Webinar: The War in Ukraine: Updates for the Stability Sector
| By isoa_admin
August 2, 2022 | 9:00am EDT
Please join ISOA for this one-hour, information-filled webinar about the conflict in Ukraine. Companies that are currently supporting stability operations efforts in Ukraine, or are preparing to in the future, will benefit from the latest updates on the
state of the conflict, thoughts on what’s to come, and issues to consider moving forward.
This webinar will be a prelude to the in-person ISOA Ukraine Conference to be held in Warsaw, Poland, on September 13-15, 2022.
We are pleased to be joined by the following experts:
Honorable Kostyantyn Gryshchenko
Former Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ukraine
Dan Fata
Senior Advisor, CSIS; Former DASD for Eastern Europe and member of the Afghanistan Commission
Daniel Fata is President, Fata Advisory, LLC. He is a public policy expert, national security consultant, and strategic advisor focused on helping companies and organizations enhance their product and program offerings through the development of comprehensive
government affairs strategies, risk assessments, strategic planning, and advocacy initiatives. He has more than 25+ years of experience working in Congress (as a leadership staffer in both the House and Senate), at the Department of Defense
(as DASD for Europe and NATO), in the aerospace and defense industry (as a VP at Lockheed Martin Corp), and in the consulting arena (as a VP at the Cohen Group). He has a proven record of success working with C-Suite executives, Cabinet officers,
senior military and foreign government officials, and public policy sector leaders. He is an expert on issues regarding U.S. national security, government relations, strategic risk, European foreign policy, global aerospace and defense industry,
industrial base supply chain, technology, and third party advocacy campaigns amongst other issues. He is also active in numerous technology start up efforts.
In February 2022, Dan was appointed by the U.S. Senate leadership to serve as one of sixteen Commissioners on the congressionally-mandated Afghanistan War Commission. The Commission was established in the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act to study
America’s 20-year involvement in the war in Afghanistan and to assess lessons learned for future conflicts. The Commission has a three-year mandate.
Dan has been affiliated with some of America’s leading think tanks and NGos including the Alexander Hamilton Society, the American Enterprise Institute, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the German
Marshall Fund of the U.S. He is a regular guest lecturer at leading U.S. colleges and universities. He continues to publish numerous opeds and analytical pieces on national security issues. He graduated with Honors from the University
of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He earned his Master of Arts degree in International Relations from Boston University.
Ron Farkas
Founder and President of Poland-U.S. Operations (PLUS Ops)
Founder and President of Poland-U.S. Operations (PLUS Ops). PLUS Ops was established in 2015 in response to the overwhelming demand for support to international industry pursing opportunities associated with Poland’s defense modernization program as well
as DoD and NATO projects in Central Europe.
Ron enlisted in the US Air Force as a F-16 Avionics Technician, later graduating from the US Air Force Academy as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer. Upon completing his Masters Degree in International Relations, Ron was selected as the Air Force Programs
Officer at the Office of Defense Cooperation in Warsaw, Poland. Ron has also served as an Instructor of Security Cooperation Studies at the Defense Institute of Security Cooperation Studies (DISCS), located at Wright Patterson Air Force
Base.
There, he was responsible for educating the U.S. Department of Defense Security Cooperation workforce, industry, and foreign partners. This included programs such as Foreign Military Sales, International Armaments Cooperation, Building Partnership Capacity,
Excess Defense Articles, International Agreements, Acquisitions, Security Cooperation Office operations, and other authorizations and appropriations under Title 10 and Title 22 of U.S. Code.
Mike Kostiw
Attorney with Ward & Berry PLLC
Mike W. Kostiw is an attorney at the law firm of Ward & Berry PLLC, a Washington, D.C. law firm with deep roots representing government contractors and high technology companies of all
sizes.
He specializes in establishing and scaling compliance programs, leading risk assessments and investigations, and providing legal counsel on federal contract law and international trade compliance.
Before joining Ward & Berry, he led ethics and compliance programs for seven years at several defense and engineering companies. Notably, as Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, of a Fortune 500 Company,
he successfully safeguarded the company’s reputation by ending the World Bank’s debarment of its Asia-Pacific division through enhancements to the company’s compliance program. Prior to serving as a compliance leader, he served as the
principal in-house counsel to a division of a large federal services contractor.
Before practicing law, he served in the United States Marine Corps as an infantry officer and led IT and weapons systems procurements as a defense acquisitions project manager at the Marine Corps Systems Command and in the private sector as a defense
contractor.
He earned his law degree from the George Washington University Law School and a Bachelor of Science from the United States Naval Academy.
Moderator
John Gastright
Senior Vice President at Amentum, Vice Chairman of the ISOA Board
From January 2008 to February 2021, he was the Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, Communications and Afghanistan Operations at DynCorp International. From March 2005 to December 2007, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Pakistan,
Afghanistan and Bangladesh and the U.S. Interagency Coordinator for Afghanistan. From June 2004 to March 2005 he was the Director for House Affairs at the Bureau of Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and from March 2003 to
June 2004 he served as Special Assistant to Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.
Prior to service at the State Department, Mr. Gastright served as a congressional staffer in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate from 1995 to 2003. From 1988 to 1994, he was an officer in the United States Navy and
from 1987 to 1988 he served as a City of Charleston South Carolina Police Officer.
He has been awarded Master’s Degrees from the Catholic University of America, the Naval War College and a Bachelor’s Degree from the Citadel.
John Gastright and his wife Kendra have three children. They reside on a family farm in Croom, Maryland.