Leadership
Gisela Ghani, Founder and CEO
As CEO and founder of Alesig Consulting, Gisela Ghani is a passionate problem solver and management consulting leader. With a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, she started her career as a technologist, building her career with progressive roles and responsibilities at Federal Express, KPMG, BearingPoint, and Technology Solution Providers before starting Alesig Consulting in 2007.
As Alesig’s CEO, Gisela is responsible for fostering and fortifying Alesig’s vibrant culture, refining and expanding core business capabilities, strategic markets and development, and organizational growth. She credits Alesig’s performance and evolution to its holistic focus on tailored business processes, solutions, and best practices for customers in Federal, state, regional, and local government.
Gisela loves to travel and enjoys (hiking/backpacking/) outdoors.
There are over 12.3 million woman-owned businesses in the United States, generating $1.8 trillion in revenue each year. Alesig Consulting in Falls Church, Virginia, is a certified SBA WOSB/EDWOSB, and a member of the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce. In 2022, Alesig debuted on the Inc. 5000 list and is certified CMMI DEV 3, ISO 27001, ISO 20000-1, and 9001.
Legia Faria, Chief Administrative Officer
As CAO of Alesig Consulting, Legia has overseen the entire company’s growth since its founding. Now in her role, she focuses on finance and the keeping of accounts as well as running the back office of the organization and its licenses and certifications. She is also the facility security officer for Alesig and handles contract review and payroll. Legia has worked in corporate finance and administration environments for over 20 years.
Legia supported the implementation of the company’s Standard Operating Procedures and helped establish Alesig Consulting’s ISO-certified Quality Management System. Legia has expertise in strategic planning, budget control, organizational design, and the development and implementation of corporate policies. In addition to implementing strong financial policies and governance for Alesig, she is always monitoring the bottom line of every financial transaction.
Before joining Alesig, Legia worked in the non-profit community and provided financial guidance and counseling to numerous clients. She has a master’s degree and 3 bachelor’s degrees.
When Legia wants to take a break from her reports and spreadsheets, she loves to travel, try new foods, and learn about different cultures. Did you know that salt was once so valuable that it was used as currency? That’s where we get the word “salary;” from the Latin “salarium” for wages paid in salt.
Musa Ghani, Chief Technical Officer
Musa Ghani manages and collaborates with Alesig teams and partners in the strategy and implementation of the database, telecommunications, transportation management, content management, and mobile applications development. He has over 20 years supporting and managing complete project life cycles, including requirements gathering, analysis, design, implementation, and quality assurance.
Musa has a passion for solving complex business challenges through innovation and commitment to service excellence. He spearheaded Alesig’s Transit Division and is also the architect and designer of a transit customer service program that has been implemented and deployed by transit agencies around the country. His niche area of expertise is the design and implementation of mobile applications for iOS and Android OS and designing social media sites.
Musa has served as the CTO of TSP and in Software engineer/technical roles for Vignette, Fed Ex, and Verizon.
Musa earned a master’s in Computer Engineering and an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He also serves as a board member for multiple companies and nonprofit organizations.
There are 63 major National Parks in the United States, of which Musa has hiked over fifteen. In addition to hitting the trails, he tinkers with his laser cutter in his spare time.
Brian Katz, Vice President of Federal Operations
Brian leads the strategic direction and operational execution of critical federal programs serving defense and civilian agencies. He oversees multimillion-dollar contracts including the Defense Health Agency's $2.5B Military Health System Enterprise IT Services and specialized defense logistics support for multiple Army programs.
Brian champions innovation and operational excellence at Alesig, driving the company's innovation roadmap, implementing scalable business frameworks, and developing talent management strategies that strengthen Alesig's competitive position in the federal marketplace. His leadership integrates deep technical expertise in cybersecurity, software development, data analytics, and ITIL/ITSM with strategic business development and proposal management capabilities.
With comprehensive knowledge of federal procurement, military organizational structures, and compliance requirements, Brian positions Alesig as a premier partner for mission-critical government IT services.
Brian attended The Pennsylvania State University and received his B.S. In Mathematics and Economics. He has advanced his studies in operational research and business administration from The American University. Currently, Brian is very focused on emerging technologies and their impact and threat to cybersecurity.
Brian plays guitar and is an avid golfer and lives with his wife, a son and daughter and too many pets in Potomac, Maryland.
Catherine Angwin, Program Manager
Catherine works as a Program Manager on the transit side of the house. She originally joined Alesig to drive our Quality Assurance (QA) process and development. Catherine successfully led our certification and recertification of global quality and security standards CMMI-DEV Maturity Level 3, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 20000-1:2018, and ISO 27001:2013.
Catherine’s skills in communication, consensus-building, and analysis make her an invaluable member of the Executive Team. Her expertise in managing organizational improvement and efficiencies creates a collaborative work environment, and she often challenges the status quo to develop innovative, simple, and intuitive solutions that support company business development, growth, and capabilities.
Catherine is a Certified ScrumMaster® and earned a B.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Catherine is an avid hiker and backpacker; she backpacked the Grand Canyon in 2019, as well as Half Dome, and Angel’s Landing. The Grand Canyon is the most frequently visited national park in the United States and has been inhabited by humans for nearly 12,000 years. It was preserved and protected by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1906.
Nuria I. Fernandez, Transit Advisory Board
Nuria Fernandez is the Principal/CEO of AMDC Consulting LLC a transportation strategic advisory services firm. On June 10, 2021, she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 15th Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). She was previously appointed as Deputy Administrator and senior FTA official on January 20, 2021. With more than 35 years of experience, Fernandez made a name for herself as an inspiring leader in transportation with a professional career that spanned highways, transit, and aviation industries. At FTA, she was responsible for administering an annual $20 billion portfolio of programs and projects to modernize public transportation infrastructure, technology, and rolling stock. She also led the technology innovation to transition over 10,000 buses and minivans with internal combustion engines to zero emission, clean energy technology.
Fernandez came to FTA after serving as General Manager and CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), where she was responsible for 2,100 employees and oversaw projects, programs, and transit services that provided mobility solutions for over two million people who live and work in the Silicon Valley. Among her accomplishments at VTA was the completion of the first Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) heavy rail service into Silicon Valley, a 10-mile, $3 billion line that opened to passenger service in June 2020. She also created VTA’s Innovation Center, an incubator to encourage collaboration, test the latest technology, and imagine new ways to keep the valley moving forward by leveraging the expertise of Silicon Valley’s high-tech corporations and universities.
Prior to leading VTA, Fernandez served in leadership positions at some of the busiest transit agencies in America, including as Chief Operating Officer of the New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and Senior Vice President of Design and Construction for the Chicago Transit Authority and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, consecutively. She also served as Commissioner for the Chicago Department of Aviation, overseeing O’Hare and Midway Airports.
In 1997, Fernandez was appointed by President Bill Clinton as Deputy Administrator and then Acting Administrator of FTA, where she led the agency through the reauthorization of its public transportation planning, research, innovation, operations, and capital grants programs.
Fernandez has served on numerous boards including as Chair of the American Public Transportation Association, Chair of the Mineta Transportation Institute Board of Trustees, The Transportation Learning Center, and on the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB). She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), and the American Leadership Forum (ALF).
Fernandez was born and raised in Panama City, Panama. She holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, and an M.B.A. from Roosevelt University in Chicago.
Peter Varga, Transit Advisory Board
Peter Varga is the sole proprietor of a consulting firm Transportation Consult Service L.L.C. serving private transportation entities and public transit systems since January 2019. Peter was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Interurban Transit Partnership, known as The Rapid, an urban transit system with an operating budget of $40.9 million and an annual capital program that in 2018 was $49.8 million. He was CEO from October 1997 to October 2018.
Peter currently serves on the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Board and served as its past Chair in 2013-2014. Peter served for 11 years on the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and was its Chair for two years in 2008 and 2009.
Peter Varga also is a member of the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids Corporate Board serving as the Treasurer. Peter Varga has served on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Public Transit Association and was its president five times. Peter Varga was appointed by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to the Transportation Funding Task Force in 2008.
Peter Varga was born in the highlands of Ethiopia and moved to New York City when he was thirteen years old. He graduated from New York University in 1970 with a B.A. in History and Anthropology, and from NYU Graduate School with an M.A. in Political Science in 1972. He also completed advanced level post graduate studies in Public Administration at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA). Peter Varga’s early transportation experience was as a New York City cab driver while attending New York University. He has worked in transit in several capacities since 1980 at Santa Cruz Metro, Santa Cruz, California, Muskegon Area Transit System, Muskegon, Michigan, and has served for 21 years as the CEO of The Rapid in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He lives in the Grand Rapids area in Michigan with his wife Susan. He has four adult daughters named Cecilia, Allison, Caitlin, and Rica. He is the proud grandfather of Elizabeth, Leo, Cohen, Miles, Finn, Emma, Aria, and Charlie.
Paul Toliver, Transit Advisory Board
Paul Toliver is President of New Age Industries (NAI), a transportation and technology marketing and consulting firm focusing on establishing and managing relationship for clients with new and emerging technologies.
Over his more than four-decade career, he has worked at several transit systems as well as serving as the Director of the Department of Transportation for King County, WA. In this position, he was responsible for the largest department in Washington State’s largest county. His oversight responsibilities included King County Metro Transit, the King County Roads Department, and a general aviation airport.
Under his leadership, Seattle Metro (the predecessor to King County Metro Transit) was honored as the APTA’s best large transit system in 1991. He was selected in 2013 to lead the MV Transportation team that was hired by the City of Detroit’s Emergency Manager to oversee the Detroit transit system’s day to day operations during the city’s bankruptcy proceeding.
He was elected to APTA’s Hall of Fame in October 2019, and named APTA’s Outstanding Manager of the Year in 1999.
Paul has a BBA, majoring in accounting with a minor in economics, and an MBA focusing on management and operations research from the University of Cincinnati. One of the highlights of Paul’s career was co-authoring and co-presenting a paper at the 1992 Annual Meeting of the IVHS Society (now the Intelligent Transportation Society of America) describing a concept of using new, advanced computer technology coupled with cellphones to improve ridesharing, which has evolved into Uber/Lyft type services today.
Paul has been a Member of the Board of Directors and former Chair of the Norman Y. Mineta Transportation Institute; Former Member, Board of Directors, Intelligent Transportation Society (ITS) of America; Former Member, TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), Oversight and Project Selection Committee; Former Vice President, Management and Finance, American Public Transit Association; Former National President/Chair, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials; Former National Trustee, National Urban League.