Soundway Leadership

DIANE HAHN BELLEGARDE

PRESIDENT & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)


Diane is President and Chief Operating Officer (CEO) for SoundWay and has over 34 years of combined U.S. Army and Government contracting mission support and professional services experience in information technology (IT) project management, solutions engineering, database development and administration, cybersecurity, knowledge management, process engineering/re-engineering, automation, human resources, manpower strength management, and office administration.  Diane, a Service-Disabled Veteran, founded SoundWay in 2011 pledging “Continued Services to Country through Contracting.”  She holds a Masters Certificate in IT Project Management from George Washington University and ESI, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Strayer University.  While in the Army, Diane was stationed with the White House Communications Agency (WHCA), U.S. Army Personnel Command (PERSCOM), Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), and the 21st TAACOM’s 189th Personnel Center (PSC) in Kaiserslautern, Germany. She began her Government contracting career as an administrative assistant (while finishing her Bachelor’s) with positions of increasing responsibility and authority supporting DoD IT initiatives and business units including database developer, requirements manager, solutions engineer IT project & program manager, Senior Associate with Booz Allen Hamilton, and [prior to starting SoundWay] VP & COO for Worldwide Information Network Systems. Diane is dedicated to SoundWay, its clients, and its staff. She is involved in, oversees, and is ultimately responsible for all company operations, including client-services, quality, personnel, morale, accounting, marketing, branding, information technology, cybersecurity, security, Government & industry compliance, giving back to the community, and more.  Diane is a lifetime member of the Northern-Virginia Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association’s (AFCEA NOVA), co-created and an original Committee member of AFCEA NOVA’s Women in Northern-Virginia-AFCEA (WIN), and supported its Military & Government Transition Panel and the Small Business Committee, and in 2015 SmartCEO she was awarded the SmartCEO Magazine’s Brava Award.  Originally from Rocky Point, New York – where she grew up on SoundWay Drive, Diane now splits her time between her residence just north of Tampa, Florida with her husband and youngest son, and Tysons Corner, Virginia with her eldest son and near her daughter).

PAUL BELLEGARDE

GENERAL COUNSEL & Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Paul is Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and General Counsel for SoundWay and has over 36 years of experience as a practicing attorney, corporate executive, and real estate law subject matter expert.  He is a licensed lawyer (VA, MD and DC), law instructor, Virginia State Bar official, real estate broker, published author, and public speaker. Prior to joining SoundWay, Paul was the Executive Vice President (EVP) and General Counsel for Zalco – a large Maryland/DC/Virginia commercial real estate company, and was a Law Partner for Shulman Rogers – a large Maryland-based law firm. Paul earned his Juris Doctorate (JD) from The Dickinson School of Law at Pennsylvania State University, and he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Boston College.  Paul’s publications include the “Real Estate Brokerage Law in Virginia, Chapter 17 of the Virginia Lawyers Practice Handbook – Real Estate Transactions in Virginia, Virginia CLE and The Virginia Law Foundation; “Yes Virginia, There is a Broker’s Lien Act – But it Isn’t Worth Much” for The Fee Simple Magazine, the official publication of the Virginia State Bar Real Property Section.  His speaker, moderator, and panelist engagements include the “Real Estate Law Practice Today and Career Realities for the ‘New’ Lawyer” at William & Mary University School of Law, Virginia State Bar – Real Property Section; “Real Estate and Bankruptcy” a presentation at the annual meeting for the Virginia State Bar for the combined Real Estate and Bankruptcy Sections; Virginia CLE and The Virginia Law Foundation; “A Day in the Life of a Virginia Real Estate Lawyer” as both panelist and moderator at the George Mason University School of Law, the Virginia State Bar – Real Property Section.  Paul is lauded for the tremendous depth and breadths of his legal and finance expertise, especially his expert litigation, dispute resolution, statutory compliance, and transactional law expertise and skills; his perceptive understanding of and application of corporate finance and existing and pending legislation’s impact on company operations, finances, and compliance; his knowledge, expertise, and solid grasp of Virginia Real Property law; and his photographic memory’s ability to recall and recite references, content (information), and conversations. 

CARTER SCHOENBERG

VICE PRESIDENT & Chief Cybersecurity Officer

Carter is Vice President and Chief Cybersecurity Officer (CCO) for SoundWay and has over 29 years of combined experience in cybersecurity, cyber risk management, cyber threat intelligence, cyber law, and criminal investigations. Carter received his Master of Science degree in Information Security from Capella University, an NSA/DHS Center of Academic Excellence. He is a Certified CMMC Professional (CCP), CMMC Certified Assessor (CCA) Candidate, Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), and a Boardroom Qualified Technology Expert (QTE). Carter is frequently requested by name to speak at industry events on CMMC, NIST SP 800-171r2, and other cybersecurity topics. Carter’s has an extensive background assessing and quantifying organizational cyber threats into business risk, cyber insurance underwriting, cost benefit analysis, legal and regulatory exposure analysis, criminal investigations, data breach/incident response, legal and regulatory violation management and resolution, defining and executing roadmaps, and identifying supply chain risks and crafting solutions to reduce organization harm stemming from inadequate cybersecurity and privacy safeguards. He actively contributed to the GSA/DoD Final Report to the White House “Improving Cybersecurity and Resiliency through Acquisition,which initiated the reform now known as CMMC, and co-authored “Guidance for Smart Cities and Municipalities Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM)” published by NIST. His work products have been actively used by DOD, DOEd, DHS, the ISAC communities, Smart Cities, and the Georgia Bar Association for Continuing Learning Educational (CLE) credits on the topic of cybersecurity risk and liability.