Scott Catey
Deputy Director of Digital Transformation

Dr. Scott Catey, Deputy Director, Digital Transformation for Ripple Effect Communications, brings 15 Years professional experience managing complex federal, state, and international projects involving IT, health equity, and evidence-based policy. Dr. Catey has co-managed projects in excess of $5 Million per year and over 35 people with diverse policy and programmatic responsibilities.

Dr. Catey earned his Ph.D. and J.D. (with honors) concurrently from the University of Florida in 2011.

From 1996 to 2001, Mr. Catey was Associate Program Director and then Program Director for a highly successful communications cluster in Missoula, Montana. Following this experience, he returned to graduate school to complete a second master’s Degree, and then his doctorate and law degrees, which he completed with honors. Following graduation, Dr. Catey had faculty appointments at Georgia State University and Agnes Scott College. Looking for a greater challenge, in 2012 he took a position with the Montana Department of Corrections to direct the agency’s implementation of the Prison Rape Elimination Act.

Following his brief but successful tenure at the Montana Department of Corrections, Dr. Catey transitioned to national-level PREA implementation work at the National PREA Resource Center, where he led the project’s digital growth and expansion, managed the development of the PREA Online Audit System, and managed complex data sets and analytics for Federal partners at the USDOJ. Most recently, Dr. Catey held the role of Associate Director at the PRC and managed a complex portfolio with four division heads and teams of eleven downstream reports.

Dr. Catey joined Ripple Effect Communications in June 2022, as the Deputy Director, Digital Transformation. He looks forward to providing excellent support to the organization and its clients.

Julie Lucas
Director of Human Resources

Julie Lucas has over 20 years of experience in human resources.  In the beginning of Julie’s career, she worked for a private company overseeing the human resources department for a healthcare company for 17 years.  She then moved into the government contracting space.  During her career, she has partnered with senior leaders to drive business results.  Julie is responsible for all aspects of human resources including strategy and operations, talent acquisition, performance & development, employee engagement, DE&I, benefits administration, workforce technology, and the overall employee experience.

Julie has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from University of Phoenix with a concentration on Human Resources Management.

Debbie McCarron
Deputy Director of Communications and Outreach

Debra McCarron has professional experience in strategic communications, project management, outreach and event planning, as well distance learning. She is the project manager for the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network which involves the creation of materials such as fact sheets, infographics, white papers, Power Point reports, videos and learning modules and she has managed graphics teams in all aspects of the design process from conception to development to final production. Previously, she co-owned Quality Design Solutions, a full-service company specializing in web design and marketing as well as database development for non-profit and small business. She also has experience in community marketing and facilities management. Ms. McCarron helped brand and grow a small business to over $1.5 million per year where she assisted in the day to day operations of three facility sites including budget, human resources, facilities management, and internal and external communication. She has experience in WordPress, the Adobe Creative suite and has become versed in 508 compliance. Ms. McCarron received her Bachelors of Science in Biology from Virginia Tech. Her early experience in basic research at both Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Cambridge Biotech was to support grants from the NIH. She also has over 4 years of experience in clinical research performed at the University of Maryland, Department of Cardiology, where she worked with Interventionist developing IIb/IIIa inhibitors. 

Paul Edwards
Chief Financial Officer

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.

Amy Hein
Vice President, Strategic Staffing and DoD Accounts

What does it mean to be the Director of Scientific Workforce?  

A lot of the work we do at Ripple Effect isn’t done at Headquarters; many contracts involve placing our people directly at client sites. So, I’m responsible for developing best practices for hiring and managing our employees at those client sites, like NIH and Fort Detrick. I also build close relationships with our clients and employees to ensure we find support that fits an agency’s culture and mission needs.  

What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role? 

Having limited face-to-face communication with the people I manage and support is a huge challenge. I can’t pretend to know what it’s like to be in their shoes every day. So, I listen. I understand their needs, empathize, and help problem-solve. There may be a physical divide between me and client sites, but I want my Scientific Workforce and clients to know I’m always there for them. 

What are some of your hobbies? 

I love to do anything active—I’m a runner and I coach my son’s sports teams. On the other hand, I love naps. On the weekend, you can find me taking a catnap to recharge for the next week. 

Fun fact about you? 

I was in ROTC! As a part of my program, I flew glider planes. Scary, but a big confidence booster.   

Advice to young professionals?

Do some soul-searching about what’s most important to you in your career—is it the work? The people? A company mission and culture? Then, find opportunities that move you down that path. If something is truly important to you, don’t take no for an answer.

Kristy Riordan
Director of Research & Evaluation

Tell us about your career path. What were you doing before Ripple Effect? 

After years of studying and training to be a teacher, I realized I cared more about social science and big-picture policies that affect lives, rather than being the one teaching reading and math. So, I switched gears. Before Ripple Effect, I worked for the Army and evaluated behavioral health programs. 

What’s a hobby of yours? 

I am an avid reader, especially Stephen King novels. It’s hard to find the time with three kids, but getting to read on vacation or on an airplane is when I’m the happiest. 

Why is Research and Evaluation so important to what Ripple Effect does? 

If you aren’t willing to look at yourself and see how you can improve, you probably aren’t approaching your business in a way that has fidelity. The government hasn’t always done this well, but we do! So, we help clients measure, analyze, and better understand how to improve and learn from past mistakes.  

What is a funny quirk about you that people might not know? 

I’m a big germaphobe. Being a health researcher doesn’t help that.

Advice you would give a young professional? 

What my father always told me: You are going to work for the vast majority of your life, so do something you can take pride in and enjoy doing.