Leadership

Kevin Cooley is RMC’s CEO, bringing three decades of experience in the government contracting industry in management, leadership, business development, and strategy. Raised in Southern Maryland and a graduate of St. Mary’s College, he offers a close connection and understanding of St. Mary’s County and the region’s three naval warfare centers. His experience includes winning and directing contracts with OSD, OPNAV, NAVAIR, NAVSEA, NAVWAR, ACC, CBP, TSA, and other agencies.

When our founder, Mike Colina, started RMC in 1990, Kevin was his first employee.  Together, they channeled their passion for quality and growth into a company that thinks long term and invests in and grows its people. Kevin’s commitment to bettering the local community is reflected in his efforts to create a healthy and competitive workspace where the brightest minds can grow and develop their professional skills. With his partner, Rich Gast, Kevin has grown RMC to 700+ people located in 24 states, with a reputation for employee development, employee retention, and high customer satisfaction.

RMC’s President, Rich Gast, provides over 20 years of consulting experience supporting the management requirements of both commercial and federal organizations. This experience includes providing expert organizational and financial management guidance, as well as recommendations to senior management, impacting federal organizations encompassing thousands of employees and billions of dollars in capital infrastructure. Rich provides executive-level consulting services to RMC’s growing list of federal clients and keeps the company operating efficiently as it continues to expand.

David Hickman is a Vice President, starting his career at RMC as an intern in 2006. He offers extensive experience with DoD and civil agency networking, systems administration, and cybersecurity. He is a specialist in the technology needs of the naval warfare centers and related Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) requirements.

In 2010, he became RMC’s Director of Information Technology and began leading RMC’s smallest line of business. Over the past decade, he has significantly contributed to winning more than $500M of contract ceiling. Information technology and cybersecurity services are now RMC’s primary business line. He was promoted to Vice President in 2013.

Today, David is focused on the pursuit of contract opportunities for RMC. Through contract capture, David believes he can positively impact the lives of more information technology and cybersecurity professionals by providing a great place to work where 100% tuition and training benefits allow them to maximize their potential and provide for their families.

David is a proud graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and is an advocate for the value of a liberal arts education. He is an active cybersecurity practitioner and maintains multiple certifications, including (ISC)²® Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Chris Peterson is a senior defense industry leader with over two decades of experience driving growth, leading high-performing teams, and delivering innovative solutions across the Department of Defense landscape. His background spans program execution, strategic growth, organizational transformation, and portfolio leadership—supporting critical national security priorities through both enterprise IT and mission-enabling solutions.

Throughout his career, Chris has held positions of increasing responsibility at organizations including, ManTech, US Aerospace, AECOM, and Lockheed Martin. He has led initiatives ranging from full-scale ERP implementations to multi-site operations and new market expansion. Chris has directed regional and national programs, restructured matrixed organizations for efficiency, and built trusted partnerships across government and industry. He brings a deep understanding of complex program execution, cross-functional team leadership, and organizational transformation in high-stakes environments. By aligning mission objectives with practical execution, Chris has driven improvements in service delivery, operational performance, and stakeholder engagement. He has consistently delivered results by leading organizational change, setting long-range strategy, and maintaining a sharp focus on outcomes, alignment, and empowering teams to thrive.

Ashton is a Vice President and Director of Business Development at RMC. Ashton oversees all BD activities, spearheads proposal and bidding efforts, and supports the capture management team in pursuit of new work. Furthermore, Ashton plays a key role in shaping RMC's corporate strategic planning endeavors, leveraging RMC’s multi-faceted capabilities to drive innovation and growth.

With a passion for organizational success and a commitment to excellence, Ashton is dedicated to fostering collaborative partnerships, identifying lucrative opportunities, and steering RMC towards continued success in the competitive marketplace.

Born and raised in Southern Maryland, Ashton began her professional career journey with RMC as an intern in 2007. Ashton later rejoined RMC in 2017, where she quickly became an integral part of corporate operations.

After completing her Bachelor's degree, she pursued and completed her Juris Doctorate from Widener School of Law. With her background in law, Ashton possesses a diverse skill set including critical reading, problem-solving, public speaking, and highly-developed research and writing skills.

Matt Vodzak joined RMC in 2015 and serves as a Vice President and the Director of Contracts. He brings over 20 years of extensive experience in both commercial and government contracting, subcontracting, and proposal management. He specializes in regulatory compliance and contract and solicitation analysis, as well as customer negotiations. Matt was born and raised in St. Mary’s County and is a strong advocate for companies looking to grow in the defense industry in the Southern Maryland region. Matt is a graduate of Frostburg State University with a Bachelor of Science in Economics.

Joe Broussard is Vice President and Director of Corporate Services at RMC, serving as Program Manager and technical subject matter expert in support of multiple Department of Defense contracts in the areas of system administration, software design and development, information assurance, and software and hardware integration. Joe’s project and personnel management experience is broad and includes nearly all facets of IT services. Joe joined RMC in 2017 and has held several positions, including Software Developer and Systems Administrator. Previously, he served as Director of Operations for Education and Certification for the PMI Southern Maryland Chapter (PMISOMD), Program Manager of the Navy Maritime Maintenance Enterprise Solution (NMMES), and President of the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) Alumni Association Advisory Board.

Lori Benson is a Vice President and Portfolio Manager at RMC. She is a PMP-certified Program Manager with extensive experience providing strategic, financial, contract and talent management support to RMC’s customers within the Department of Defense. Since joining RMC in 2021, Lori has supported the successful execution and continued growth of contracts and opportunities in the NIWC Atlantic, NIWC Pacific and USMC portfolios. She was elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Charleston Defense Contractor Association (CDCA) from 2020 through 2023 and is currently serving as a member of NIWC Atlantic’s Contracts Industry Council (CIC). Lori is a graduate of James Madison University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications, and she received her Master of Science degree in Management of Information Technology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Katie Trueblood is the Vice President and Director of Human Resources and EEO Officer for RMC. Katie joined RMC in 2016, and has a total of 20 years of Human Resources and recruitment operations experience in the defense industry. Katie specializes in federal and state employment law compliance, employee relations, talent management, and benefit plan analysis and administration. Katie is passionate about supporting personnel, providing professional development opportunities, and ensuring a positive work environment for all. With a commitment to compliance and efficiency, Katie works diligently to ensure that the employee experience is not only inviting and supportive, but is consistent. Katie holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and is a Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). Katie is currently in pursuit of her Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Human Resource Management.

Nicole White is a Vice President and the Director of Quality and Security for RMC.  Nicole joined RMC in 1999, serving as a program manager and subject matter expert supporting multiple Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense contracts in designing, developing, and implementing environmental and safety programs and IT programs.

 Nicole brings more than 15 years of extensive experience in government contract management. She has worked with senior leadership to successfully grow and develop our client portfolio and expand the depth of team talent.  As Director of Corporate Services, Nicole’s focus is on growing and retaining best-in-class professionals to achieve the highest customer satisfaction.  Nicole is committed to taking care of our most vital resource, our people.

Earl Reynolds is the Director of Talent Acquisition at RMC. After an accomplished 21-year career in the U.S. Air Force, he transitioned into government contracting, where he developed deep expertise in talent acquisition. Since joining RMC in 2024, Earl has applied his more than 13 years of experience in leadership, recruitment, training, and marketing to drive organizational success.

He holds an Associate’s degree in Human Resource Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership. With a passion for developing high-performing teams, Earl has successfully led six different recruiting teams across the United States. His leadership philosophy centers on recognizing each individual’s unique strengths and contributions to foster a cohesive, collaborative workplace.

Dedicated to continuous professional growth, Earl brings a multifaceted perspective to recruitment, sales, marketing, and training—focusing on skill development and personal growth. His leadership and strategic insight empower team members to achieve their full potential while advancing RMC’s collective success.