Executive Management

Mr. Rui Garcia is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Acuity, Inc. With over 17 years experience in Management and Information Technology Consulting, he has worked with many clients from both the public sector and in the commercial marketplace.

Prior to founding Acuity, Mr. Garcia worked for Oracle Corporation as a Senior Account Executive responsible for the International Services Vertical within Oracle’s Civilian Government Sector. He also worked at Lotus Development Corporation in Cambridge, MA, where he was responsible for establishing alliance partners with whom he jointly marketed Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions.

Mr. Garcia has helped Acuity to achieve tremendous growth and is a recipient of the SmartCEO Future 50 Award, as well as the Washington Technology Fast 50, which recognizes the fastest growing companies in the Washington metro area. Mr. Garcia holds a Master of Business Administration from The F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College and a Bachelor of Arts from the College of the Holy Cross.

Mr. Benjamin “Ben” Harrison is the Chief Operating Officer of Acuity, Inc. He has over 22 years of experience implementing growth strategies, business processes, and technology systems that deliver optimal corporate performance.

In his role as COO, Mr. Harrison is responsible for maintaining current operations, policies and procedures to ensure Acuity is able to serve its federal customers. He also brings new ideas to ensure Acuity is well positioned to continue its growth.

Harrison brings over 30 years of experience in a variety of different roles such as marketing, proposals, accounting, finance, program management, and operations in several industries including architecture, conference and trade show management, program management training, and government contracting. Harrison’s vast experience and understanding of each functional area in a business make him uniquely qualified to serve as Acuity’s COO.

Mr. Dean Brunk is Vice President of Contracts. Mr. Brunk serves as Acuity’s primary point of contact for all contractual matters and plays an integral role in building business relationships.

A member of the Virginia Bar, Mr. Brunk has worked in the government legal environment for 14 years, at General Dynamics and most recently as Vice President and General Counsel for Solers, a technology company in the DC area. Brunk holds both a JD and an MBA from Stetson University.

Ms. Kristin Cooke is the Vice President of Business Development for Acuity, Inc. In this role, she applies twenty-eight years of Federal IT and Management Consulting large business experience as she strategically identifies new business opportunities, develops and matures relevant industry relationships, and engages with a wide variety of industry experts to create differentiated client solutions that leverage recent technology advancements and best practice application techniques.

Ms. Cooke is a certified Change Management Advanced Practitioner and ITIL 3.0 Advanced Practitioner with TS/SCI Clearance. Prior to this position, she filled a number of positions related to business and IT strategy, organizational design and reengineering, system modernization, data analytics and operational improvements. She has worked extensively with the Department of Homeland Security since inception and received multiple awards for her service and contributions.

Ms. Cooke holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics from Siena College and earned a certificate in International Business from the University of Grenoble.

Ms. Jannie Gardner is Acuity’s Vice President of Human Resources. She has over 20 years of HR experience in the IT consulting industry, the last five here at Acuity.

A primary focus during her tenure has been utilizing technology to create a solid infrastructure. As a proactive leader with proven success building cohesive, high-performing teams across multiple disciplines, Ms. Gardner is responsible for the development, implementation, and management of Acuity’s employee retention programs that support benefits administration, HR compliance, employee relations, career development, and performance management. Ms. Gardner also leads the recruiting team to develop talent acquisition activities that leverage best practices for quickly attracting exceptional employees.

Ms. Gardner holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Central Oklahoma.

Ms. Julia Correa is a Vice President at Acuity and brings 19 years of experience in IT program management, assessments, reviews and audits for the U.S. Federal Government. In her role at Acuity, Ms. Correa’s responsibilities include managing one of Acuity’s largest customer engagements.

Ms. Correa oversees a portfolio of IT projects ranging from software development to systems engineering, providing oversight and direction regarding technical requirements, risk management, and security mandates. Prior to joining Acuity in 2008, Ms. Correa served as a Senior Manager of Technology Assurance and Advisory Services at UHY Advisors, Inc.

Ms. Correa holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland, University College, and is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), as well as a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). She has also achieved COBit and ITIL v3 certifications and is an active member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA).

Mr. Eric Lazerson is a Vice President at Acuity, leading Acuity’s technical solutions and practice areas. Leveraging industry best practices, a wide network of software partners, and more than 20 years of experience, Mr. Lazerson helps Acuity’s federal and commercial clients align enterprise IT with business objectives – realizing measurable results from IT modernization and transformation initiatives.

Throughout his career, Mr. Lazerson has worked for leading consulting and software companies such as Hewlett-Packard and BMC Software. He brings wide-ranging expertise in enterprise COTS implementations and integrations, custom application development, and ITIL process improvement.

Mr. Lazerson holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Networking from Strayer University and is a certified ITIL Expert v3, ITIL Service Manager v2, Remedy Skilled Professional (RSP) and Remedy Approved Consultant (RAC). He is also an active member of the IT Service Management Forum (itSMF).

Ms. Oksana Fiedler is a Vice President at Acuity, leading Acuity’s National Security portfolio. She is responsible for driving new business growth within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice. In this role, she also manages Acuity’s existing National Security business unit portfolio, overseeing a variety of complex technology projects.

Ms. Fiedler brings over 20 years of professional experience in technical program and project management for both the federal government and private industry. Prior to joining Acuity, Ms. Fiedler supported private industry IT audits and large federal projects at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). She also proudly served as a U.S. Army Aviation Officer and Pilot for the AH-64A Apache Helicopter.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Boston University and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and Certified Scrum Master (CSM).

Ms. Kerri Posteraro is a Vice President at Acuity and is responsible for overseeing Acuity’s presence in financially focused government agencies including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Throughout her tenure with Acuity she served in a variety of roles, consistently advancing the quality, efficiency and successful delivery of technology solutions. Prior to joining Acuity, she worked at Ernst and Young and UHY Advisors.

Ms. Posteraro brings expert knowledge in IT Service Management (ITSM) in the federal space. She assists government leaders in the development, implementation, and maturation of ITSM strategies, focusing on defining, implementing, and improving practical ITSM processes. Ms. Posteraro brings this advanced ITSM knowledge and experience to her new role, as well as knowledge around software engineering and data analytics.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus in Management Information Systems from West Virginia University. Additionally, she is a licensed Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) as well as a certified ITIL expert.

Matthew Gernstein has over 15 years of experience supporting businesses pursue, capture, and support contracts with civilian and defense customers. As a Director at Acuity, Inc., a leading federal management and technology consulting firm located in Reston, Virginia, Mr. Gernstein oversees Acuity’s Contracts, Compliance, and Legal Departments – including all aspects of contracts management and regulation compliance. Mr. Gernstein began his career as a research assistant to the Director of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy before transitioning to the role of in-house government contracts counsel at organizations including MAXIMUS, Dell, CACI, eGlobalTech, and, today, Acuity.

Mr. Gernstein received his undergraduate degree from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he graduated with highest honors, and obtained his law degree from the College of William and Mary. Mr. Gernstein is a member of the DC Bar, the DC Bar’s Government Contracts and Litigation Community, the American Bar Association, and the American Bar Association’s Section on Public Contracts Law.