About Dara

Dara is the market leader of the Mid-Atlantic area offices (McLean, Washington D.C., Gaithersburg, Richmond, Baltimore), and is the national leader of RSM’s government contracting practice. As the market leader, she is responsible for the culture, growth and strategy of the five area offices, as well as developing our employees to have deep industry expertise and to be first choice advisors. Leading this practice includes working with closely held, private equity backed and publicly traded entities in the market to deliver the power of being understood®.

Experience

In her government contracting practice leadership role, Dara leads teams across audit, tax and consulting as advisors to government contractors across a variety of industries, customer bases and organizational structures. She draws upon the vast resources of RSM to design teams and services that bring value to government contractor clients, leveraging RSM’s deep knowledge, experience and capabilities in serving this complex and dynamic industry.

Dara recently was appointed as Board Member with the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC). The NVTC is a prominent trade association representing the tech industry in the region. It impacts government contractors by providing networking opportunities, advocating for favorable policies, and offering resources tailored to their specific needs, given Northern Virginia's status as a significant hub for government contracting.

During Dara’s tenure she was the leader of RSM’s STAR employee network group, which empowers its members to connect, grow and lead, fostering a strong network of belonging and understanding of the unique experiences of women in the workplace. Today, she continues to be an active member in STAR and contributes as an advisor to RSM’s ongoing work to foster a culture of inclusion.

Professional affiliations and designations

• Association for Corporate Growth, National Capital Chapter Board, past president
• Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, past board member
• The Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum, past board member
• Professional Services Council
• Northern Virginia Technology Council, Board Member
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
• The Maryland Association of CPAs

Education

• Bachelor of Science, accounting, North Carolina State University