Category: Digital Transformation

Amy Hein
Senior Vice President of DoD Accounts and Projects

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.

Martha Ngoh
Deputy Director of Program Management
and Policy

Martha Ngoh, Deputy Director of Program Management and Policy at Ripple Effect, brings over 7 years of experience supporting and managing federal-funded public health and healthcare projects involving policy development and implementation, communications, and partnerships. Ms. Ngoh has worked on projects and programs aimed at improving patient safety and the quality of healthcare delivery related to healthcare infection prevention and control, healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and antimicrobial-resistance (AR), and maternal safety. Ms. Ngoh served as a Senior Analyst at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and was later promoted to Director of Healthcare Connections within the Infectious Disease Infrastructure and Policy team, where she provided leadership on a portfolio to foster collaboration between public health and healthcare through key activities. In this role, Ms. Ngoh managed the Council for Outbreak Response: HAI/AR where she developed processes for efficient Council operations and member engagement and contributed to the development of the Council’s Framework on HAI Outbreak Notification which aims to guide notification and communication in the context of a possible HAI outbreak. Ms. Ngoh received her MPH from the George Washington University in 2016. Ms. Ngoh was also selected as a fellow into the 2020-2021 cohort of the Johns Hopkins University Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative. Ms. Ngoh currently serves as the Deputy Director of Program Management and Policy, where she provides leadership on the Program Management and Policy team.

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.