EXCOM Self Nomination Form

Thank you for considering a nomination to serve on the AFCEA Aberdeen Chapter Executive Committee (EXCOM, sometimes referred to as “the Board”). Candidates must be active AFCEA members affiliated to the Aberdeen Chapter, willing to commit a large number of volunteer hours to support the Chapter’s operation. All roles carry 1-year terms, though the Executive Vice President holds a 2-year term before rising to President. If these terms are suitable for the nominee, please complete the following form and return to . All or some of your completed form will be posted to the Chapter website during elections for members to review.

Name: / John Karabias / AFCEA #: / 55160077
Employer: / Hi-Tec Systems / Title: / Director, DoD Business Unit
Employer Address: / 6210 Guardian Gateway Suite 125 / City, State, Zip: / Aberdeen, MD 21005
For what role are you nominating yourself (ex: Executive VP, VP of Programs, Secretary)?
VP of Young AFCEAns
Describe yourself (bio, career, interests):
Fascinated by the intersection of technology, communications, and the US military at a young age, it seems that I was destined to end up in a profession where I could use information technology to help support the warfighter. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest in the 80’s and 90’s, I was deeply influenced by the rise of great technology firms such as Microsoft and Amazon and developed a keen appreciation of the power of digital information to shape the world around me. After graduating from Western Washington University, I worked as a systems analyst at a strategic communications firm before moving to Austin, TX where I would spend a year immersed in federal energy policy. Upon the completion of a one year fellowship, I was given the opportunity to join the team at RTR Technologies, an operations research firm in Aberdeen, MD. After starting as an operations analyst, I eventually moved onto project management and business development as the firm sought to expand its footprint within the APG community. In June of 2013, I was brought on by Hi-Tec Systems to open their first office at APG and serve as the director of their DoD Business Unit. In this capacity, I currently oversee our portfolio of DoD programs and work with the senior executive team to shape our approach to the DoD market space. When I’m not working, I can be found on the golf course, jogging or volunteering for several of the Baltimore city and Harford County organizations that I happily serve. Aside from my current position as VP of Young AFCEA (YAC), I also sit on the Harford County Boys and Girls Club Program Committee and formerly served as a board member with the South Baltimore Neighborhood Association. Additionally, I am a mentor at Edgewood Middle School and a graduate of the 2013 Business Volunteers Maryland GIVE Program. While at BVM GIVE, I joined 35 other aspiring civic leaders in the greater Baltimore metropolitan area to learn about the foundations of corporate and philanthropic leadership. Along with four other BVM GIVE classmates, I led a nine month project to improve enrollment at two schools in the Waverly Neighborhood of inner-city Baltimore.
Describe your past/current support of AFCEA (including other Chapters and International):
Over the last year as the VP of Young AFCEAns, I had the privilege of working with a remarkably dedicated group of AFCEAns to forward the important mission of the organization. During my tenure, we continued to expand the scope and reach of the Young AFCEAns through a variety of professional development, technical, and charitable programs. In the Spring of 2013, I started a new program known as the “YAC Leadership Breakfast Series”. This monthly professional development breakfast provides an important forum for leaders in government and industry to share accumulated career wisdom. Speakers included Gen. Lee Price (PE0-C3T, ret.), Gary Martin (CECOM), Nicole Funk (Booz Allen Hamilton) and Rob Carr (Northrop Grumman). I also initiated a new bi-annual technical series in conjunction with the Central MD YACs. We held our first joint technical event in Baltimore, MD in March of 2014. The event was centered on recent advances in cloud computing and featured technical speakers from Army I2WD, DISA, and Red Owl Analytics. Given our Chapter’s deeply held commitment to STEM education, I also oversaw the continued growth of our signature STEM education fundraiser, “YAC STEM Education 5K Fun Run and 1 Mile Walk”. Through the steadfast efforts of the YACs with help from the APG community, we raised over $6,000 for Northeastern Maryland Technology Council (NMTC) STEM Programs and the Harford County Libraries Little Leapers Program. I also initiated an expansive effort to increase military/civilian participation in Young AFCEA by creating a YAC Executive Committee position for a young military/civilian leader and by teaming with APG leadership to increase our marketing efforts on Post. Finally, I continued our tradition of fun and engaging YAC social events. Understanding the importance of AFCEA as a means to build a professional network of likeminded peers, we held a joint social in downtown Baltimore at the AFCEA Tech Net conference and a holiday party at The Greene Turtle in Aberdeen among others.
Describe your goals should you be elected to serve on the EXCOM:
Should I have the privilege of serving another year, my primary objective is to continue the strong momentum created in 2013 with a focus on professional development, technical skill building, networking, and community advocacy. My commitment to the Chapter and to the community more broadly, is to build and sustain the premier professional association for young professionals in the information technology, communications, and intelligence spaces. This means creating opportunities for YACs to learn from regional leaders in ways that prepare them to ascend to the highest ranks within industry and government. It means providing them with access to technical professionals at APG that are at the vanguard of their domain area, helping the next generation of engineers to provide the warfighter with unparalleled support. And it means cultivating an ethos of charitableness by providing YACs with opportunities in which they can begin to understand the importance of giving back to the communities where they live and work. In my view, these are the core tenets of Young AFCEA and everything I do as the organization’s leader will be guided by them. One new area of focus, should I continue in my position, will be to initiate a program to aid and assist soldiers leaving the military as they transition to the private sector. Too often, I’ve found that soldiers by no fault of their own are ill-equipped to take on the competitive job-market. I plan to use the talents and resources of the YACs, in concert with some of the regional educational and non-profit institutions to build a program that prepares soldiers to do things such as identify relevant job opportunities, build a compelling resume, and improve their interviewing skill-sets. It has been a true pleasure to serve as the VP of YAC Aberdeen. Should I be fortunate enough to serve another year, I am committed to leading the organization with a deep sense of humility as I strive to build a unique forum where young professionals can learn, grow, and better the APG community.