Laurie Sayles
President and CEO, Executive Office
Hi, I'm Laurie Sayles, welcome to my profile!
Laurie Sayles's Bio:
Laurie Sayles established Civility Management Solutions (CivilityMS) a professional services business working within the Government and Commercial space in August 2012. Ms. Sayles is a Black Woman that is also a Service-Disabled Veteran.
Ms. Sayles is a Chicago native and has been an entrepreneur since her youth, to include modeling professionally during High School. She attended the Chicago Institute of Technology for 1 year prior to joining the United States Marine Corps and served 7 years during the Grenada and Lebanon Conflicts. Her Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was Maintenance Management and she served in Camp Lejeune, NC; Kaneohe Bay, HI and Cherry Point, NC. She was highly regarded in her career as a Woman Marine and was often called upon by superiors to mentor and train. The importance of her job is best stated by her as “A Marine must be properly equipped to function at 110%,” as her demanding role was to push mechanics, technicians, armorers, and others to maintain 98% in equipment readiness at all times. Ms. Sayles played on the All-Marine Volleyball team.
Immediately following active duty service Ms. Sayles joined the reserves in Newport News, VA, while working and residing in the DC Metropolitan area. Due to her active duty service she was assigned as the Platoon Sergeant for the unit. Her biggest role was overseeing the troops during their 2-week active duty assignment at her previous duty station, 2nd Maintenance Battalion, Camp Lejeune, NC. The timing was instrumental as months later the unit was informed of their possibility of being activated for Operation Desert Storm. She became responsible for the preparation of troops for possible activation within 72 hours. This training, guidance, and mentoring led to her final promotion to Staff Sergeant (E6) as she closed out her military career.
Ms. Sayles began her civilian career within the corporate and non-profit arena for the next 20+ years within organizations in Chicago, IL; West Palm Beach, FL; and the DC Metropolitan area. Laurie has always been an entrepreneur and one of her journeys has been in her passion of health and wellness. As an advocate for a healthy lifestyle, she founded and operated “Semper Fi Fitness” an outdoor boot camp program that built self-esteem in many women in the Washington DC metropolitan area.
Highly regarded as a Program / Project Manager with the ability to please stakeholders, peers and staff, Ms. Sayles received knowledge in contracting with the government as she managed up to 128 staff nationally within eight agencies totaling up to $11.5 million in contracts for a Women, HUBZone, 8a small business in Washington, DC, along with overseeing a mentoring program at NASA.
Beyond her experience and expertise, Laurie has become an outspoken advocate for Veteran’s and Women business owners. She was asked to share testimonials at DC-PTAC events for their training; spoke to Women Veterans on Steps Toward Entrepreneurship; awarded SBA SCORE Client of 2015, which led to a videotaped recording to promote SCORE; sought out to testify at a Senate Small Business Hearing on Veteran Entrepreneur Training; and has been elected as the first Woman Officer on the Veteran Entrepreneurship Task Force (VET-Force) Committee, which advocates for legislation, policies and programs that will provide opportunities for Veterans.
Ms. Sayles received her BS in Social Science and a Minor in Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship, along with a Business Project Management Certification from University of Maryland University College (UMUC). She has been accepted in UMUC Graduates Program and plans to return for a dual degree.
Laurie Sayles's Experience:
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President and CEO at Civility Management Solutions
August 2012 - Present
Sole Owner and manager of woman-owned, service-disabled veteran-run small business that provides staffing in leadership and development training, human resources, grant and contract management, close-out, acquisitions, administrative and management support services to government agencies.
Leverages extensive network of corporate executives, community leaders and business owners to secure strategic partnerships.
Responsible for the long term strategy of the company through the modification of the business plan, business development, and business financial growth.
Attend agency outreach sessions, industry days, networking events, meeting with OSBDU Small Business Specialists, and Contracting Officers/Specialists.
Provide efficient logistic, program and project management consulting services to enhance an organization’s return on investment (ROI).
Establishes operational excellence within culturally diverse environments.
Manage all day to day functions of administrative tasks.
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Ministry of Helps at Spirit Of Faith Christian Center
December 2011 - Present | Brandywine, MD
Veteran Committee and Human-Trafficking Committee
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Project Manager at Aspen of DC
June 2011 - October 2012 | Washington, DC
Managed and supported key programs with leadership team of Leadership and Development Division:
Mentoring Program, Employees Mentoring Employees for Readiness, Growth and Excellence (eMerge); Strategic Management Supervisor Training; NASA Foundations of Influence, Relationships, Success and Teamwork (FIRST), Mid-Level Leader Program (MLLP) for senior GS and Federal Executive Institute (FEI) for SES levels.
Managed up to ten (10) government contracts for a Women Owned, Hub-Zone, 8a Small Business contracting firm. The budget was up to $11.5M for seven (7) federal government agencies and up to 128 employees.
Brought onto 8(a) contract to resolve outstanding issues and ensure successful completion of contract award for additional three (3) option years. Managed 7 administrative staff in the following roles: 4 administrative specialists; 1 technical writer and 2 editors.
Laurie Sayles's Education:
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National Academy of Sports Medicine
2010 – 2011
Concentration: Certified Personal Trainer
Activities: Studying for certification as a personal fitness trainer
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University of Maryand College Park
2005 – 2010
Bachelor
Concentration: Social Sciences, Entrepreneurship and Leadership
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DePaul University
1995 – 1996
Concentration: Core Classes, Business Administration
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Percy L. Julian High School
1975 – 1979
Diploma
Concentration: Business
Activities: Volleyball Team and Modeling Club
Laurie Sayles's Interests & Activities:
Women, Veterans, Entrepreneurship, Consulting, Government Contracting, Training, Fitness, Volleyball and Serving