Lincoln Group - Key Players

Key Players

Paige Craig is Executive Vice President of Strategic Solutions at the Lincoln Group.

According to his corporate profile, "Craig's previous work includes long-term consultation with various DOD and Justice Department clients on projects that involved analysis and review of local and foreign activities. He has also worked on projects involving financial analysis of local and foreign financial crimes, competitive intelligence for U.S. venture funds, and other challenging information projects. In this work, and during his time in the U.S. Marine Corps, he has built a proven track record of working in high-risk environments under tasking conditions. Mr. Craig has worked in Thailand, Japan, Australia, Kuwait, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan. Mr. Craig attended West Point and subsequently received a B.S. in Information Systems Management from the University of Maryland and an MBA from National University."

Craig was formerly president of Omnicept. From an internship posting at www.wetfeet.com: Omnicept is an analytic and intelligence firm dedicated to providing the highest level of analysis, intelligence, and analytic tools to government and commercial clients. The RA will be an integral part of this process and will support one or more of Omnicept's key markets through research, analysis, coordination, and outreach activities. This position will require solid organizational, writing, speaking, and analytic skills.

Iraq businesses upbeat despite security fears", Agence France Presse, September 27, 2004: Paige Craig, executive vice president of Iraqex, a US firm involved in a range of activities from manufacturing construction materials to 'providing logistics' for US forces, disagreed with the general view that the security situation was deteriorating. ... 'People think it's getting worse because they only pay attention to foreigners (who are being taken hostage and often executed). But it's definitely more secure now than it was' a year ago, he told AFP." Mr. Craig resides in Washington, DC.

Christian Bailey (née Christian Martin Josefowicz) is executive vice president of Capital Markets:

As executive vice president, Bailey leads the evaluation and structuring of emerging markets investment transactions, as well as the development of key partner and co-investor relationships. Investments completed to date include four in Iraq: steel reprocessing at six sites near Basra, property in Baghdad, and two brick factories near Erbil. Bailey also develops key partner relationships supporting Lincoln Group's professional services arm supporting commercial and government clients with information gathering & analysis; and outreach through PR, advertising & strategic communications. Bailey formerly served as a managing director at Lincoln Asset Management Group where he led the defense technology private equity group which raised $6 million as a hedge fund(LEXIS citation). Earlier Bailey was the Founder and CEO of Express Action, a provider of international trade logistics solutions. Express Action handles all the complexity of international import duties, taxes, regulations and customs clearance online, making an international order just as transparent and simple as a domestic one. Before founding Express Action, Bailey was worked in the Emerging Companies Group at Linck Corporate Finance PLC, where he funded and helped develop high-growth technology companies. Before joining Linck, he was Founder and CEO of ITG, a computer services company with a global supply-chain which was acquired in 1998. He also worked at Kleinwort Benson. He holds a Bachelors and a Masters in Economics and Management from Hertford College. He was once the chair of the New York City chapter of Lead21, a public policy organization for conservative entrepreneurs. Bailey was also New York City co-chair of the 2004 Republican National Convention.

Anthoney J Berkant is Vice President of finance at the Lincoln Group.

Berkant brings decades of experience and a track record developing small to mid-size enterprises in government contracting, software development, e-learning, and distribution industries. With over 30 years of experience in the finance field, Mr. Berkant has served as a financial officer and broadened his capabilities with extensive work in the merchant banking and merger and acquisition areas. His recent experience includes: i) Chief Financial Officer for Wilson/Bennett Company, LLC with responsibility for expanding the company's capabilities for both merger and acquisition and financial advisory services; ii) Comptroller for Accelera Corporation where he was both the senior financial and administrative officer of the corporation; and iii) Chief Financial Officer of Advanced Technology Holdings, Inc, a boutique, private management advisory and a merchant banking firm for firms located in Latin America. Mr. Berkant is a member of Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants and Financial Executives International. Mr. Berkant holds a B.S. in Accounting from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Morton Blackwell Affiliations: The Council for National Policy 1982 Board of Governors, Executive Director CNP, 1991–present; White House Staff as Special Assistant to President Reagan for Public Liaison; former staff member, Senate Republican Policy Committee; former policy director, U.S. Senator Gordon J. Humphrey; overseer, 1980 Youth for Reagan effort; founder in 1979 and President, The Leadership Institute, a non-profit, non-partisan, educational organization, with 18 types of programs. "Conservative leaders, organizations and activists rely on the Institute for the preparation they require for success." "mission is to increase the number and effectiveness of conservative public policy leaders." recently provided political training to members of Maranatha, its Campus Leadership Program, is "designed to foster permanent, effective, conservative, student organizations on every college campus in America. Leadership Institute field staff have already created new organizations on 207 campuses in 37 states. Founder and chairman, Conservative Leadership PAC; Republican National Committeeman from Virginia; Treasurer, Reagan Mumni Association; former editor, The NewRight Report; former contributing editor, Conservative Digest. Formerly with The Viguerie Company (CNP) Richard Viguerie. Board member, American Conservative Union, Legislative Studies Institute, National Right to Work Committee, Reagan Alumni (Treasurer). Received funding from the Coors Foundations. Blackwell is also President, International Policy Forum, from the 1984 CNP Directory, "a foundation which promotes educational exchanges between conservatives in the US and pro-freedom leaders in other countries."

Nicholas McDowell is Director of New Media with the Lincoln Group.

Andrea Jackson Former Director of Research and Training at the Lincoln Group, conducts on-the-ground research in conflict zones and provides computer-based and in-person training to Defense Intelligence Agency analysts and U.S. Army and Marine Corps units in Iraq. She previously managed training programs in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo.

Jim Wilkinson (James R. Wilkinson), who served as General Tommy R. Franks' director of strategic communications and chief spokesman for the U.S. Central Command (Tampa), became deputy national security advisor for communications as of December 2003. He is fluent in Arabic, both written and spoken. Wilkinson "will craft long-term messaging strategy for the National Security Council" and reports to Karl Rove, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and White House communications director Dan Bartlett. Mr. Wilkinson grew up in East Texas and gave up plans to become an undertaker to go to work for Republican Congressman Dick Armey in 1992. Mr. Armey soon became House majority leader; his communications director, Mr. Wilkinson's mentor, was Ed Gillespie, now chairman of the R.N.C. Wilkinson first left his mark on the 2000 Presidential race in March 1999, when he helped package and promote the notion that Al Gore claimed to have 'invented the Internet. Then the Texan popped up in Miami to defend Republican protesters shutting down a recount: 'We find it interesting that when Jesse Jackson has thousands of protesters in the streets, it's O.K., but when a small number of Republicans exercise their First Amendment rights, the Democrats don't seem to like it,' he told the Associated Press. Mr. Wilkinson was made deputy director of communications for planning in the Bush White House, and was among the aides who set up the Sept. 14, 2001, visit to Ground Zero that redefined George W. Bush's Presidency. During the Afghan war, he managed 'Coalition Information Centers' in Washington, D.C., and London, as well as in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In Qatar, he became the point man on the rescue of Pvt. Jessica Lynch and delivered the most memorable and sellable quote of Gulf War II: 'America doesn't leave its heroes behind,' he told reporters at a late-night briefing.