Who We Are

Who We Are

Our Board

John Larsen, Chairman

President Emeritus, New Balance

Charles Abrams

CEO, Dela Incorporated

Norman Cook

Executive Vice President, Kamik USA

Kevin McCoy

Vice President, Domestic Product Development & Manufacturing, New Balance

Dan Keeley

Vice President for Business Development, Poly Labs

John Simon

President, Signet Mills


Our Staff

Bill McCann

Executive Director

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

Karlee Popken 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. She served as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Ed Markey (MA) where she led the office’s appropriations process. Previously, Karlee served as a Legislative Correspondent for then Senator Bill Nelson (FL), the current NASA Administrator. Prior to Capitol Hill, Karlee worked as a Policy Advisor to the Irish Legislature and as a Teacher at the Esperanza Academy in Lawrence, MA. Karlee holds a MPP from the University College Dublin and a BA in Political Science and Government and Women and Gender Studies from the College of the Holy Cross. 



Dennis Padilla

Government Contracting Specialist

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.



Karen Coleman-Dillon

Meeting and Membership Services

Karen has a proven record and twenty years of experience in conference management support. She has organized, coordinated and supported over 600 conferences for the federal government and commercial clients.



LB Fullerton

Research Assistant

LB Fullerton brings a wealth of experience in monitoring defense and foreign affairs policy trends since 2019. Prior to joining USFMA, LB served as a research intern at both the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) and the Military Advisor Training Academy with the U.S. Army at Fort Moore. LB holds an M.A. in Asian Studies with a focus on International Security Policy from George Washington University, as well as a B.A. in International Studies from Auburn University.