Our Staff

Bill has over twenty years of experience in government and public policy advocacy. He is recognized as one of the leading advocates on the successful effort to expand the Berry Amendment to include athletic footwear as part of the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. Bill worked for U.S. Representative Marty Meehan and U.S. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. He has a B.A. in American Government from Georgetown University and an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Karlee Popken, Policy Director, is a seasoned legislative and public policy professional with expertise in appropriations, housing and community development, social welfare, tax and finance, and trade and economic policy.

Prior to joining USFMA, Karlee served as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Ed Markey, where she led the office’s appropriations process. Previously, Karlee served as a Legislative Correspondent for then-Senator Bill Nelson, the current NASA Administrator. Preceding her tenure on Capitol Hill, Karlee distinguished herself as a Policy Advisor to the Irish Legislature and as an educator at the Esperanza Academy in Lawrence, MA.

Karlee holds an MPP from the University College Dublin and a B.A. in Political Science and Government and Women and Gender Studies from the College of the Holy Cross.

Dennis has over 30 years of experience in federal contracting. He is the former Director of Contracts and Grants for the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research. Dennis is an expert on the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and government procurement policy. He earned his Bachelor’s in Business Administration from San Jose State University and a Master’s Degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

Bryan Maxwell, National Security Advisor, has more than a decade of Capitol Hill experience, shaping public policy and securing federal funding. Bryan’s expertise is in defense industrial base issues and the congressional authorization and appropriations process.

 Prior to working for USFMA, he served as the Senior Defense Policy Advisor and Military Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a member of the Senate Committees on Armed Services and Defense Appropriations Subcommittee for six years. Previously, Bryan served as the Military Legislative Assistant to former Congressman Dan Maffei (D-NY), a member of the House Armed Services Committee. He also worked for former Congressman John Hall (D-NY) from 2007 to 2009.

Bryan holds a B.A. in History from the University of Virginia and an MPP from the George Washington University. Bryan currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and previously served in Afghanistan.

LB Fullerton, Research Assistant, brings a wealth of experience in monitoring defense and international policy trends since 2019. In her role, she diligently supports SMI’s clients by conducting thorough research and analysis on matters pertaining to defense and life sciences policy.

Prior to joining SMI, LB served as a research intern at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI), where she drafted analytical reports on topics including U.S.-ROK relations, nuclear armament debates, and economic security. She also contributed to research assessing North Korea’s nuclear weapons and drone capabilities. Additionally, LB interned at the Military Advisor Training Academy with the U.S. Army at Fort Moore, where she prepared reports on Sino-North Korean relations for U.S. National Security and briefed military personnel on essential country profiles for deployment and domestic operations.

LB holds an M.A. in Asian Studies with a focus on Korean Studies and International Security Policy from George Washington University, as well as a B.A. in International Studies with a minor in Asian Studies from Auburn University. She also spent a semester abroad at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea, refining her Korean language skills.