Cary is the Chief of Staff at Elara Nova, where she drives organizational strategy, executive prioritization, and cross-team coordination for the nation’s premier partner to organizations within the space, aerospace and cyber defense markets. In this role, she streamlines senior-level operations, enhances stakeholder engagement, and ensures seamless execution of high-impact initiatives.
Alongside her executive leadership, she is the Founder of enhanceCO, an event and strategic communications firm supporting major associations and defense partners, including the Air & Space Forces Association and the Defense Innovation Unit. A Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, she provides public affairs guidance and strategic counsel to Department of the Air Force senior leaders. She was instrumental planning and executing notable events to include the Air Force Memorial Dedication in Washington D.C., two air shows for the Secretary of Defense and a Global Air Chiefs Conference attending by 40+ Air Chiefs from around the world.
With more than two decades of experience spanning DoD operations, global media relations, and large-scale event management, she is known for precision, diplomacy, and delivering flawlessly executed programs that elevate organizational impact.
With over 20 years of diverse professional experience, Michelle Padgett is a seasoned leader in strategic integration, bringing people, process, technology, and information together, and joins Elara Nova Space Consultancy as the Director of Business Operations. Throughout her distinguished career, she has consistently demonstrated a remarkable ability to align multi-business defense and aerospace divisions, translating strategic visions into high-impact results.
As Chief of Operations at Boeing ‘s Global Growth & Engagement, Padgett led transformative initiatives that redefined operational efficiency and corporate growth. She spearheaded the deployment of strategic priorities across Boeing’s defense, space, and government service portfolios, resulting in billions in new business opportunities within a year. These initiatives not only optimized resource utilization but also unlocked untapped synergies, positioning Boeing to deliver critical capabilities to allies and partners worldwide.
Her ability to bridge government priorities with corporate strategies positioned her teams as a trusted resource in the aerospace and defense ecosystem. In each career position, she has been a force-multiplier, focused on operational excellence, enterprise engagements and strategic efficiencies. Beyond operational achievements, she strengthened external relationships, collaborating with global influencers and forging public-private partnerships.
Prior to joining Boeing, Padgett served in pivotal roles at the U.S. Department of Defense, including Chief of Staff at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the Director of Warfighter Health Predictive Readiness Analytics and Senior Advisor to the Air Force Chief of Staff. Her work supported global security cooperation initiatives valued at $662 billion across 157 nations, drove advancements in readiness analytics, saving taxpayers $7.5 billion in operational costs, advanced national strategic priorities through 140 visits to more than 20 countries and led the Air Force’s Invisible Wounds Initiative.
Padgett holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Business and a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and Personnel Services from the University of Maryland College Park. She is a state and nationally licensed psychotherapist and an active member of the National Board for Certified Counselors and the National Council on Family Relations.
Brian Bellacicco is currently the Senior Contracting Manager for Elara Nova. He brings 40 years of contracting and acquisition experience to managing and executing all contractual transactions for Elara Nova.
He has wide experience in domestic and international arenas supporting public sector organizations in all aspects of DoD and AF acquisition programs and management. He has extensive experience in managing public sector organizations and ensuring compliance with regulatory mandates. Also, he has assisted Government Organizations implement Lean-Agile practices to improve efficiency, visibility and accountability. Brian’s background combines strong hands-on technical expertise with broad experience in program management, acquisition of complex systems and in-depth knowledge of customer and contractor relations.
Brian retired from the Air Force at the rank of Colonel in 2010. His 25 year career spanned experience at the installation, Major Command and Air Staff across a range of leadership positions. His career culminated as the Director of Logistics, Installations and Mission Support for the Air Force District of Washington at Andrews Air Force Base.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at The Citadel, followed by a Masters of Arts in Public Administration from Troy State University. He also holds a Masters of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
Tara Conrad is the Manager, Business Support and Analytics for Elara Nova. Her diverse professional background spans several industries including education, customer service, information technology, project coordination, logistics, and accounting. Tara holds degrees in both Education and Business Administration.
Joshua Cothern is a Project Officer and Cyber Risk Professional with over five years of experience driving operational clarity, coordinating complex programs, and strengthening enterprise risk posture. He specializes in cross-functional project support, vendor assurance, and third-party risk management across the energy, utility, and national security sectors.
Virginia Espinoza is the Senior Accounting Associate at Elara Nova, supporting the firm’s financial operations and reporting. She brings nearly a decade of experience across accounting, payroll, and financial administration. She supports monthly close activities, financial reporting, and payroll coordination, working closely with leadership to maintain reliable financial processes. Virginia holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business management.
As the Manager of Strategic Communications at Elara Nova, Scott King leverages multimedia platforms to position Elara Nova’s leaders and partners as authoritative voices driving the future of national security. Scott writes Elara Nova’s Insights Articles and hosts and produces “The Elara Edge” podcast, where Elara Nova experts provide the context and perspective necessary to understand a quickly evolving national security environment. He is responsible for coordinating and distributing The Elara Nova Weekly Newsletter and coordinates media engagements for Elara Nova partners, while also providing support to leadership’s speaking appearances on the conference and event circuit.
Prior to his role at Elara Nova, Scott stood up and directed studio operations for the Air & Space Forces Association’s (AFA) Warfighters in Action and the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies’ Aerospace Nation series — live-production broadcasts featuring fireside chats with Air Force and Space Force senior leadership. At AFA, he also interviewed industry executives and produced written and video sponsored content for the Air & Space Forces Magazine and coordinated the nonprofit’s website migration and overhaul upon its rebranding from the Air Force Association.
Scott previously served as a Peace Corps Volunteer, where he was a primary literacy teacher in Grenada and produced television news segments for the island’s national broadcast network: Grenada Broadcasting Network (GBN). His published work includes reporting with the Sierra Nevada Ally and itsAlly Audio podcast, Our Town Reno, and WorldView Magazine by the National Peace Corps Association. Scott’s educational background includes a Bachelor’s in Professional Writing with a minor in Marketing from Capital University and a Master’s in Multimedia Journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno.
John Lisack is the Director of Contracting at Elara Nova, bringing over 30 years of experience in government contracting, contract negotiations and administration, and financial management. A seasoned contracts professional, John blends technical expertise with strategic leadership and business acumen to drive results in high-stakes environments.
Throughout his career, John has managed complex federal, commercial, and international contracts for leading firms in the defense and intelligence sectors, including Scitor, SAIC, and Stellar Solutions. He is known for his strategic insight, attention to detail, and sound judgment, consistently delivering value and compliance across a wide range of contract portfolios.
John holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting with a Minor in Mathematics from James Madison University.
Jackson T. Moran is a Finance graduate from George Mason University and a Project Officer at Elara Nova, where he works at the intersection of national security, space, and advanced technology. In his role, he supports cross-functional teams through project coordination, strategic research, business operations, and client-facing process development across defense and aerospace sectors. Deeply interested in orbital infrastructure, and emerging venture ecosystems, he combines policy and finance perspectives in his work.
Colleen O’Connell is the Manager of Event Operations at Elara Nova. She is an experienced team management professional with over 10 years of experience in the hospitality industry. She has served in an events and management capacity with high-volume, award-winning restaurants and hospitality firms across New York City. Having planned events in a behind-the-scenes capacity, as well as run them on the ground floor, she is an expert in how to successfully build events.
Colleen holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Elon University. Additionally, she is known for her creative approaches and team leadership.