Power Moves: Paul Leslie is retiring from Dovel Technologies

Power Moves is a column where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, new gig or promotion? Email us at dc@technical.ly.

After nearly a decade with McLean-Virginia-based Dovel Technologies, Paul Leslie is retiring. He most recently served as the software company’s executive chairman and formerly served as CEO for eight years.

Leslie led Dovel, which counts federal agencies as its clients, through a major growth period and was part of expanding the team from 50 employees to a 2,200-person team today.

In March, Sudhakar Kesavan will join Dovel as its new chairman of the board.

“It has been an honor to have led Dovel through its entrepreneurial growth stage,” Leslie said in a statement. “I remain optimistic and confident that the team will continue to see great success with the next phase of strategic growth and expansion.”

Kesavan previously served as chairman and CEO for Fairfax’s ICF, which he led the company through an IPO and global expansion during his tenure. He also currently serves as chairman of ABM Industries’ board of directors as is a member of the board of trustees at Inova Health System.

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McLean, Virginia-based Onclave Networks welcomed three c-suite executives as the company eyes major growth this year.

Here’s the cybersecurity company’s new leadership additions:

• Don Stroberg as CEO; formerly of Ligado Networks, Radius Networks, Clearwire, Sprint and Nextel
• Mike Seymour as CRO; formerly of HPE, Clearwire and Nokia
• Scott Martin as CMO; formerly from Philips Lighting, Sprint, Bose and Motorola

The new executives will be in charge of propelling Onclave’s business forward this year, including a partnership with the Center for Innovative Technology to develop an onsite Internet of Things test bed.

“With the boom of IoT and an exponentially increasing number of internet-connected devices, securing operational technology, as well as information technology, has become an imperative,” said Onclave board of directors member Alan Wade in a statement. “Onclave secures operational technology — elevators, HVAC systems, and life-saving medical devices — and there is a rapidly increasing need for the security we can offer. Don, Mike and Scott bring significant experience to our team and help prime us to scale.”

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ABS Capital, a Baltimore-based growth equity investment firm, has named Mike Avon as its managing general partner. Avon will continue to oversee the ABS’ business and tech services from the D.C. office as he works alongside the firm’s other managing general partner, John Stobo, who is based in San Francisco.

Bringing a wealth of experience to this new role, Avon is the founder and former CEO of ICX Media (our #1 pick from the 2018 RealLIST Startups) and he still serves as the company’s executive chairman.

Mike Avon. (Courtesy photo)

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Other recent tech and bizdev Power Moves from around the region:

• D.C.’s  ApprioHealth named Melissa Finley as its VP of operations.
• Former Apple executive Carl Smit has joined Virgini-based DroneUp as chief strategy officer.
• Chantilly, Virginia-based full-service digital agency Whereoware hired Lynne DeRoché as VP of strategic solutions.
• Rockville, Maryland-based business management consultancy Dinocrates Group promoted Karen Wynn to its first chief people officer and welcomed Mike Longarzo as its first chief growth officer.