SENIOR ASSOCIATES

Cece Carman Siracuse

Ms. Siracuse specializes in appropriations, congressional relations, military healthcare and defense community issues. Ms. Siracuse served from 1996 to 1998 as the chief civilian appointee from the Department of Defense for liaison to the U.S. House of Representatives - the post of acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and Executive Director for House Affairs. Ms. Siracuse was the Director of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission from 1994 to 1996. Ms. Siracuse began her government service in 1987 on the personal staff of Senator Sam Nunn, where she was assigned as his principal Legislative Assistant for Military Affairs, and was extensively involved in the 1991, 1993, and 1995 base closure rounds. Prior to joining Hurt, Norton & Associates, Ms. Siracuse was the Vice President, Governmental Affairs, for Sierra Military Health Services, Inc. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Georgia.

William K. Takakoshi

Mr. Takakoshi focuses on defense installation issues, defense procurement and defense-related appropriations. His career in government includes more than eight years of service as Senior Executive Service Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of the Army with responsibility for oversight of the Army's restructuring, civilian draw down, budget, base closure, legislative liaison and emergency relief functions. He was extensively involved in Army coordination with Congress, other military departments and the Office of the Secretary of Defense during the 1988 through 1995 BRAC rounds. Mr. Takakoshi also worked procurement and acquisition reform issues as a Legislative Fellow on the House Armed Services Committee. Prior to that assignment, he served as Director, Program Review, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research, Development and Acquisition). Mr. Takakoshi began his 28 years of government service as an Industrial Engineer with the Department of Navy. He holds a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois and a M.S. degree in Industrial Engineering/Business Administration from Purdue University.

Katharine Calhoun Wood

Ms. Wood focuses on office management, ethics compliance, and client relations functions for the firm. She has more than 20 years of experience at the federal level in the legislative and regulatory processes. She has served as an independent political, fundraising, and special events consultant to clients including the National Republican Congressional Committee. Her Congressional staff career began in 1973, and she has served as Senior Legislative Assistant to U.S. Representative Bill Hefner (D-NC), and was later the Chief of Staff to U.S. Representatives Andy Ireland (R-FL) and Dan Miller (R-FL). During 1977-81, she served as Confidential Assistant and Senior Policy Advisor to the Commissioner of Public Buildings and Grounds of the General Services Administration (GSA), and as Executive Director of the GSA Board of Contract Appeals. Ms. Wood holds a B.A. degree in Political Science from Hollins College and is a graduate of the Senior Managers in Government Program of the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Carol Graves Holladay

Ms. Holladay's specialty areas are education, health and congressional relations. She has been an administrator and adjunct faculty member on college and university campuses. Ms. Holladay was on the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators as Director of Educational Programs and Public Policy. She created and chaired a consortium of non-profit associations to create more visibility for non-profit education associations on Capitol Hill. She previously worked at The Catholic University of America, Emory University and The University of Alabama, and has experience as the liaison to faculty committees, university task forces, commissions and grant programs. Ms. Holladay was an adjunct faculty member at the University of Alabama and The Catholic University of America, teaching developmental enrichment courses. She received her B.A. degree in Marketing and Advertising from Middle Tennessee State University and a Masters in Education Administration and Policy from Central Missouri State University.

Stephen Kay

Mr. Kay's specialties are military and defense community issues, military installation-related appropriations, public relations counseling, news monitoring and analysis, writing and government research. He retired from the United States Marine Corps in 2006 after a 20-year career. In the last four years of his career he served as the Marine Corps' Deputy Director of Public Affairs, orchestrating the Corps' communication efforts in the Global War on Terrorism. From 2001-2002, Mr. Kay served as Senator Zell Miller's (D-GA) Military Legislative Assistant under the congressional fellows program. In this capacity, he advised Senator Miller on all military, veterans and homeland defense issues, and handled appropriations in these areas. He is an Associate of Arts graduate of Young Harris College and earned a B.S. degree in Political Science and Criminal Justice from Georgia Southern University. He received the Masters Degree in Military Science from the Marine Corps University.

Joseph H. Plunkett

Mr. Plunkett's focus with the firm is on defense installation and community issues, and defense acquisition and contracting. Mr. Plunkett joined Hurt, Norton & Associates after retirement from his position as Director of the Southeastern Region, U.S. Army Installation Management Agency. As Director, he oversaw the operation of 20 Army installations in the southeast and Puerto Rico. He also served as Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, G1, responsible for personnel and installation management in the U.S. Army Forces Command-the largest command in the Department of Defense-with more than 770,000 soldiers and civilians. Mr. Plunkett served as Chief, Base Realignment and Closure Division, U.S. Army Forces Command, from 1988 to 1998, and Chief, Resource Analysis and Systems Division, Directorate of Resource Management, Headquarters, U.S. Army Europe, from 1985 to 1988. A graduate of the University of Alabama with the Bachelor of Science Degree in Business, and of Webster College with a Masters Degree in Management, Mr. Plunkett attended the Office of Personnel Management's Executive Development Seminar and other management courses.

Jennifer Meyer Dionne

Ms. Dionne specializes in congressional relations, military healthcare and defense community issues. She came to Hurt, Norton & Associates from her position as Deputy Director, Government Affairs for the TriWest Healthcare Alliance of Phoenix, Arizona. Ms. Dionne had worked in the Washington office of TriWest, which administers TRICARE health benefits for military Service members and their families in the 21-state West Region. Prior to taking her position at TriWest, she served as Senate Liaison for the 2005 BRAC, and from 2002 until April 2005, she was on the staff of U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), first as the Senator's Environmental Specialist and then as Advisor, Military Affairs. Prior to her service in the Senate, she was Program Director for the Oyster Recovery Partnership for the Chesapeake Bay. She is a graduate of Towson University and holds a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Baltimore.

Chris W. Payne

Mr. Payne specializes in defense acquisitions, intelligence, and appropriations work as well as Congressional relations and corporate counseling. He recently retired from the U.S. Army after a distinguished 20-year career that included Congressional relations tours with the Army’s appropriations liaison office and with the U.S. Special Operations Command’s liaison office. He served as the Military Legislative Assistant to the office of Congressman Jack Kingston (GA-1, R) under the Army’s Congressional Fellows program. As a career intelligence officer, Mr. Payne served multiple tours with joint commands, special operations forces and intelligence community agencies. Additionally, he has worked extensively with budgets and acquisition programs from the Army, the intelligence community and SOCOM, and over the last five years has directly interfaced with eight Congressional Committees and many Member offices. He is a graduate of Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina and holds two graduates degree -- a Masters of Science from the National Defense Intelligence College and a Masters of the Arts from the Notre Dame Graduate School at Christendom College.

Ashley P. Mooney

Ms. Mooney’s duties at the firm include: executive assistant to the principals, office administration coordination, client relations and event planning and execution. She has experience working in public relations and also has done non-profit work with the American Red Cross. Ms. Mooney is a graduate of Furman University and has studied abroad in Madrid, Spain. She is a qualified Spanish tutor and is fluent in the language.