Executive Team

Robert Olsen, Managing Partner

Mr. Olsen is a co-founder of the North Star Group, LLC and an experienced professional with more than 17 years experience in program management, operations, information technology, engineering, and finance. At North Star Group Mr. Olsen has responsibility for contract administration, finance, human resources, information technology, security, systems engineering, and quality assurance. In 2011, Mr. Olsen was selected as one of the Smart100 CEOs, an exclusive group of of the region's 100 most influential CEOs representing the Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia region. The 100 CEOs serve as an advisors for more than 50,000 Mid-Atlantic business owners, providing business and entrepreneurial insight in publications, such as SmartCEO magazine.  Mr.s olsen

Prior to co-founding North Star Group, Mr. Olsen was Vice President Program Management & Corporate Services for Broadwing Communications based in Austin, Texas. In this role Mr. Olsen was responsible for managing network infrastructure, product development, customer implementation, corporate quality and strategic initiatives on a nationwide scale.

Mr. Olsen began his career in the 82nd Airborne Division, United States Army. Upon completing his obligation Mr. Olsen was employed at Verizon Communications where he achieved the level of Regional Engineering Manager. Following his tenure at Verizon he went on to hold several senior-level positions with Corvis Corporation in the areas of Field Operations, Technical Services, Project Management, Quality Assurance, Information Technology, and Global Education Services.

Mr. Olsen graduated from Towson University, Towson, Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Arts. In addition, Mr. Olsen has a Master of Science in Information and Telecommunication Systems and a Master of Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Olsen is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) by the Project Management Institute and has attended several executive leadership programs at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Olsen also serves on the Board of Directors of a local youth lacrosse program and volunteers at Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Maryland.  

Mike Shveda, Managing Partner

Mr. Shveda is a co-founder of The North Star Group, LLC and is a seasoned professional with more than 30 years experience in project and program management, operations and engineering.

Prior to founding North Star Group, Mr. Shveda was Director of Program Management for Broadwing Communications based in Austin, Texas where he led the development and implementation of the project management processes which increased the PMO maturity level several stages. In this role Mr. Shveda was responsible for managing network infrastructure, product development, and strategic initiatives on a nationwide scale. Additionally, Mr. Shveda was responsible for a significant first with the offering of both Layer 2 and Layer 3 Virtual Private Network (VPN) services on a new Converged Services Network based on Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS).

Mr. Shveda began his career with the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and received successive promotions culminating in the role of Senior Project Engineer for both the Navy's F/A-18 Fighter Aircraft and Sparrow Missile System programs. Following his employment at NAVAIR Mr. Shveda was a Program Manager at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In this role he served as the Product Team Leader for multiple cross-functional teams responsible for successfully delivering the following key communications programs: Voice Switching and Control System, Air/Ground Communications, NADIN II Packet Switching Network, Low Density Communications Links, and the Data Multiplexing Network. Following his tenure at the FAA Mr. Shveda went on to hold several mid-level positions with Corvis Corporation in the areas of Project and Program Management.

Mr. Shveda graduated with honors from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering. In addition, Mr. Shveda has a Master of Science in Technology of Management from American University, Washington, DC. Mr. Shveda is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) by the Project Management Institute and a graduate of the Department of Defense (DOD) Defense Systems Management College.

Everett Zillinger, Vice President, Corporate Communications

Everett Zillinger is a 25 year veteran of Washington D.C. with proven skills in project leadership, team building, coalition building, government program outreach, networking, formulating legislative and administrative policy on Capitol Hill, at the White House and with national and international policy making groups. Mr. Zillinger is a former Capitol Hill press secretary and congressional media adviser. After leaving Capitol Hill, Mr. Zillinger lobbied environmental, energy, transportation, tax and other key policy issues for a national trade association representing a $12 billion agriculture and food production industry. Mr. Zillinger founded CapitolHillStaff.com, an information and policy resource website for Capitol Hill Staff, by Capitol Hill Staff. Mr. Zillinger has a Bachelors of Science Degree in Journalism with a specialization in economics from Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.

Ray Orie, Director, Program Management

Ray Orie is the Director, Program Management for North Star Group bringing more than 15 years experience in management and engineering in the public and private sectors. He leads a group of highly trained technical professionals responsible for delivering high quality project management services and solutions to include project planning and initiation, project control and monitoring support, schedule and risk analysis, earned value management support, budget development and analysis, and strategy development. The Program Management Team provides full-service, full-lifecycle program management support from high level strategic planning and work flow process development down through action item management and providing project progress status to clients.

Prior to joining North Star Group, Mr. Orie was a Senior Scientific Analyst at Jacobs Sverdrup supporting the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Science, Technology and Engineering. In this role Mr. Orie was responsible for planning, programming and budgeting the sensor and directed energy technology research and development portfolios for the Air Force. Mr. Orie began his career as an Air Force officer holding a variety of leadership positions in Engineering and Communications squadrons to include tours in Southwest Asia and the Balkans. Upon leaving the military Mr. Orie joined Corvis Corporation where he managed all aspects of customer programs to include project planning, budget preparation, customer interface, and project execution, to include the deployment of a nationwide all-optical telecommunications network.

Mr. Orie earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and a Masters in Telecommunications Management from Oklahoma State University.

Tina Nace, Business and Human Resources Manager

Mrs. Nace brings a wide array of diverse experience in Financial and Human Resources Management to North Star Group. She joined North Star Group in May, 2009. Her responsibilities include the Oversight and Management of the Financial Management System, Purchase Card Program, and General Financial Operations to include Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable and Employee Travel. She also manages the Human Resource Department to include Recruiting, Employee Benefits and Payroll Systems. She has attended numerous classes in Human Resources, Payroll, Equal Employment Opportunity, and Financial Management. Mrs. Nace served 3.5 years in the US Army in the field of Data Telecommunications; after completing her enlistment, she began her career with the Federal Government. Mrs. Nace has over 18 years of experience in the Federal, Public and Private Sectors. She has held several positions throughout her career such as Management Analyst, Affirmative Action Committee Recruiter, Equal Employment Opportunity Program Manager, and Financial Secretary. Her extensive experience in a wide range of HR/Business Management functions include Time and Attendance, Payroll Processing and Compensation Oversight, Employee Benefits Management Systems, Workplace Diversification, Budgeting, Fund Control, Financial Audit, and Financial Management Systems.

Maria Lupis, Subcontracts Administrator

Maria Lupis is the Subcontracts Administrator for the North Star Group. Ms. Lupis is responsible for the management of all subcontracts supporting North Star efforts, to include the areas of program management, acquisition support, and systems engineering. Ms. Lupis functions as the primary liaison between North Star Group and its partner companies. Responsibilities also include preparing subcontract agreements, providing monthly status reports to the management team, and ensuring the expectations of the clients are met. Ms. Lupis has more than 12 years of consulting and management experience in the public and private sectors. Prior to joining North Star, Ms. Lupis was involved in various projects at Jacobs Consultancy, where she served in a variety of capacities including lead civil engineer and strategic consultant. While at Jacobs, Ms. Lupis provided design expertise to numerous high profile clients. She was involved in all aspects of projects from initiation through design to construction and acceptance. Ms. Lupis also spent time in the Advanced Planning Group of Jacobs Consultancy, where she provided strategic support services to include site analysis, business case studies, and budget management. Ms. Lupis graduated from West Virginia University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering.

Linda Wang, Manager, Financial Analysis

Mrs. Wang supervises a team of financial analysts and acquisition specialists that support various FAA programs in the formation of budgets, schedules, Earned Value Management, contracts and COTR support. She also acts as the Business Management Team Lead for the Data Communication Program in FAA - a multi-platform program valued at $4.7B. Prior to joining North Star Group in 2009, Mrs. Wang worked as the Lead Cost Engineer for Bechtel, a lead design/construction company in the world. Prior to this, she worked as the Controller for an over $300-Million design/construction project for NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration). Mrs. Wang graduated from the George Washington University with a Master's degree in Finance. She also has a MPA (Master of Public Administration) degree, received from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Matt de Ris, Manager, Aviation Science

Matthew de Ris has more than 20 years of experience in the aviation industry with nearly 10,000 hours of domestic and international flight operations as a pilot. Through his experiences as a pilot and manager in several capacities at different airlines, Mr. de Ris possesses a strong background in the development of flight deck communications, avionics equipment, software, and program management. His extensive aviation and airline operations experience includes serving as line pilot, instructor, manager of training and check airman. Mr. de Ris is experienced in working with flight deck communications systems; defining user interface requirements for flight deck applications; and has proven experience managing software QA efforts for critical AOC applications.

Jerryl Bethea, Manager, Systems Engineering

Jerryl Bethea is the Systems Engineering Manager at North Star Group, bringing over 19 years of experience in systems engineering and management in the Public Safety Communications System arena. He leads a group of highly trained technical professionals responsible for delivering high quality Enterprise Architectural Solutions. NSG’s System Engineering Team provides full-service, full-lifecycle Engineering Architectural support from high level strategic planning and work flow process development down through providing project progress status to clients.

Prior to joining North Star Group, Mr. Bethea was an Engineering Project Lead and Team Leader for Motorola Solutions, Inc. and Computer Science Corporation supporting the Mid-Atlantic’s Regional Engineering Manager. In this role, Mr. Bethea was responsible for managing and providing strategic direction to teams of up to 9 engineers and contractor to meet regional and departmental revenue goals.  Mr. Bethea has successfully led teams in proposing and implementing over $60 million in contracts for Public Safety Communications Systems; ranging from Customer requirement analysis to complete project implementation. 

Mr. Bethea has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from FAMU/FSU College of Engineering and a Masters of Business of Administration from the University of Phoenix. He is certified as a Project Management Professional, Contracting Officer Technical Rep., Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Certified Sustainability Development Professional (CSDP), Engineer-In-Training, and Certified Flight Test Engineer.