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Meet the Staff
Beverly Mowery
Vice President and Chief Knowledge Officer
Associate Publisher
 Beverly Mowery has been with SIGNAL
since 1984, serving in a variety of positions including assistant editor, managing editor, executive editor and senior director of publications. In her current role
as vice president of AFCEA and associate publisher of SIGNAL Magazine and SIGNAL Connections, Mowery oversees the publications and
knowledge sharing efforts of AFCEA, including editorial, advertising,
specialty publishing and Web 2.0 initiatives.
Mowery worked for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and PRC before coming to SIGNAL. She earned a BS degree in journalism from University of
Maryland.
E-mail: Bev Mowery
Robert
K. Ackerman
Editor-In-Chief 
Robert K. Ackerman has been the editor in chief of SIGNAL Magazine for more than 10 years. A seasoned technology journalist, Ackerman also
has served as a war correspondent covering the Iraq War embedded with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division.
A journalist by training, Ackerman minored in political science in college. His
journalism career dates back more than 30 years beginning with stints as a radio reporter covering the Republican and Democratic parties’ political conventions
during the 1976 elections. Immediately following those conventions, he served as a media advisor or a press secretary for candidates in state and presidential
campaigns.
Most of his journalism work over the years has been in print
journalism. His writings have covered a range of issues involving technology, politics and international security.
Prior to becoming SIGNAL’s editor in chief, Ackerman
served as the magazine’s senior editor. He has been with SIGNAL Magazine for more than 21 years, during which he has written hundreds of feature
articles and authored more than 200 columns and commentaries. His areas of coverage have spanned topics such as military information systems, foreign affairs,
intelligence, laboratory research and development, space technologies, international security, terrorism and information operations. He has won or shared in
journalism awards from the Aviation Writers Association; Apex; the Society for Technical Communications; and the American Society of Association Executives.
E-Mail:
Robert
K. Ackerman
Maryann Lawlor
Executive Editor
 Maryann Lawlor has been a member of the SIGNAL staff since November 1992. A graduate of Marquette University with a degree in
journalism, Lawlor began writing part time and covering AFCEA events for the magazine while acting as the assistant to the editor in chief. She moved into the
position of business editor in 1996 and began writing full time as SIGNAL’s first telecommuting staff member. In 1998, she assumed her current
responsibilities, which include writing feature articles as well as working with non-staff writers.
E-mail: Maryann
Lawlor
Jim Sweeney
Managing Editor
 Jim Sweeney has been with SIGNAL Magazine and SIGNAL
Connections since May 2008. As managing editor, he supervises copy editors, edits stories and works with the editorial staff to coordinate production and
editing. Prior to joining SIGNAL, he was chief copy editor for Government Computer News. Before that, he was chief of the proof desk at U.S. News & World
Report, following a stint as a reporter for several newsletter companies, covering telecommunications, energy and environment.
E-mail: Jim Sweeney
Helen Thompson
New Media Editor
 In her role as SIGNAL's new media editor, Helen Thompson Mosher acts as a social media strategist and Web content manager for SIGNAL's online
publications, as well as moderator for AFCEA's presence in social networking and virtual platforms such as Facebook and Second Life. She is also an accomplished
writer and editor in her own right, having won awards from APEX and the Society for National Association Publications for her Web writing and feature writing.
Mosher got her start as a journalist writing about arts and entertainment for the Philadelphia City Paper before going on to become an editor at the
administrative newspaper for Temple University, where she earned a summa cum laude BA in English. Before coming to SIGNAL, she was print and Web
editor for Advisor Today, a publication of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. She is presently working on her MPA at George Mason University. E-mail: Helen Thompson Mosher
Henry Kenyon
Business Editor
 Henry Kenyon is SIGNAL Magazine's business editor. He has 10 years of experience writing about business and technology related subjects. Prior to
coming to SIGNAL, Kenyon covered labor-related news on Capitol Hill and the White House, wrote about the U.S. oil industry and reported on organizational
training and development trends.
For SIGNAL, he explores a number of subjects, such as firms providing services and technologies to the U.S. government, commercial and military
telecommunications trends and information technology issues.
E-mail: Henry Kenyon
Rita Boland
News Editor
 Rita Boland is SIGNAL Magazine’s news editor. Before coming
to AFCEA, she worked at Booz Allen Hamilton as a communications consultant. Prior to consulting, Boland was a sports editor, online editor and reporter for various
newspapers and Web sites. Her subject areas at SIGNAL cover a breadth of topics encompassing the realm of information valuable to the magazine’s
readers and AFCEA members.
Boland earned her bachelor’s degree from Southwest Texas State University (now Texas
State University–San Marcos).
E-mail: Rita Boland
Beverly T. Schaeffer
Associate Editor
 As SIGNAL Magazine’s associate editor, Beverly T. Schaeffer’s responsibilities include editing for SIGNAL and SIGNAL
Connections, as well as producing special sections and occasional writing assignments. Schaeffer is an experienced journalist in the
military-industrial/communications and test and evaluation fields, beginning her career at the Navy League of the United States’ Seapower magazine as
editorial assistant in 1986. Schaeffer first joined the SIGNAL Magazine staff in 1987, serving in a number of positions ranging from assistant editor to
managing editor, and then as managing editor of Virtual Government magazine. From 1998 to 2007, she worked for the International Test and Evaluation
Association (ITEA) as editor in chief of the ITEA Journal, where she received the 2007 ITEA President’s Award for outstanding service to the
association. Schaeffer holds a bachelor’s degree in English from George Mason University.
E-mail Beverly T. Schaeffer
Katie
Packard
Assistant Editor
 Katie Packard is SIGNAL Magazine’s assistant editor, handling
Chapter News as well as providing copy editing, proofreading and production assistance for SIGNAL Magazine and its online publications, SIGNAL
Connections and SIGNAL Scape. Before coming to SIGNAL,
Katie worked for National Hotline Services by Allegiance, where she was the editor of its online newsletter, NHS Insights.
Katie has a BA in English from Mary Washington College and an MA in Professional Writing and Editing from George Mason University.
E-mail: Katie Packard
Christina Yanette
Publications Assistant
 Christina Yanette is SIGNAL's publications assistant. In addition to supporting the editor in chief, associate publisher and advertising
director with administrative and production work, she handles article research and magazine requests, manages the library and archives, and oversees the AFCEA
International Press book program.Yanette is the contact person for SIGNAL's article reprint program. She also works with outside authors on copyright
compliance and procedures.
E-mail: Christina Yanette
Chris D'Elia
Art Director
 Chris D'Elia has been the art director of SIGNAL for more than five years. During this time, he
has been responsible for the look and feel of SIGNAL as well as the cover designs for most issues. He lays out each issue and also helps the association with
special projects and ads. He also helps small business advertisers promote themselves by helping them with advertising design.
E-mail: Chris D'Elia
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