The Maryland Association of CPAs’ Government Contractors Committee hosts this annual Southern Maryland conference for small business Government Contractors.
Are you ready to take your government contracting business to new heights? Don't miss the 2025 Southern Maryland Government Contractors' Conference—your gateway to invaluable industry insights and networking opportunities.
115 J W Williams Rd, Prince Frederick, Calvert County, Maryland 20678
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Chris Lockwood
Supervisory Advisor
Mr. Lockwood is a Supervisory Auditor with the DCAA Southeastern Maryland Branch, Patuxent River Suboffice. In this capacity, he supervises and leads a team of Contract Auditors in performing varying audits in support procurement, administration, and closeout of contracts with the Department of Defense and other Federal agencies on a reimbursable basis.
Mr. Lockwood graduated from Bowie State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an Accounting focus. Mr. Lockwood also holds a Master’s Degree of Science with a focus of Accounting and Financial Management. Mr. Lockwood is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Maryland. He began his DCAA career in 2009 as an Auditor with the Southeastern Maryland Branch Office, Patuxent River Suboffice in California, MD. He was promoted to Financial Liaison Advisor in 2014 to support the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and rotated to his current Supervisory position in 2017. Mr. Lockwood has performed and supervised numerous accounting/billing systems, proposals, CAS compliance, and incurred costs audits for contractors ranging in size from sole proprietors to billion dollar
companies.
Mr. Lockwood resides in California, Maryland.
Here the latest update from the DCAA.
Rebecca Sheppard, Esq. is a tax attorney and a Partner in the Special Credits practice group at Frost Law. Over the last two years, Rebecca has used her background in government practice to work with business clients across the country in helping them secure government funding from PPP, EIDL, and the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). Unlike many other tax professionals, Rebecca has used her tax and legal background to closely follow the legislative changes and relief programs, giving her a thorough understanding of the complexities of how businesses from all industries can maximize their claims for refundable tax credits. Her efforts have allowed her to recover significant refunds for many small and medium-sized businesses around the country.
Rebecca previously worked for the Comptroller of Maryland as a tax attorney in the Hearings and Appeals Section. She conducted administrative hearings, issued binding legal determinations, and negotiated settlement agreements on behalf of the Comptroller of Maryland. Rebecca’s experience both in government and private practice allows her to effectively navigate how businesses can best make tax law work in their favor.
Peter Haukebo, Esq. is a tax attorney and a Partner in the Special Credits practice group at Frost Law. Since 2020, Peter has leveraged his background in tax and corporate law to work with business owners throughout the U.S. to help them claim much-needed relief from PPP, EIDL, and the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). His familiarity with the ever-changing tax code and recent legislation allows him to provide second opinions for businesses even if they already filed a claim so that the business owner can properly maximize their tax credits received. His efforts have helped inform hundreds of business owners on the intricacies of ERC and allowed many to claim significant refundable tax credits.
Peter’s other tax and business law experience focuses on the areas of tax controversy, tax planning, and business transactions. He also manages a team of attorneys and oversees the Legal Innovation Department at the law firm. Prior to joining the firm in 2018, he practiced at Chaney | Haukebo LLP.
Education
Tax attorneys Rebecca Sheppard and Peter Haukbo will provide a comprehensive update on COVID-19 relief programs with a focus on compliance and enforcement trends. The presentation will address recent IRS guidance, audit activity, refund litigation, and legal developments affecting PPP, EIDL, and the Employee Retention Credit (ERC), equipping CPAs with the latest risk mitigation options as well as offensive strategies.
Brandon Graves is a partner at Centre Law, where he focuses on bid protests, internal investigations, compliance programs, and regulatory inquiries. He works with clients on GSA, cybersecurity, privacy, data rights, and other technology related matters. He advises clients on a broad range of issues, including data breaches, regulatory compliance, contracting, licensing, insurance, and the development of security and privacy programs. He also assists clients with IT related contracts and protests.
Brandon graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in computer science, and the University of Virginia School of Law. Before entering private practice, he clerked on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta.
Business Unit Leader
Government Contracting Services
Mark brings more than two decades of experience as a senior executive responsible for the growth and management of several large government contractors to his role at HeimLantz. He possesses comprehensive experience developing and managing core corporate business processes tailored to government contractors including business development/capture management, human resources management, program management, contract management, financial reporting, and governance. Mark’s specific expertise is helping government contractors optimize processes to ensure contractual and regulatory compliance, service quality, and profitability.
A native of San Francisco, Mark lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, four kids, and German Shorthair Pointer, Blitz. Among his greatest accomplishments, Marks notes that he was once a Virginia-certified electrical contractor and that he has failed four hot wings challenges but persists. For Mark, hope may be the anchor of the soul, but not the mind (or stomach).
Georgetown University Law Center
University of Maryland School of Law
University of California at Santa Cruz
In this session, Mark will provide an overview of the current “revolutionary overhaul” of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). The most significant transformation of the FAR in four decades, this comprehensive initiative is intended to modernize and streamline the federal government’s procurement processes. With particular emphasis on the U.S. Department of Defense and General Services Administration, Mark will provide timely information regarding the current status of the initiative, including the “FAR Companion Guide” published in September and the status of anticipated “Buying Guides”. Learning objectives will include understanding the federal government’s new methodology for structuring the FAR, identifying material changes to the FAR Parts, and strategies for federal government contractors for aligning with the federal government’s new acquisition processes, p[practices and policies.