Throughout the final month of 2019 and in the holiday spirit, we celebrate Ripple Effect’s 12 best and brightest moments…
Kristen Adams is the Deputy Director of Information Technology at Ripple Effect, where she leads data‑driven operations, oversees IT strategy and analytics, and guides teams in delivering high‑quality technical, evaluation, and policy support for federal clients. She brings more than a decade of experience in health science research, data analysis, and project management, leveraging her background in epidemiology and public health to strengthen evidence‑based decision‑making across programs and portfolios.
Before stepping into her current role, Kristen built a wide‑ranging career spanning home health care, academic research, environmental health, and scientific consulting. She has held positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Georgia Department of Public Health, and GlobalEpi Research, contributing to research across cancer, chronic disease, occupational and environmental health, pharmaceuticals, and rare diseases. Since joining Ripple Effect in 2015, she has managed high‑profile communications and policy projects—including large‑scale qualitative analyses for OHRP and CMS—and led evaluation, survey development, and data analysis initiatives. Her multidisciplinary expertise and commitment to rigorous, accessible science have made her a trusted partner across health and research communities.
Manasi Apte, PhD, PMP, is the Deputy Director of Data Science and Evaluation at Ripple Effect, where she guides interdisciplinary teams, advances data-driven strategies, and supports clients in strengthening research, evaluation, and policy outcomes. She oversees projects spanning biomedical research training, data science, strategic planning, and science communication, applying her scientific expertise and operational leadership to help federal agencies translate complex evidence into accessible, actionable insights.
Before joining Ripple Effect, Manasi built a 20‑year career across academic research, science education, outreach, and health and science policy. She has worked with agencies including NIH, AHRQ, PCORI, and CMS, contributing expertise in project management, policy analysis, and stakeholder engagement. As an immigrant woman scientist and communicator, she is committed to advancing equitable and accessible science communication worldwide, supporting initiatives focused on storytelling, content development, capacity building, and community engagement. Her collaborative leadership style and mission‑driven approach have fostered strong partnerships and innovative programs across diverse scientific and policy communities.
Maria Young, CMP, CMM, is the Deputy Director of Events and Partnerships at Ripple Effect, where she leads strategic event operations, strengthens cross‑sector partnerships, and advances initiatives that elevate stakeholder engagement and organizational impact. She oversees a portfolio spanning event strategy, advocacy programming, and collaborative outreach, drawing on her public health background and operational expertise to deliver high‑quality, mission‑aligned solutions that serve diverse audiences and support client goals. Her multidisciplinary career includes roles across the federal government, biopharmaceutical industry, health communications, and hospitality, with experience developing advocacy programs, supporting regulatory communications, and guiding cross‑functional teams through complex initiatives.
With more than 15 years of experience, Ms. Young has managed multimillion‑dollar event portfolios, led national and international programs serving up to 2,000 attendees, and supervised teams of full‑time event professionals. She began her career supporting federal health communications and community engagement efforts, including work for SAMHSA, and later directed an events division responsible for up to 150 events annually, expanding work across NIH, the Department of Justice, and PCORI. She subsequently joined the biotech industry, where she built a national field‑based advocacy program, strengthened partnerships across six regions, and managed educational grants supporting impactful third‑party initiatives. Ms. Young holds both the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and Certificate in Meeting Management (CMM) credentials.
Margie Beaudry, MA, is the Deputy Director of the Program Management & Policy Division at Ripple Effect, where she leads the company’s Public Comment services. Since 2018, she has directed more than 50 federal public comment projects, overseeing a team of over 80 healthcare and policy analysts, project managers, and coordinators to ensure high-quality reviews, timely deliverables, and responsive client communication. In addition to managing large-scale comment analysis contracts, Margie serves as a subject matter expert across Ripple Effect projects, lending her expertise in psychometrics, behavioral health research, quality improvement, performance management, change leadership, and strategic facilitation.
With more than 38 years of experience spanning federal policy, healthcare, public health, and research, Margie has worked across government, corporate, community, nonprofit, clinical, and academic settings. Before joining Ripple Effect, she held leadership and research positions at the Public Health Foundation, the Advisory Board Company, Drug Strategies, the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Sharon Nakhimovsky, MA, PMP, is the Deputy Director of the Communications and Outreach Division at Ripple Effect, where she oversees program operations, cultivates high-performing teams, and drives business development initiatives. She directs a diverse portfolio of integrated communications and partner engagement projects, providing leadership across website management, strategic communications planning, social media and email marketing, media relations, research, change management, events, analytics, instructional design, and creative services to help clients amplify their reach and impact.
Before joining Ripple Effect, Sharon was the Associate Director of Corporate Communications at a biopharmaceutical company developing COVID-19, RSV, and influenza vaccines, where she led global branding and media strategies, supported the company’s public launch in 2021, and advanced its reputation in vaccine R&D. Earlier in her career, she worked at Abt Associates as a strategic communications and health policy specialist, delivering communications, policy analysis, stakeholder engagement, and technical assistance for clients including CMS, CDC, VBA, and USAID.
Heather D. Huntsman is a solutions-focused and resourceful professional equipped with more than 15 years of training and experience in basic, applied, and translational science environments. Throughout her career she has been driven by asking the right questions which has led her to gain extensive experience in reviewing, evaluating, and interpreting findings in a broad range of biomedical disciplines, including stem cell biology, physiology, aging, and women’s health issues across all domains of medicine, and the influences of sex/gender and race/ethnicity on public health trends. She has used her expertise to support biomedical research at the NIH and DoD in various capacities including scientist, communications specialist, and grants manager. She also has a unique background as an athlete and coach which is a mentality that she brings to the workplace every day allowing her to excel in fast-paced team settings, lead through her work ethic and determination, and inspire others to do the same. Heather earned a Masters’ degree in exercise science from George Washington University, and a PhD in muscle physiology from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and prides herself in being a leader that listens and never stops learning.
Paul brings 25 years of government contracting knowledge and over 10 years of senior management team experience to Ripple Effect. He has worked in a variety of industries including IT services, secure networks, engineering, and shipbuilding. Businesses he has worked with have ranged in size from $20M to $1B in annual revenue.
Most recently, Paul was CFO of Converged Security Services, a private equity backed business that was built through the acquisition of two government contractors specializing in IT services and security & access control. As the CFO, Paul was part of the team that grew the business by 40% over a two-year period. He led the business in all aspects of finance, accounting, treasury, reporting and audit, as well as several company initiatives post-acquisition to streamline and improve business processes and compliance.
Prior to that, Paul worked as CFO for a small Rockville-based defense contractor called Ultra Electronics 3eTI, a subsidiary of a UK-based publicly traded company. During his tenure there, Paul was responsible for all finance, HR, and IT functions.
Paul spent 19 years with General Dynamics in a variety of positions including CFO of their UK subsidiary, as well as Director of FP&A at GD’s Corporate Headquarters. He started his finance career with 14 years at GD’s shipyard in Bath, Maine.
Paul graduated from Clarkson University with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering & Management. He also has an MBA with honors from Clarkson University. He lives in Broadlands, VA with his wife, Kim. He has three daughters in college at VCU, JMU and South Carolina.
What does it mean to be the Director of Scientific Workforce?
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
What are some of your hobbies?
Fun fact about you?
Advice to young professionals?
What does your day-to-day job involve?
Why is science policy so important to Ripple’s business?
What is a fun fact about you?
What advice do you have for those following in your footsteps?
How did you join Ripple Effect?
What do you do in your free time?
What are you proudest of in your career?
Why did you start Ripple Effect?
What is a hobby of yours?
What is a funny quirk about you that people might not know?
Advice to someone wanting to start their own business?
