading their bios and log on to the virtual membership meeting that will be held on July 29, 2020 at 6:00 pm. Due to the pandemic, the membership meeting will be conducted virtually through Zoom. Instructions on connecting to the Zoom meeting and the meeting agenda is attached. Following the membership meeting, a link to vote for the candidates will be sent to all active members. The voting will end on August 7, 2020 at 5 pm. EWG invites you to review the biographies below of the proposed candidates prior to the membership meeting.
- Anne Sandel, candidate for EWG President:
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 & technology for the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Since taking the role as Executive Director, Ms. Sandel has expertly developed and implemented, ONRs “1st” Balanced Scorecard (BSC) Measurement Process ensuring transparent, measured execution, internally & externally. Her hands-on leadership approach (Coach-Player) focuses on instituting repeatable, measurable business standards for performance, auditability, and accountability in a collaborative, inclusive work environment. She is passionate about people as our most valuable resource regardless of education, highlighting and enforcing inclusion & diversity policies, enforcing OPM, DON personnel, and merit system principles to ensure ONRs exceptional performance, while instituting a workforce development framework, including a talent management program.
Ms. Sandel was appointed to the Senior Executive Service May 2000 within the Navy’s Acquisition Community. In January 2004, Ms. Sandel was requested by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition (ASN (RDA)) to be the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Integrated Warfare Systems (DASN IWS), exercising advisory and 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. She began her professional career with Huntington Ingalls Industry’s Newport News Shipbuilding Engineering Team where she worked aircraft carrier and submarine design & production. She was later recruited to join the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Engineering Directorate where she 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, (2 Awards), the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award (3 Awards), and the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award (2 Awards), and most recently the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Senior Executive.
She enjoys Gardening, the Beach, Bicycling, adopting Rescue Animals, and Naps in her free time.
Anna Calcagno, candidate for EWG Vice-President:
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 whereas part of her mentoring plan, she organized a mock SES interview panel for her cohort. She currently serves on the 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.
Stephanie Brinley, candidate for EWG Secretary:
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.
<p”>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.
Emily Anderson, candidate for EWG Treasurer:
Since 2015, Ms. Anderson has served as the Senior Program Manager for Management Strategy (GS-15 equivalent) at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In her 9 ½ years with the Bureau, she has defined processes and programs from the ground up; established extensive relationships and networks; and determined how to meaningfully execute on strategic goals with available resources. Her role changed from talent development to overseeing the operations and strategy functions needed to run the Bureau’s largest office (~500 people and a $23M+ non-personnel budget), representing roughly one-third of the agency’s staff. In Spring 2020, she completed a rotation with the General Services Administration, where she served as an Evidence Fellow. She led GSA’s efforts for meeting the Evidence Act requirements, including determining how GSA will build and use evidence to better accomplish its mission enterprise-wide between now and FY2026. Prior to the Bureau, she spent three years with the National Science Foundation as a Program Analyst in human resources. She was loaned by NSF to NASA as part of the Presidential Management Fellow Program, where she conducted workforce data modeling.
Ms. Anderson earned a master’s degree from Georgetown University and completed her undergraduate degree at Princeton. She is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship at Harvard, where she has completed coursework on creativity, innovation, competitive strategy, and organizational behavior. She has also completed studies in people-centered design, change management, and leadership. She loves cooking, music, and playing outside, especially puddle jumping with her family.