Working w/ the Navy

Gretel von Son

Connect SBIR/STTR Director

Meet the Speakers

Shadi Azoum

NAVWAR SBIR/STTR Program Manager
Mr. Shadi Azoum is the current Program Manager for the NAVWAR Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), and Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) Program Management Offices. He has served in this position since June 2016. Prior to this position, Mr. Azoum led the Science and Technology (S&T) portfolio for PEO C4I, PMW 130 (Information Assurance and Cyber Security Program Office) as the Assistant Program Manager (APM) for Science and Technology (S&T) since May 2011. Mr. Azoum has Bachelor of Science (BS) in Computer Science and Master of Science (MS) in Information Security from Florida State University.

Dan Deconzo

Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) Supervisory Director — NAVAL Information Warfare Systems (NAVWAR) San Diego, CA

Director Dan Deconzo has been in San Diego, CA since joining the U.S. Navy in 1981. He is a 2001 graduate from San Diego State University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Management. He also holds a Masters, in Public Administration from San Diego State University.
Deconzo was honorably discharged with 8 years of NAVY service, and in 2003 was selected into the NAVFAC Naval Acquisition Intern Program (NAIP) where he graduated in 2006 and began his Federal Civilian Career as a Contract Specialist. As a level III certified Contract Specialist, Deconzo spent the largest span of his Acquisition career at NAVSEA, where he served from 2009 to 2020, working as a Contract Specialist, becoming the Policy Lead for the Acquisition Team, and eventually becoming the very first Deputy of Small Business (DSB) for the Command.
Deconzo was selected as the new NAVWAR OSBP Supervisor Director in February of 2020. The current OSBP office consists of three full time DSBs that bring a wealth of knowledge in acquisition, small business regulations and policies, and a well-developed level of trust with the various competencies, the Program Offices and the Command Leadership as it applies to Small Business.
He resides in Pacific Beach with his family consisting of his wife Katherine, a native San Diegan, two daughters Ariel (5) and Isabella (3) and his son, Leonardo (14).

Gretel von Son

Connect SBIR/STTR Director
Gretel von Son is the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Director at Connect, a position created to support the SBIR/STTR Program by helping make connections between government, industry and academia, more accessible. Gretel previously supported the NAVWAR SBIR/STTR Program Office, and has experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. She has published work in Advanced Materials, ACS Nano and Nature Communications. Gretel has earned a Bachelor’s in Chemistry, and a Master’s in Business Administration.