Meet the team

Bryan Del Sol is an expert in international sales, and spent more than 35 years in senior management positions for several Fortune 50 companies, including LG, Eastman Kodak, Dow Chemical, and others. He has also worked in private equity and finance. His specialties include operations, marketing, logistics, procurement and strategic partnerships, and he has built decades-long relationships with clients such as Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, Target, and others. Most recently, Bryan served for nine years in an executive leadership role overseeing global operations in the retail sector for Legrand. Bryan was based in Northwest Arkansas for over two decades to serve the exploding Walmart and Sam’s Club businesses, but has worked across the US and globally, including in China, Mexico and Latin America, often in unstable environments. Originally from South Florida, Bryan is bilingual and has forged lasting relationships with clients abroad.

Ramsey has extensive experience in federal funds management, infrastructure program delivery, and communications for public and private sector clients. Ramsey has worked in federal funds/disaster management during the administration of four presidents, working with diverse groups, from elected officials and business leaders to neighbors and laborers, combined with his methodical and analytical approach, to help clients achieve their goals.

A native of San Diego, Ramsey began his career working for a member of congress in New York City, teaching high school social studies in rural south Louisiana, and, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, began focusing on helping communities recover from crises. As the Deputy Superintendent for Operations of the Louisiana Recovery School District, Ramsey negotiated and managed the $2 billion federally funded rebuilding of the post-Katrina New Orleans public school system. Later, Ramsey oversaw all infrastructure and resilience for the City of New Orleans, accelerating road, drainage, sewer, and waterline improvements from an annual spending rate of $10M to $600M, largely funded by federal grants.

Ramsey founded Tulipan Solutions in 2012. The firm has since undertaken diverse projects, including advising a utility on renewable energy financing, designing a large school district enrollment process, and assisting clients with building infrastructure using federal funds. Recently, Tulipan began helping clients obtain federal funds after the 2023 Maui wildfires.

Ramsey received a BA in political science, specializing in international relations, from New York University, a master’s in public administration focused on public finance from the University of Pennsylvania, and a certificate in state and local government for senior executives from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Ramsey is an adjunct faculty member of Tulane University’s Emergency and Security Studies program and lives in New Orleans with his wife and three children.

Wade is a versatile professional with a strong background in logistics, project management, data analysis, business analysis, GIS analysis, and emergency response. His experience supporting high-stakes projects spans multiple industries: defense, disaster response and recovery, software development, construction, film production, and undersea research. Wade has built his career on making order from chaos in challenging and high-stakes environments.

A native of southeastern Louisiana, Wade’s career was shaped by Sept. 11th and Hurricane Katrina. September 11th compelled him to join the army, where he spent eight years as a logistician, operational planner, and paratrooper. Wade’s final position with the Army as the Director of Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security of a NATO base in Belgium was the start of his professional experience in emergency management/disaster response. Wade’s first personal experience with disaster response came when Hurricane Katrina destroyed his entire hometown. His family was forced to sue their insurance company for its failure to pay, and the subsequent lawsuit (Kodrin vs. State Farm) established precedence on “slab-cases” that continues to benefit thousands along the Gulf Coast to this day.

Wade’s experience with emergency management was further honed during his time in Columbia, SC, where he managed FEMA Project Worksheets (PWs) that facilitated more than $100 million in disaster relief funding. Wade’s time in tech still tapped into his experience in disasters and emergency response. He developed automated systems to streamline crisis response and advised mobile app defense clients on disaster response and incident management best practices.

Wade has a bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in professional leadership development from Louisiana State University and a certificate in software development from Loyola University. From Tulane University, Wade received a post-baccalaureate certification in homeland security studies and a master’s in disaster resilience leadership science. He currently resides in New Orleans.

Chris Pencikowski has spent the past 18 years in the education sector, supporting schools and districts across the United States. For the past 12 years, Chris has served in Executive Leadership positions in K-12 sector organizations.

Chris led the development of the U.S. Department of Education’s Strategic Plan for 2011–2014, coordinating with the Undersecretary of Education, the Chief Operating Officer of the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), and others on Higher Education policy.Chris’s professional background has been focused on improving public services across states, cities, and educational institutions.

From 2013 to 2023, Chris was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of a network of public charter schools based in Washington, D.C. Additionally, he held the position of Chief Operating Officer in a nonprofit research organization and, earlier, served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education. From 2006 to 2010, Chris was a Senior Managing Consultant at the PFM Group, offering management consulting services to cities and school districts.

Early in his career, Chris taught as a third-grade teacher as a Peace Corps member in a rural island nation in the remote South Pacific.

Chris holds a Master's degree in Education Leadership from the Broad Center for the Management of School Systems at the Yale University School of Management, a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor's degree from Tulane University. Chris lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and two children.

Paul Rainwater has diverse experience spanning government, disaster recovery, and military service, making him a significant figure in Louisiana’s recent history. Paul is a former local and state government official from Louisiana, having served as an aide to Governor Bobby Jindal and played a prominent role in Louisiana during its recovery from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike. Paul contributed to recovery from the 2010 British Petroleum Oil Spill. Paul served as Chief of Staff to Governor Jindal and Commissioner of Administration for the State of Louisiana, where he was the chief operating officer and chief budget officer. Before that, he was the executive director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, overseeing federal recovery funds allocation after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Paul was also Legislative Director and Chief of Operations for Senator Mary Landrieu. Paul’s military service includes roles in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he received several awards and honors. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he helped manage Louisiana’s response, including evacuations from the I-10 Causeway in Jefferson Parish. More recently, he served as Interim Emergency Manager of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans during the summer of 2017, charged with overseeing water and drainage systems while making emergency repairs.