Meet Our Team
Together, we succeed at Pinao.
At Pinao, you are not a number; you are an invaluable member of a team. All our employees bring a unique combination of education and experience that create diversified and effective teams in support of our customers.
Our Operations Team, which includes our Executive, Human Resources, Business Development, Information Technology, and Program Managers, oversee these teams to ensure every mission is a success for our customers.
Cari Gomes
President
Encinitas, CA
Cari Gomes founded Pinao Consulting in 2014 and has served as the company’s President ever since. As the President, Cari sets the tone and expectations for the company. Along with the senior staff, she oversees the establishment of the strategic plan, including high level budgets, forecasting, plans for growth, and long-term business plans.
Prior to founding Pinao, Cari received her Master of Science Degree in Geology from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.
Heather Crosser
Vice President
Fredericksburg, VA
Pinao believes in promoting within and helping our employees grow. Her current responsibilities are working with the department heads to ensure the company is moving in a positive direction. Heather also sees everyone in Pinao as her family because we want to keep our great morals, ethics and a fun environment to work in. Heather started her career in the government contracting industry in 1997 and enjoys supporting our Country’s Warfighters.
🏆Pinao Award: Living the motto “Work Hard Play Hard.” For wearing many hats, getting the job done, and then saying, “Let’s Go Play!”
Hannah Smith, aPHR
Human Resources Manager / Proposal Manager
Fredericksburg, VA
Hannah Smith first joined Pinao in 2020 as a Program Analyst supporting a government contract. After a brief departure from the company at the contract’s end, she rejoined Pinao in 2021 as the Human Resources and Proposal Manager.
Prior to Pinao, Hannah received her Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and went on to provide research analyst support in this field to the Government.
As the Human Resources Manager for Pinao, Hannah supports the administrative and personal needs of employees through continuous communication and understanding. Her direct knowledge of the current Pinao team also serves as a fundamental part of her role as a Proposal Manager supporting the Business Development Director in expanding Pinao’s workforce.
🏆Pinao Award: Being a “Superhero.” For arriving at the right time, calming the calamity, while paving a safe path for all.
Tim Rader
IT Director
Fredericksburg, VA
Tim Rader joined Pinao Consulting in 2020 as a Program Analyst before pivoting into the IT Director role in 2021. Prior to Pinao, Tim spent several years providing contract technical support to Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Virginia. During his time configuring warfighter computer systems and offering end-user help desk support, Tim gathered the knowledge necessary to contribute to Pinao’s cybersecurity and IT infrastructure.
As the IT Director, he is responsible for administering employee workstations, troubleshooting hardware/software issues, and protecting Pinao’s systems from the rapidly evolving threat of cyber criminals.
🏆Pinao Award: The “Poker Face.” For never breaking a sweat before, during, or after a challenge.
Kim Mitchell
Senior Epidemiologist / Program Manager
Silver Spring, MD
Dr. Kim Mitchell joined Pinao as a Senior Epidemiologist in 2021. In that capacity, she leads an Epidemiology Team that supports the Defense Health Agency’s Vision Center of Excellence (VCE) by providing analytical and technical support for research projects examining eye injuries and other visual dysfunctions among Service members and Veterans. She collaborates with VCE clinicians, data scientists, and other staff members to formulate research questions, plan studies, conduct statistical analysis, and prepare technical reports and manuscripts to advance the VCE research portfolio. She oversees the Epidemiology Team’s training and development and ensures that the team seamlessly integrates with all VCE operations.
Likewise, as part of the Pinao Operations Team, she contributes her skills in critical thinking and program planning to help support the company’s growth as a leading business that provides solutions to clients across disciplines. She holds a PhD in Behavioral and Community Health from the University of Maryland, a Master of Public Health from Yale University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University.
🏆Pinao Award: The “Eagle Eye.” The keen ability to spot a grammatical error a mile away and to provide detailed responses.
Steven Williams
Senior Project Manager / Team Lead
Albany, GA
Steven Williams is a Marine Veteran with 20 years in the tech industry and joined Pinao in 2019 as the Senior Systems Administrator and Team Lead supporting the United States Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) Global Combat Support Systems – Marine Corps (GCSS-MC) Logistics Information Systems (LIS) contract.
He has a diverse background having worked in many technical disciplines including Datacenter Operations, Cyber Security, and DevOps. Steven enjoys outlining architecture solutions that reduce complexity and drive business value. He is passionate about helping customers draft scalable, well-architected and modernized solutions on the AWS Cloud. He enjoys helping customers discover creative solutions for technical challenges.
Outside of work, traveling and being outdoors with his family along with testing out new recipes in the kitchen are some of his favorite pastimes.
Vanessa Dover
Facility Security Officer
Fredericksburg, VA
Vanessa Dover joined Pinao Consulting in 2020 as Facility Security Officer (FSO). Vanessa started her career in Government security compliance in 2008 and has both supported and developed security programs at several industry contractors.
At Pinao, Vanessa is responsible for operational security, including clearances, classified material handling, and security while supporting Pinao U.S. Government contract efforts requiring access to classified and sensitive information governed by the National Industrial Security Program (NISP). Vanessa holds a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from Florida State University.
🏆Pinao Award: Having the biggest heart. She is super active, super healthy, and super charming. If you ever need a laugh to cheer you up, look no further, because laughter is the best medicine!