About Us

Payal Tak

President & CEO

President & CEO of TELESIS Ms. Tak founded the company in 1998. Ms. Tak has over 28 years of experience in the fields of information technology and government contracting. She actively supports strategic planning, corporate operations, and maintains customer communications.

Ms. Tak has successfully established strategic relationships with several Federal Government agencies and leading industry partners and has led the company through many years of remarkable growth to its present stature as a leading provider of high-end IT solutions for federal agencies such as Departments of Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Energy, Health and Human Services, Transportation, Justice, General Services Administration, Housing and Urban Development, and SOCOM, to name a few.

Ms. Tak has been recognized as the U.S. Small Business Person of the Year for the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area by the U.S. SBA and has received a special Congressional recognition for her invaluable service to the community. Under her leadership, TELESIS has maintained an intense focus on quality and implementation of best practices for service delivery, which has resulted in TELESIS earning several accolades for consistently delivering the promise of its tag line and exceeding client expectations.

Ms. Tak is supported by a world-class professional executive team at TELESIS that shares her deep passion for excellence in service delivery and customer success. Today, with the support of her executive team, Ms. Tak is leading TELESIS to new heights as a highly successful and respected Government contractor. Ms. Tak’s academic background includes degrees in Computer Science and Telecommunications Systems Management.

Dave Jefferson

Chief Strategy Officer

Dave Jefferson serves as the Chief Strategy Officer of TELESIS. In this role he is responsible for articulating and implementing TELESIS’ strategic vision focusing on effective growth; overseeing implementation of strategic initiatives; and building new partnerships to enhance company capabilities. Since joining TELESIS in 2012, Mr. Jefferson has helped to drive a strategy which increased revenues from $16M to over $80M, and positioned TELESIS as a high-value, technology provider of IT modernization, managed services, cybersecurity, and C5ISR services.

Before joining TELESIS, Mr. Jefferson was a principal at a highly successful government contractor where his leadership culminated in the successful merger with a top government integrator in 2011. Mr. Jefferson’s career spans more than 27 years of business and technology experience in both federal and commercial markets. His expertise ranges from information technology to business operations and sales. He received a BA in Political Science at Boston University, and has earned several distinctions throughout his career including the Hammer Award for Excellence in Government.

Rick Simis

Chief Operating Officer

Rick Simis is the Chief Operating Officer of TELESIS. In this role, Mr. Simis is responsible for ensuring TELESIS exceeds customer expectations in all aspects of program performance, organic growth, and expanding core capabilities. Mr. Simis joined TELESIS in July 2015 as the Vice President for the C4ISR and Intel Division. He has over 24 years of experience that includes the full spectrum of IT services, post production and deployment software support, logistics, global supply chain operations, and lifecycle support to the Army’s C4ISR systems.

Mr. Simis is a 1980 West Point graduate, holds an MS from Kansas State University and a Master’s Certificate in Executive Leadership from Cornell University, and is a Certified Block Chain Expert. He retired from the Army after serving in numerous command and staff positions around the world.  His awards include the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and four Awards of the Meritorious Service Medal.  He is a graduate of the Army’s Material Acquisition Management course and holds an ITIL Foundations certification.

Bruce Thoms

Vice President, Special Operations Programs

Bruce Thoms is Vice President of Special Operations Programs at TELESIS and in that role is responsible for operational excellence in all aspects of program performance, organic growth, and expanding core capabilities, which include Agile Development, Data Migration, Testing, C4 and Intelligence System Support, Cloud Services, and Software Architecture.

Prior to joining TELESIS in May of 2013, served as Senior Program Manager and Director for a large defense systems support provider and Logistics and Operations Manager under Mission Command.  His experience includes full spectrum of IT services, post production/deployment software support, software development, logistics, C4ISR and Intelligence systems support, Geo-Spatial Intelligence products, and logistics.  Mr. Thoms supported these positions globally and deployed numerous times in support of units and Army organizations.

Mr. Thoms is a University of Iowa graduate, holds a BS in Information Systems and a Master’s Business Administration, along with numerous certificates in project and process management. He is a former Army officer serving numerous command and staff positions around the world.

Sonia Dua

Vice President of Managed Services

Sonia Dua leads the Division of Managed Services and Infrastructure Programs Support at TELESIS.  She is responsible for developing new Managed Services offerings within the company and delivering diverse IT Services to include IT Infrastructure, Help Desk and Service Desks from TELESIS’ Managed Services facilities as well as client sites.

Ms. Dua is a 17-year veteran of TELESIS and brings over 22 years of professional experience in the capture and service delivery of federal contracts. She develops and maintains strong and lasting working relationships with TELESIS’ clients, vendors, program teams, and partners. Ms. Dua has successfully led multiple implementations of standardized program management methodologies at TELESIS resulting in successful CMMI appraisals for the company. Ms. Dua has a Master’s degree and is PMP and ITIL certified.

Devanand Prasad

Vice President, Advanced Engineering Programs

Devanand Prasad is Vice President of Advanced Engineering Programs at TELESIS and in that role is responsible for operational excellence in all aspects of program performance, organic growth, and expanding core capabilities, which include Satellite and Radio Communications, Cloud Services, Software Solutions and Next Generation Technologies. Prior to joining TELESIS in Dec of 2019, Devanand was the owner of Insight Engineering Solutions Inc serving as CEO and CTO. His experience includes full spectrum of IT services, Satellite Communications, Network design, software development,  and help desk operations. Mr. Prasad has been supporting PM Mission Command MCSC for the last 15 years supporting globally deployed Military units and other organizations. He is an Army Infantry veteran serving numerous units globally. Combining this with his IT background gives him a unique perspective and insight on the use and integration of technology to help resolve problems and foster rapid innovation.

Jill Waltersdorff-Rich

Executive Director, Human Resources

Jill Waltersdorff-Rich is the Executive Director of Human Resources and Talent Acquisition for TELESIS. She is responsible for directing the overall administration, coordination and evaluation of the HR and Recruiting functions. With over 18 years of experience, Ms. Waltersdorff-Rich is a trusted, collaborative leader focused on best practices. She is an important partner with the TELESIS Leadership Team in our efforts to establish effective systems and streamline processes to serve our customers and employees.

Previously, Ms. Waltersdorff-Rich has successfully managed HR functions at two Government contractors in the Washington, DC Metro area. Her professional expertise ranges from needs analysis and project management to developing teams who provide transformational service. She considers herself a lifelong learner and eagerly welcomes new challenges.

Ms. Waltersdorff-Rich earned her MBA and MS in Management (HR concentration) degrees from the University of Maryland University College. She also holds a B.A. in English from the University of Mary Washington and maintains two HR Certifications (SHRM-SCP as well as an SPHR).

Tamra King

Director, Special Operations

Tamra King serves as Director, Special Operations Programs for TELESIS. She joined TELESIS in 2017 and is responsible for the successful delivery of our USSOCOM programs which include Agile Development, Data Migration, Testing, C4 and Intelligence System Support, Cloud Services, and Software Architecture.
Prior to joining TELESIS, Ms. King was a Principal Delivery Manager for Microsoft Consulting Services where she managed deliveries of multiple solutions and products for DoD/Intel, USSOCOM, Federal Civilian Agencies and State and Local Governments. Over her career, she has managed programs delivering Enterprise Directory Services, Systems Integration, Datacenter Consolidation and Network Security as a Federal Contractor. She is PMP Certified, holds an ITIL v3 Expert Certification and is certified as a Scrum Master and Scrum Product Owner with more than 20 years of progressive management and leadership experience.

Darryl Bowles

Director of National Security Programs

Darryl Bowles joined TELESIS Corporation in January 2019 and brings over 25 years of experience in leading large technical teams providing CONUS and OCONUS IT operational support to Federal customers.  Darryl has successfully led multiple program delivery teams in support of DoE, DoT, HHS, CMS, DOJ, DoN – Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR), NARA, and the National Navy Medical Center. He is responsible for successful delivery of multiple IT and Cybersecurity programs for TELESIS customers.

Prior to joining TELESIS, Mr. Bowles held senior positions at Peraton and Lockheed Martin.  He spent over 10 years working in the private sector with INOVA Health Systems, IBM, and Digex. His experience includes providing strategic and tactical guidance for data center operations teams and he has served 2 years as an adjunct professor teaching Computer Networks and the Fundamentals of MS Office Applications at Montgomery Community College (Takoma Park Campus).

Mr. Bowles holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Computer Science from the University of Hartford, a certificate in Accounting from Pace University, and two Master’s degrees in Computer System Management and Telecommunications Systems Management respectively, from the University of Maryland-University College.  Mr. Bowles holds certifications in Project Management Professional (PMP), ITIL Foundation, ITIL Intermediate, and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Teresa Poplinger

Director of State Department Programs

Teresa Poplinger serves as Director of State Department Programs for TELESIS. She manages a portfolio of Programs to support the U.S. Department of State and the foreign affairs community, leading overall service delivery, customer satisfaction and market growth.

Prior to joining TELESIS, Ms. Poplinger served as Program Manager for the Department of the Navy, working with Naval Operations’ CIO on Cyber Security initiatives. She led the Cyber teams in the conversion from DICAP to RMF as well assisting the CIO in building the CCB charter and infrastructure. Prior to supporting the DoD, Ms. Poplinger had a long career at the Department of State in Program Management, leading many efforts at State, including, but not limited to building the first platform for a Department-wide application to run on IIS and moving Department of State Office of Computer Security to Active Directory.

Ms. Poplinger has over 23 years of IT experience and over 15 years of Program Management experience. Her unique ability to be able to understand IT and management has allowed her to bridge the language gap between the technical and non-technical communities and bring understanding to both sides.  She has active Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and is Certified Information Security Management (CISM) professional. She holds a B.S. in Business from George Mason University.

Douglas O

Director of Technology

Douglas O serves as Director of Technology with TELESIS.  He has been serving TELESIS’ customers for over 5 years and his primary responsibilities are to oversee all IT operations and maintenance for multiple corporate locations, ensure their alignment with current and future business objectives of the organization, and compliance with ISO 20000.  Mr. O has over 20 years’ experience in multiple IT fields most recently performing Systems Engineering, Design and Integration of US Government mission critical systems along with Operations and Maintenance services for US government contracts that provide mission critical services to internal Government Agencies and external Global customers.  Mr. O has an extensive background in providing the highest levels of customer satisfaction, building trust and confidence through transparent services with an emphasis on customer satisfaction.

Mr. O has held various positions in the IT field ranging from Telecommunications marketing development and support, Medical systems track and billing, Enterprise Technical Support Services, and Data Center Operations Services, thus giving him a unique perspective and insight on the use and integration of technology to help resolve problems and foster innovative thinking and ideas.

Monisha Mandal

Director of Quality Standards

Monisha Mandal serves as the Director of Quality Standards at TELESIS. She is responsible for implementation and management of Quality and Security Certifications for TELESIS.

Ms. Mandal joined TELESIS in 2013 to manage quality assurance certifications for TELESIS. As the number of certifications grew, so did her role and her team. She created a team to begin monitoring internal processes and controls and assess the risk associated with those processes and controls.  With over 20 years of diverse experience, Ms. Mandal works closely with and supports all operations and program managers to ensure adherence to policies and procedures for accurate performance, quality improvement, incident management, security management and risk management within TELESIS. Ms. Mandal identifies potential new areas of compliance, certifications and risk management frameworks to implement any additional certifications for TELESIS.

Ms. Mandal has successfully led multiple implementations of standardized program management methodologies at TELESIS resulting in successful ISO, FISMA and CMMI appraisals for the company. Outside of the Department of Quality Standards, Ms. Mandal has lead the IT team for the corporate offices at TELESIS and is currently spearheading the development of the TELESIS OpenFISMA+ tool. OpenFISMA+ is a suite of modules for POA&M tracking, Vulnerability Management, Security Authorization and Incidents.

Under her leadership, her teams have consistently delivered the promise of TELESIS’ tagline and exceeded customer expectations. Ms. Mandal has a Master’s degree and is PMP and CISA certified.

Stephanie Taylor

Director of Contracts and Pricing

Stephanie Taylor serves as the Director of Contracts and Pricing at TELESIS.  In this role Ms. Taylor manages the day-to-day activities of the department while being ever present in new business initiatives.  Ms. Taylor came to TELESIS with over 20 years of government contracting experience.  During her career she has led finance, pricing, quality and contracts organizations.  Utilizing her background, Ms. Taylor has streamlined the processes to ensure accuracy, efficiency and overall quality within her department to ensure the highest level of excellence is achieved in supporting TELESIS clients.

With the same passion Ms. Taylor brings to TELESIS, she also serves her community by volunteering in various capacities to include providing financial education through the cooperative extension in her county.

In 2002 Ms. Taylor earned her MBA from The George Washington University and has continued her desire to learn by earning various certificates to include achieving a Six Sigma Black Belt in 2008.

Earl (Dean) Stuller

Director of Solutions Architecture

Dean Stuller is the Director of Solutions Architecture for Telesis. In this role he provides technology leadership through understanding business and IT strategy and effectively applying skills and capabilities required to deliver on business and technology commitments. Mr. Stuller develops and implements strategic initiatives focused on managing the IT roadmap and shaping the IT landscape while delivering continuous improvement across all service areas. Prior to joining Telesis in Nov 2018, Mr. Stuller served as a Director of Operations and Program Manager for contract efforts supporting both DoD and Federal Agencies. Mr. Stuller has 25 years’ experience in multiple IT domains, beginning with code development for DoD Command and Control systems to building and managing global command and control networks to directing communication support for the National Command Authority (President and Secretary of Defense) at the National Military Command Center in the Pentagon. A consummate Cyber Security expert, he’s applied his experience to multiple failing programs and made them successful again. As an architect, he’s developed solutions for technology integration providing single-pane-of-glass visibility for enterprise services to delivering hybridized cloud solutions addressing both ubiquitous data access and unique multi-level security requirements.

Mr. Stuller holds a Master’s in Business Administration and maintains certifications including Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), Project Management Professional (PMP), and ITIL. He is retired from the United States Air Force after 33 years of service.