Meet The Team

He is a calm and collected leader that has grown Red Cedar 100% year over year. He believes in servant leadership and has grown Red Cedar with a gloves-off, hands-on approach. He is an articulate communicator building lasting relationships with clients, partners, vendors and employees. He is a visionary with track record of finding innovative ways to grow the company with strategic partnerships.

Julia joined Red Cedar Consultancy as its VP of Finance & Contracts in April 2025 and was awarded the title of Senior VP of Operations a short 7 months later. She is a seasoned business professional with over a decade of experience in government contracting, specialized in Finance & Accounting, with experience in contracts and business operations. Throughout her career, she acquired a wealth of knowledge that includes accounting policies and management, finance and program control, systems administration, contracts management and compliance, and has successfully lead financial-related M&A activities as well as many audits conducted by government agencies such as GSA, DCAA, and DCMA. Her role as Senior VP of Operations assists fellow leadership in maintaining and managing policies and processes that allow the business to meet strategic goals for growth and success.

​

Julia has two sons and several pets, including a few cats who occasionally make an appearance during internal meetings. She enjoys reading fantasy fiction and sci-fi, playing video games with her sons, exploring quirky U.S. towns, and traveling abroad. As a Cajun, born and raised in Southwest Louisiana, she also enjoys cooking Cajun meals for local friends who prefer a little extra spice!

Manish brings extensive experience at multiple companies where he has been responsible for business development and delivery to his DOD and FedCiv government sector clients, specifically in AI/ML, RPA, cloud migration, enterprise architecture, data management, application training and digital modernization services. He has managed multiple programs whose contract values and ceilings have exceeded $500 million.

Chad manages the San Antonio office for Red Cedar and serves as the Program Manager for Battle Control System - Tyndall (BCS-T).  Chad has over 20 years of experience in application development and information technology.  For the past 15 years, Chad has helped the 337th Air Control Squadron accomplish its mission of training Air Battle Managers in many ways including incorporating TDF into three of the main applications that make up the BCS-T system – drastically modernizing and improving the usability of the system.  As the Information System Security Manager, Chad is in the process of writing the policy necessary to keep the system operating securely.

​

Chad is an avid pickleball player, an accomplished swing (balboa) dancer, and a mediocre chess player.  He regularly listens to podcasts and on economics, politics, and history.

Chad regularly volunteers in his community and serves as the president and treasurer of his homeowner’s association in Texas.

With over 30 years of experience across government, military, and commercial sectors, Lonnie has led the development of enterprise IT solutions. He brings more than 25 years of specialized expertise in federal DOD IT consulting, successfully managing large-scale projects with a strong emphasis on program and project management. 

Seasoned Program Manager with over 17 years of experience providing service management and program management skills to build highly scalable, user-friendly applications and platforms in a government-regulated environment. Extensive experience in all aspects of management including software development, service management, cloud platforms, performance management, budget oversight, and results-driven team leadership. Empathetic communicator and cross-functional collaborator who uses a quantitative approach to solutions-driven management. Continually exceeds expectations by building valuable relationships and works well with people at all levels of an organization including stakeholders, leadership, team members, and clients/vendors.

Kendon is a Kansas Jayhawk and a die hard Kansas City Chiefs fan who enjoys roller coasters, horror movies, and hiking with her dog when she is not watching her beloved sports teams.

Juned Shaikh is an experienced federal Program Manager for Red Cedar with extensive experience leading multi-million-dollar digital transformation projects across sectors like Federal Government, Life Sciences, and Telecommunications. He currently oversees federal enterprise architecture contract, ensuring timely and within-budget execution. Juned specializes in enterprise-wide systems implementation, agile product delivery, and ISO compliance, driving operational efficiency and modernization. He holds an M.A. in Public Administration from Kean University and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). With a strong background in business process optimization, Juned is committed to impactful change management and strategic innovation.

Juned has a passion for perfecting latte art and exploring different coffee brewing techniques. He enjoys the timeless craft of film photography, capturing moments with a nostalgic touch. In addition to working on cars, Juned is excited to take on a new culinary adventure with pizza making.

Aida brings several years of federal business development experience; she has led market and competitive research, capture and proposal support. She specializes in building strategic partnerships, shaping capture strategies, and managing healthy opportunity pipelines that align with both client mission needs and company growth goals.  She partners with executive leadership to drive growth across federal civilian agencies by identifying and qualifying new opportunities, building strategic teaming relationships, and maintaining a healthy, data-driven pipeline that supports revenue and win-rate goals.

Earlier in her career, Aida served as an IT Security Analyst supporting security assessments, NIST-based controls, and risk management activities for government clients—experience that gives her a strong technical and compliance foundation in her business development work. 

Priya Jayagopal is a dynamic Project Manager and Scrum Master with a flair for federal projects, having made her mark with the US Small Business Administration and the US Department of Agriculture. She’s a maestro at harmonizing business goals with cutting-edge technology, driving seamless process improvements, and delivering innovative solutions on time and within budget. Whether it’s Agile or Waterfall, Priya navigates both with finesse, ensuring every project hits the mark and leaves clients delighted. Her knack for building strong relationships across all organizational levels, coupled with her certifications in PMP, CSM, CSPO, and SAFe Agilist, makes her a standout leader. Highly motivated, organized, and detail-oriented, Priya’s expertise in project management, risk assessment, and strategic planning makes her an invaluable asset to any team.

Priya lives in Virginia with her husband and 2 kids- a boy and a girl. She spends quality time with her kids and loves to watch movies.

Richard Bowen is a Program and Project Manager for Red Cedar assisting on Department of State, Department of Treasury, USDA, and USPS contracts.  His responsibilities run the gamut from managing a Section 508 compliance team, to managing a Drupal team, to developing project plans, and to participating in proposal writing.

Richard brings over 20 years of experience in technical expertise.  Starting out as a web developer for a business intelligence system, he migrated to business analysis, service line management, project management, and eventually program management.   

​

His two kids keep him busy, with one still in high school and the other starting technical school this year.  He enjoys listening to audiobooks and podcasts (to keep his PMP current) while working on his land with his wife – mowing, gardening, and beautifying.  He also finds joy in playing the piano, learning to cover some of his favorite songs.

Sundar Gangadharan is an experienced IT professional with 20 years of expertise across both government and commercial sectors globally. He has played a key role in driving IT modernization initiatives for major organizations such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Coast Guard, and USAID.  Currently, as the IT Program Manager at RedCedar, Sundar leads large-scale modernization projects with USCIS while also spearheading corporate initiatives. 

With a proven track record of successfully delivering complex IT programs from conception to completion, Sundar specializes in areas such as application modernization, cloud adoption, SaaS, and COTS product implementations, including ERPs, low-code/no-code platforms, and data-centric solutions. Throughout his career, Sundar has held a variety of roles, including solution architect, software developer, business analyst, IT program manager, and technical advisor. This broad experience has provided him with both deep technical expertise and strategic insight. 
Sundar lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and two sons. In his spare time, he enjoys riding his motorcycle and playing a variety of sports. 
 

Experienced Quality Assurance (QA) and Section 508 Project Manager with a strong background in ensuring software and digital content compliance with accessibility standards. Skilled in developing and implementing QA processes, conducting accessibility audits, and managing cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality, compliant products. Adept at coordinating with stakeholders, providing training on accessibility best practices, and leveraging automation tools to enhance testing efficiency. Proven ability to improve usability, mitigate risks, and drive project success while adhering to federal and industry regulations.

Lakshmi leads Red Cedar’s Proposal Team. Having worked in Capture, Bids and Project Management across various industries spanning three continents, Lakshmi brings with her unique insights, experience and innovation that sets apart our proposal team. During her time with Red Cedar, she has successfully managed and helped win opportunities including IDIQs, BPAs and Task orders ranging from $1M to over $60B. A sound engineering foundation and management background has enabled Lakshmi to lead with knowledge and confidence in the highly competitive realm of Federal Government contracting. Her credentials include CF APMP and MCIOB (UK). Her greatest strengths are her interpersonal skills, scrupulous and ingenious demeanor that have enabled her to successfully manage stakeholders, diverse teams and complex bids.

​

Lakshmi has a keen, creative mindset and takes proactive interest in making workplace fun! She has designed our smashing logo and helped set up our digital presence and branding. 

​

Lakshmi’s passions are music and travel. She is a trained and professional singer/ performer and enjoys dabbling in music production and mentoring budding artists.

Laxmi Vig, CIR and ACIR certified, is a key Talent Acquisition Specialist at Red Cedar. She bridges candidates, program managers, and stakeholders involved in the recruitment process. With strengths in both active and passive recruiting, Laxmi excels in full-cycle recruiting, proposal, and bench recruiting, making her a versatile asset. She focuses on building long-lasting relationships, leaving a lasting impact for future connections. Her greatest satisfaction comes from seeing candidates she recruits thriving in their roles.

Laxmi Vig is based out of Texas, where she lives with her husband and two boys, one in his senior year and the other in middle school. A people person at heart, she enjoys spending quality time with her family during her free time.

Ami McDowell has 10 years of progressive experience in complex roles requiring exceptional project coordination, problem-solving, and human resources (HR) management skills, and onboarding roles. Ami leverages her attention to detail and business-focused mindset to establish successful relationships with key stakeholders including executive and departmental leadership teams and align strategic initiatives with core business values. Ami earned her MBA at the University of West Florida and her B.A. in Business Administration at Marymount University.