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.

Jake Stone leads Red Cedar's DHS Portfolio as Managing Director matching pragmatic technical, process and people-based solutions with our customers' specific operational needs. With 30 years in IT, 25 and 15 years of Federal Program Management experience, Jake has successfully led enterprise sustainment operations and extensive modernization projects that merge small, incremental delivery and the enterprise strategic plan, with a continuous eye on the mission operator in the field.

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Jake's background in app dev and a focus on unhappy path planning, guide work with customers improving agile delivery processes, solutioning with LCAP and microservice architectures, mission critical system troubleshooting, and efficiency gains in sustainment operations.

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Living in the WV panhandle, Jake's happy place is with his partner of 25 years and 5 children who keep him humble and always running and from time to time he sneaks in some soccer viewing.

Dr. Jimmy Griffith is a Doctor of Public Policy and Administration. He has recently joined Red Cedar as an IT Portfolio Manager (SAF/AAI). Prior to this, he was the End User Devices Branch Chief, for the Department of the Air Force, Pentagon, where he managed a $500M portfolio and executed the CIO strategic policy, strategy, and management of end user capabilities/resources for 750,000 Total Force Airmen.  Dr. Griffith was also the Branch Chief of the Capital Planning Investment Control (CPIC) and Risk Management Framework (RMF) division of the National Guard Bureau, Chief Information Officer, Joint Staff.  His responsibilities were to drive the adoption, resilience, and strategic vision of the NGB CIO/J6 Enterprise IT portfolio. 

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Dr. Griffith acted as the Deputy Chief Technology Officer as an executive contractor to the DAF/CTO.  He worked side by side with the CTO in laying the groundwork for Zero Trust, ICAM, SD-WAN, Network of the Future and other high-level programs across the department.

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Dr. Griffith has more than 20 years of information technology experience, spanning private industry, active duty, and the federal civilian government.  His experience includes leading large IT organizations, developing agency-wide strategy and policy, establishing governance, overseeing cybersecurity operations, and program management.  Over his 21-year military/government tenure, he has had additional roles, including B-52 Navigator and Electronic Warfare Officer. ​

Anita Mittal brings over 17 years of industry expertise to her role as Director of Operations at Red Cedar. With a robust background in managing operations, overseeing agile programs, and leading recruitment efforts across federal, banking, and commercial IT sectors, Anita is a seasoned professional known for her strategic vision and operational acumen.

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Anita's professional strengths lie in her adeptness at process improvement, problem-solving, and fostering meaningful relationships with colleagues and clients alike. Her dedication to streamlining operations and driving efficiency has been instrumental in the success of numerous projects and initiatives throughout her career, including here at Red Cedar Consultancy.

Anita Mittal's multifaceted approach to life and work embodies her commitment to excellence, continuous growth, and the pursuit of balance in all endeavors.

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Based in Virginia, Anita resides with her husband and their beloved dog, Mochi. Outside of her professional pursuits, Anita finds joy in exploring new destinations through travel, hiking and playing badminton.

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.

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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.

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.

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.   

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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.

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.

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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. 

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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.