Leadership Team

Leadership Team

CMI's leadership is experienced and committed to exceptional quality and customer satisfaction. and operates with a lean performance based structure to encourage innovation and attention to customer and employee needs and ideas.

Abe Abraham, President and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Abraham is the owner, President and CEO of CMI. He founded CMI in 1989 and successfully guided the firm strategically and operationally through the SBA 8(a) program to a $50 million annual revenue base. Mr. Abraham and CMI have been recognized across the industry, including being ranked as the 11th fastest growing in Washington Technology Fast 50, 2005, named to Washington Smart CEO Future 50, and named one of the Nation's 50 Most Influential Minorities in Business by MBPN. Mr. Abraham works actively with large and small businesses across the country to galvanize solid business relationships and partner on contract opportunities. He works with customers and potential customers to assess their needs and ensure the development of CMI's high quality, innovative service solutions that are timely and cost effective. He is also actively involved with CMI's recruiting and staff development, as people are the core of CMI's services and success. Prior to his work at CMI, Mr. Abraham served as staff Vice President, Marketing and Industry Services of BOMA International and Merchandising Manager for Better Homes and Garden Magazine where his department achieved 300% annual revenue increases. Abraham received his B.A. from Baldwin-Wallace College and MBA from Northwest Missouri State University. Mr. Abraham is active in the local Springfield, Virginia community. He is an active member of his church, teaching adult Sunday school class, and working with the area homeless people.

Edward Gaudette, Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Gaudette has over 20 years of experience in accounting, auditing, financial analysis and financial management. In his various positions, he has been responsible for all aspects of corporate financial issues, including preparing financial projections leading to increases in line of credit and revenue growth, advising senior management in investment strategies, representing companies in critical Internal Revenue Service issues, developing pricing models for federal and state government proposals, as well as directing the activities of the finance, accounting and contract departments. He began his career as the financial manager of an agri-business consulting firm, a marketing cost specialist at a large IT company, and a senior financial analyst for a large government contractor. Mr. Baudette's experience expanded to include positions as controller, consultant, treasurer and chief financial officer (CFO). As CMI's CFO, Mr. Gaudette manages and directs all corporate financial functions. He is also responsible for preparing cost analysis and pricing models for federal and state government proposals, as well as acting as a liaison to governmental regulatory agencies and the financial community. Mr. Gaudette is a Certified Public Accountant and holds an MBA degree from Babson College.

Dr. Ash Rofail, Chief Strategy Officer

Dr. Rofail serves as the Chief Strategy Officer at CMI and is involved with formulating the company's business strategy and setting marketing, technology and product direction. Prior to joining CMI, Ash served as Chief Technology Officer for User Technology Associates, a $100 M software consultancy with over 1000 employees. Ash was responsible for setting technology strategy and technical leadership. Ash has provided strategic technical vision for several successful and innovative products as Chief Architect for Best Software (acquired by Sage), Product Architect for Solomon/Great Plains (acquired by Microsoft), and State of the Art Software (acquired by Sage). Ash is a thought leader in enterprise software as a member of Microsoft's Visual Basic advisory board since 1997; patent holder for artificial intelligence technology; author of 6 software engineering books on topics such as XML, .NET, COM/DCOM, building n-Tier Applications and Service Oriented Architectures; and Adjunct Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Business. Ash holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence and MS in Computer Science.

Dave Charlton, Chief Technology Officer

Mr. Charlton provides strategic vision for the technology service offering at CMI, as well as strategic vision for internal IT process efficiencies. Mr. Charlton has over fifteen years of experience in leadership positions with established public companies and startups. Prior to joining CMI, Mr. Charlton was Vice President of Product Development at InforMax, a global leader in commercial bioinformatics software. There, Mr. Charlton was responsible for a multimillion dollar budget and all aspects of product development for the company's award-winning line of desktop and enterprise software for biomolecular analysis. Previously, Mr. Charlton was the COO and Vice President of Online Strategy for AllHerb.com, the top online retailer in its category. Mr. Charlton led the effort to build the company from conception, including technological infrastructure, business process design, facilities planning, and team building. Mr. Charlton was the Vice President of Technology for All Things Delivered, Inc. from 1996 to 1998, where he was responsible for creating and managing the technological infrastructure of Washington DC's first Internet-based grocery shopping and home delivery service. From 1989 to 1996, Mr. Charlton held various senior level roles at Intactix International (formerly MarketWare Corporation). As the Director of Product Development at MarketWare, Mr. Charlton was responsible for all aspects of software development for the firm's market-leading retail space management products. At CMI, Mr. Charlton is key to setting the vision for technology services, as well as and identifying ways to leverage technology for continual efficiency improvements to internal firm operations. Mr. Charlton attended Yale University where he studied Mechanical Engineering.

Azzi Abraham, VP Corporate Resources

Ms. Abraham brings a breadth of management experience from the World Bank, American Export Group and Better Homes & Gardens Publishing Company to lead CMI's Human and Corporate Resources. Her distinct and instinctive ability to recognize, place and develop talent, as well as create a climate of respect and learning, attributes significantly to the successes for each customer. She oversees all HR policies and procedures, training and performance development, and provides continual leadership on growth strategies and development of a professional, diverse and respectful CMI work culture. She brings an extensive IT and Programming background, in addition to her management experience, that improves the efficiency of CMI operations to support employees and sub-contractors. Her attention to detail and the needs of individual staff contribute to the vision and success of CMI. Ms. Abraham holds a M.B.A. from Northwest Missouri State University, and certifications in Sarbanes-Oxley Control Self-Assessment, Training the Trainers, Building a Respectful Work Environment, Financial Products and Delivery, and Earned Value Management. Ms. Abraham also earned the President's Award.

Shason Yavari, VP Administration and Corporate Secretary

Mr. Yavari is responsible for the day-to-day administration of CMI to ensure efficient operations and delivery of services. He provides for a healthful, safe and secure office environment; acts as signatory authority; manages Network and Technology resources; supports contractual agreements; and develops and administers mechanisms for operational efficiency and growth. Mr. Yavari has handled all aspects of operations in his experience with CMI, from accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll management, contract administration, business development, and information technology management. Mr. Yavari started his business career as Communication Manager at Bordali Enterprises.

David Smith, Esq., Legal Counsel/Contracts Manager

Mr. Smith handles all contractual and legal matters for CMI. He is experienced in all aspects of government contracting, as well as commercial contract management, intellectual property rights, trademark, employment and litigation. Mr. Smith supports all of CMI partnerships, assisting not only with legal contracts but also with effective collaboration on expected value to make partnerships effective for both parties. As part of CMI's leadership team, he provides visionary ideas for CMI's growth, advises on legal matters and the legal impact of management decisions, and assists CMI with performance management and metrics to achieve strategic corporate objectives. Mr. Smith is a member of the Bars of Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Illinois. He received his JD from DePaul University and a BA in political science from Central State University in Ohio.