WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2024 _ SMI is pleased to announce another addition to its bipartisan national security team with Director Rebecca Gansca, a retired Marine Corps officer who most recently served as national security advisor to Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, former chair of the Senate Seapower Subcommittee.
“Rebecca brings her unique knowledge of shipbuilding and other maritime policy, including shaping the U.S. strategy in the Indo-Pacific region that is driving so many significant investments,” said SMI CEO Bill McCann. “Combined with her experience as a JAG officer working on Navy contracts, she will be a major force multiplier for our clients doing critical defense work.”
“I am excited leverage my experience in the military and on Capitol Hill to help companies, universities, and other innovators navigate the inner workings of the Department of Defense and influence the congressional appropriations process and annual defense policy bill,” Gansca said.
Gansca served on active duty for a decade, including as associate counsel in the Navy Office of General Counsel and on the staff of the Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps for Plans, Policies and Operations.
She joins an expanding national security team at SMI that includes recent hires Nick Vance, a seasoned staffer on the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee; Celia Morté, former national security adviser to Sen. John Kennedy of Louisianna; and Tasden Ingram, a former DoD industrial base adviser.
Gansca earned a BA in International Politics from Pennsylvania State University, a JD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and a Masters of Law/LLM in Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management from The George Washington University Law School.
She remains a strategic communications liaison in the Marine Corps Reserve.
Founded in 1993, SMI has been the premier choice in Washington for companies, universities, nonprofits, and industry associations for federal marketing and lobbying services focused on national security, defense, clean energy, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and research and development.
