Purple Knight Initiative Secures First Contract

Knight Federal Solutions is pleased to announce that our Wounded Warrior Intern Program, the Purple Knight Initiative, was awarded its first prime contract in July 2020,

supporting the Department of Energy’s Office of the Chief Information Officers’ (OCIO) Office of Cybersecurity.

This partnership with the Department of Energy will support the Wounded Warriors and Disabled Veterans in engaging in meaningful work which will not only aid their recovery but lay the groundwork for future employment in the government or private sector. In addition, this pilot program has the potential to expand to other DOE offices and programs.

Knight Federal Solutions will provide 1-2 Purple Knight Initiative Interns to the Office of Cybersecurity.  The intern(s) will have an opportunity to work on projects focused on Cybersecurity Operations, Policy, and Compliance across a number of specialty areas including:

• Security architecture design and integration

• Data integration and analytics

• Cybersecurity risk management

• Cybersecurity incident response

• Vulnerability monitoring and assessment

• Federal policy compliance and reporting

• Assessments and Authorizations

Currently, our assigned intern is working remotely per the Department’s remote work policy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  When restrictions are lifted, interns will be given the opportunity to work from one of the two DOE locations in the National Capital Region.

Mr. Shawn Lopez, retired combat wounded Marine and Purple Heart awardee, will serve as the Program Manager for this contract and as the Wounded Warrior Mentor for all Purple Knight Initiative Interns.

Ms. Micaela Fernandez, has been selected to serve as the very first Purple Knight Initiative Wounded Warrior and Disabled Veteran Intern supporting the Department of Energy.

Ms. Fernandez is a former United States Army Non-Commissioned Officer who has earned her Bachelor’s, Master’s and MBA from Stratford University.