AST has garnered prestigious industry and government awards for its innovation, performance, technology expertise and rapid response.

Our veteran leadership has guided the company to excellent CPARS Performance ratings, ardent customer kudos, and numerous awards – including being named to the INC 500/5000 for five consecutive years, Washington Technology FAST 50 for five consecutive years, the 2018 EY Entrepreneur of the Year, and the 2018 SBA Region III Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year.

AST has garnered prestigious industry and government awards for its innovation, performance, technology expertise and rapid response.

Our veteran leadership has guided the company to excellent CPARS Performance ratings, ardent customer kudos, and numerous awards – including being named to the INC 500/5000 for five consecutive years, Washington Technology FAST 50 for five consecutive years, the 2018 EY Entrepreneur of the Year, and the 2018 SBA Region III Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year.

A Letter From Our CEO

We appreciate you taking the time to explore our website! Whether you’re seeking solutions for your technical challenges, considering a potential partnership, or contemplating a career with our esteemed company, I extend a warm welcome.

Since our establishment in 2009, our unwavering mission and focal point have been the pursuit of excellence. We take great pride in nurturing a familial culture centered around our proven track record, trusted solutions, and personalized service.

Our achievements over the past decade are exemplified by our remarkable growth in clientele and business volume, along with our impressive client retention rates. We have also expanded our range of products and services to cater to the evolving needs of our valued customers.

On behalf of the entire AST team, I want to express our gratitude for your interest and the time you’ve dedicated to exploring our offerings. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to collaborate with you!

Cheers,

Arria Hines
CEO

Our Team #EMPOWERS

Director of Capture Management

Rebecca Cales
Director of Contracts

Laura Freeman
Vice President

Dean Groetzinger
CEO

Arria Hines
Senior VP

Bill Hunt
Chief Financial Officer

Brandon Lesher
Director of Human Resources

Anna Meleady
Project Management Officer (PMO) Director – Mission Support

Shelly Montgomery
Corporate Recruiter

Marissa Parsons
Director of Public Relations

Stephanie Pethtel
Chief Technology Officer

Johnna Sholtis, PhD.
Executive VP, Corporate Development

George Spencer
Vice President, Sustainable Energy & Environment

Priya Swamy
Business Development Specialist

Abia Whiston
Director of Strategic Engagement

Melanie White
VP, Sustainable Energy and Environmental Programs

Greg Wilcox

Director of Capture Management

Rebecca Cales

As the Director of Capture Management, Rebecca brings nearly 20 years of experience in government proposal, contract, and grants management experience, as well as project management, business administration, and strategic planning. She has a passion for winning new business and retaining existing contracts. Rebecca works collaboratively with AST’s proposal management teams to develop comprehensive capture strategies and achieve business growth goals. With her expertise across the entire business development and proposal life cycle, Rebecca’s tenacious, creative drive helps us beat the competition – and beat our own past performance!

Director of Contracts

Laura Freeman

As Director of Contracts, Laura Freeman is integral part of the Business Operations Services & Support (BOSS) Team. In addition to Laura’s ability to work in AST’s fast-paced environment, she has over 35 years of experience as a senior contract professional in both the Private and Public Sectors.   As a former Government Contracting Officer, she uses her extensive knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and other agency regulations and skills to #EMPOWER the AST contracts department.

Vice President

Dean Groetzinger

Dean has over 40 years of Project Management experience, 10 of which have been with AST. Through his time at AST, he has managed multimillion-dollar contracts and has supported AST across all areas of work supporting DOE, proving himself to be a committed company advocate.  Dean is a critical and influential part of AST’s continued success across his contracts, which has afforded AST the ability to leverage strong past performance to further expand within DOE.

CEO

Arria Hines

Arria established a supportive family oriented culture that enables our staff to deliver personalized, trusted solutions. After driving the program success of large Government services and commercial firms, she co-founded AST and lead the company into being one of America’s fast-growing privately held companies. Her leadership in establishing AST’s proven performance has been recognized with numerous awards.

Senior VP

Bill Hunt

Bill has 20+ years experience managing support for the missions of Federal clients such as DOE-Offices of Nuclear Energy and Fossil Energy.

Chief Financial Officer

Brandon Lesher

As Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Mr. Lesher is primarily responsible for the financial operations and activities of AST. Utilizing his leadership and management skills, he also serves as the Executive Lead for AST’s Business Operations Support (BOS) team.

Director of Human Resources

Anna Meleady

As AST’s Director of Human Resources, Anna Meleady works closely with staff & supervisors to oversee AST’s Human Resources Department. Anna also monitors AST’s compliance in an ever changing & evolving Human Resources landscape. Anna’s ability to strengthen the link between people and strategy, as well as manage and motivate is invaluable as AST continues to develop human resources support services and the administrative infrastructure necessary to support long-term growth and success.

Project Management Officer (PMO) Director – Mission Support

Shelly Montgomery

As the Project Management Officer (PMO) Director of AST’s Mission Support, Shelly Montgomery oversees the project management process and ensures projects are executed effectively and efficiently. One of Shelly’s most treasured asset is her ability to spark connections between individuals and generating forward momentum to “get things done”. Shelly has over 20 years of leadership experience in both the commercial and government arena.

Corporate Recruiter

Marissa Parsons

With over three years of experience in the recruitment field, including more than two years in government contracting, Marissa finds great satisfaction in her role, which allows her to engage with a diverse array of individuals, each possessing distinct backgrounds, experiences, and skill sets. Her passion lies in assisting them on their journey to becoming valued members of AST’s expanding team.

Director of Public Relations

Stephanie Pethtel

Stephanie Pethtel joined Allegheny Science & Technology in March of 2016 and serves as the Director of Public Relations where she designs and implements marketing strategies that cultivates relationships with media, engages target audiences and boosts awareness.  She also maintains the internal communications creating a cohesive corporate culture for a  staff that is located across the country.  When asked what her favorite role at AST is, she said it is the fast-pace of the company and the variety of tasks she tackles daily – there is always something fun and exciting happening!

Chief Technology Officer

Johnna Sholtis, PhD.

As Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Sholtis provides guidance on AST’s full portfolio of energy programs and projects. She is an experienced program manager and principal scientist with 25+ years supporting federal departments and agencies as well as private industry clients. She has more than 20 years of experience supporting federal technology development efforts across RD&D spectrum. She possesses extensive contract management experience in both project management and supervisory levels for multi-million-dollar contracts in support of DOE’s mission. Dr. Sholtis has proven ability to integrate a wide variety of technical specialties while motivating a diverse, professional workforce. She is a skilled communicator targeting complex issues for a variety of engineering, science and technical development task areas including NEPA compliance. Dr. Sholtis has extensive experience in planning, managing, and performing comprehensive technical analyses of energy, engineering, environmental, and biological/chemical technology solutions and is an expert in conducting environmental impact analyses for use in recommending technology applications for development and commercialization for industry and federal clients.

Executive VP, Corporate Development

George Spencer

George is an executive leader and business strategist who brings more than 40 years of experience to AST.  As the EVP of Corporate Development, George is responsible for AST’s capture strategy, revenue growth, and portfolio diversification.

Vice President, Sustainable Energy & Environment

Priya Swamy

Priya Swamy is a strategic leader with 20 years of interdisciplinary experience in engineering, operations, and program management focused on advancing decarbonization missions within both the government and private sectors. She is experienced in research, development, demonstration, and deployment of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and advanced vehicle technology projects. Her collaborative leadership style guides teams to exceed expectations, navigate professional challenges, and foster individual growth and development. Ms. Swamy’s leadership capabilities offer a blend of demonstrated technical credibility, strategic visioning, operations, and budget supervision.

Business Development Specialist

Abia Whiston

As AST’s Business Development Specialist, Abia Whiston is responsible for identifying opportunities for business growth and optimizing marketing strategies for current and potential clients. With his background in energy, fossil and renewable resources, he is a key component at AST.  Abia channels his passion to build teams and thrives on the task of identifying the right opportunities and teaming partners.

Director of Strategic Engagement

Melanie White

Melanie White has over 25 years’ experience as a program and project manager in federal projects — most of which has been working for Appalachia-based small businesses focused on technology growth within the region. Mel is a problem-solver and relationship builder with strong attention to detail. She approaches each client as her top priority and balances multiple engagements with ease. In addition to managing corporate/community stakeholder relationships, Mel serves as AST’s Ombudswoman and employee stakeholder to our Diversity/EEO IPT (along with our HR Director, and CEO) where she works to ensure an equitable environment for AST’s workforce.

VP, Sustainable Energy and Environmental Programs

Greg Wilcox

Mr. Wilcox joins AST with over 30 years of consulting experience in the areas of sustainable energy and environmental solutions and emerging technologies. He draws upon his extensive experience in federal contract’s management for a broad array of federal agencies.

Giving Back

The AST team is dedicated to supporting the communities in which we live and work. Through corporate sponsorships, client events, and community engagement, we have participated in or supported activities like:

  • Race to Beat Cancer 5K

  • Salvation Army Angel Tree Program

  • United Way

  • Coding & Cyber Summit

  • Robotics Alliance

  • DOE National Science Bowl

  • IMACS hosted solar eclipse party

  • NASA STEM Day in the Park

  • Educational Resource Center

  • Robotics competition

  • New LEGO League

  • Habitat for Humanity

  • Girls on the Run

  • Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

  • DC Audubon Society

  • Stream Day

  • American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)

  • Multiple Sclerosis Society

  • Homes for Our Troops

  • St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital

  • Girls Who Code