Veni Sumaria  -  President & CEO

PERSONAL - In 1967, Veni Sumaria came to the United States from India to attend college. After earning a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Master's Degree in Systems Engineering, and completing all course work for a Ph.D. in Automated Controls; he was recruited out of the Ph.D. program by Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation (SWEC). Due to his valued expertise in both mechanical engineering and control systems--a combination of skills rarely found in 1972--SWEC sponsored him for U.S. citizenship, so that he could continue designing nuclear power plant control systems for future energy facilities. Veni performed system simulation work on various large-scale, conventional and nuclear energy projects for several companies, and also completed an MBA degree from Suffolk University in 1979.

SUMARIA SYSTEMS, INC. - Deciding to follow the expanding defense sector, Veni and his wife founded Sumaria Systems, Inc., on November 2, 1982. The company's first projects involved individual consulting to large weapons programs. Veni applied his automated control and software development expertise to nuclear weapons control projects, such as the Peacekeeper (MX) Missile Launch Control Software initiative.

In 1986, Sumaria Systems won a five-year $10 million Software Independent Verification & Validation (IV&V) Services Contract for U.S. Air Force (USAF) electronic systems. From this point forward, Sumaria Systems became a growing Information Technology (IT) defense contractor currently employing approximately 300 employees. Sumaria Systems provides Advisory & Assistance (A&AS), C4ISR, Enterprise Architecture, Intelligence Support, and Information Technology (IT) and Sustainment services.

BUSINESS COMMUNITY SUPPORT - Since its inception in 1982, Sumaria has grown from two (2) to approximately 300 people. The company's growth from 1987 to 1996 is due in large part to approximately $120 million in 8(a) contracts, which provided Sumaria with a stable growth platform. Based on this experience, Veni has fostered successful and growing 8(a) small businesses, such as Oasis Systems, S4 Inc., and Upper Mohawk by providing valuable counseling and guidance.

SUMARIA NETWORKS, LLC - Effective July 24, 2000, Sumaria entered into an agreement to operate Avaya North American Customer Training Centers through Sumaria Networks, a new affiliate company. Sumaria provided classroom and on-site training services formerly provided by Lucent Global Learning Solutions (now Avaya Inc.). The company supported training centers in Pasadena, Calif.; Orlando, Fla.; Westchester County, N.Y.; and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Beginning in 2008, Sumaria Networks was selected to provide Global Training Delivery Services for Avaya. Sumaria Networks began providing Training Delivery Services to Avaya University in early 2008 under its new contract. Services include installation, maintenance, administration and design training for Avaya’s extensive product base in both classroom and virtual training environments. Avaya University, in partnership with Avaya, develops and delivers high-quality training for Avaya products and solutions.

RECENT AWARDS - Due to his entrepreneurial spirit, Veni was named an Ernst & Young (E&Y) Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) Finalist in 2000.