David B. Dempsey

Partner, Holland & Knight LLP

CSA Course: The Service Contract/Davis-Bacon Act

David Dempsey practices in the area of U.S. federal, state, and local procurement law and regulations as well as their international counterparts. He has been doing so for 28 years. Prior to entering private practice in 1982, Mr. Dempsey worked at the Defense Logistics Agency and the Defense Fuel Supply Center, components of the Department of Defense.

With procurement law as his foundation, Mr. Dempsey has developed specific technical knowledge in federal contract cost accounting, information technology and related intellectual property, international transactions and international procurement, export controls (e.g., EAR, ITAR, OFAC), and labor laws related to government service controls (e.g. Service Contract Act, Davis-Bacon Act, CWHSSA, FLSA). His articles have appeared in several legal and business publications, and he has presented numerous lectures, on these and related subjects since 1982.

In the procurement community, Mr. Dempsey is General Counsel to the Contract Services Association (1990-present; Committee Chair 1997-2000; Project Officer for the FAR Part 15 Rewrite) and the Procurement Policy Committee of the Information Technology Association of America (2002-present). He was appointed to the Federal Advisory Committee to the Department of Defense (the § 807 Committee) to revise the DFRS guidance and contract clauses regarding technical data and computer software rights (1994-95).

Mr. Dempsey is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Virginia and before the federal district court of the District of Columbia, the Eastern District of Virginia, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the Fourth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mr. Dempsey received his bachelor's degree cum laude 1972 from Amherst College and earned his law degree in 1977 from the University of South Carolina Law School.

---

Ted Erlwein

President, High Sierra Consulting

CSA Course: People Skills for Project Managers

Ted Erlwein is President of High Sierra Consulting, a consulting company which helps small businesses bridge the gap and participate in the governmental bid process. He specializes in all levels of contracting on the local, state, and federal level as well as GSA Federal Supply Schedule development. He assisted one firm in developing the first ever Schedule in the nation for their market segment. After award, he built a marketing plan which resulted in excess of a million dollars in sales.  

He was raised in Alaska and has 13 years experience working in the Corrections field. During that time he was a Certified Staff Trainer, Compliance Officer, and a Staff Counselor for an Intensive Treatment Program. Ted had 10-15 inmates in his group and dealt with interpersonal, interactive, and behavior modification issues. He was also a Certified Transportation Officer, Maximum Security Lead Officer, and a member of the Special Emergency Response Team. 

Ted is active in the Contract Services Association and is the former Chair of the Professional Development Committee. He is the co-author of The People Skills Handbook and is currently working on his second book Government Contracting 101, A Primer For Entering The Arena. 

---

Wanda M. Johnson

President, General Counsel, PREEMPT, Inc.

CSA Course: HR and Labor Laws

Wanda Johnson, founder, PREEMPT, Inc., oversees all operations on behalf of the company that provides human resources/labor law services, outsourcing and security services. 

With a background in labor law compliance, Ms. Johnson is able to ensure that PREEMPT and its personnel remain in compliance with labor laws while providing outstanding services.  Ms. Johnson has expertise in the areas of discrimination, harassment, service contract and wage-hour laws, union/management labor relations, investigations and various other labor areas.  Because of her expertise in these areas, Ms. Johnson is responsible for recruitment and retention of highly skilled employees that operate on all projects.

Ms. Johnson brings an exceptional combination of business and legal expertise to PREEMPT, Inc.  Prior to founding, PREEMPT, Inc., Ms. Johnson practiced extensively in the areas of labor and employment law, including serving as an enforcement attorney with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Solicitor’s Office. During Ms. Johnson’s tenure with the Department of Labor, she was responsible for assisting the government to collect millions of dollars in back wages from numerous companies and federal contractors.  Prior to practicing law, Ms. Johnson served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Michael L. Rankin, District of Columbia Superior Court. 

Ms. Johnson’s many professional affiliations include the MD/DC Minority Supplier Development Council, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, DC and MD Bars and has previously served on DC Procurement Task Force and has lectured to SBA, SCORE, Howard Univ. Small Business Development Center and the Urban Financial Services Coalition.  Ms. Johnson holds a law degree from Howard University and a bachelor’s degree from Delaware State University.

---

Timothy Sullivan

Thompson Coburn LLP

CSA Course: Contract Administration

Tim Sullivan concentrates his practice in the area of government contracts, representing businesses nationwide and abroad. Mr. Sullivan counsels clients in all facets of government contract law, including bid protests, contract claims and litigation. He has extensive experience in matters involving bidding strategies, claims resolution, small business issues, defective pricing, suspension and debarment and the Procurement Integrity Act. He has also served as a contract negotiator for the Central Intelligence Agency.

---