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Meet the Staff
Beverly Mowery Cooper
Vice President and Chief Knowledge Officer
Associate Publisher
Beverly Mowery Cooper has been with SIGNAL since 1984, serving in a variety of positions including assistant editor, managing editor, executive editor and senior director of publications. In her current role as vice president of AFCEA and associate publisher of SIGNAL Magazine and SIGNAL Connections, Cooper oversees the publications and knowledge-sharing efforts of AFCEA, including editorial, advertising,specialty publishing and Web 2.0 initiatives.
Cooper worked for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and PRC before coming to SIGNAL. She earned a B.S. degree in journalism from University of Maryland.
E-mail: Beverly Mowery Cooper
Robert K. Ackerman
Editor-In-Chief
Senior Director of Publications
Robert K. Ackerman has been the editor in chief of SIGNAL Magazine for more than a dozen years. A seasoned technology journalist, Ackerman also has served as a war correspondent covering the Iraq War embedded with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division.
A journalist by training, Ackerman also minored in political science in university. His journalism career dates back more than three decades, beginning with stints as a radio reporter covering the Republican and Democratic parties’ political conventions during the 1976 elections. Following those conventions, he served as a media advisor or a press secretary for candidates in state and presidential campaigns.
Most of his journalism work over the years has been in print journalism. His writings have covered a range of issues involving technology, politics and international security.
Prior to becoming SIGNAL's editor in chief, Ackerman served as the magazine’s senior editor. He has been with SIGNAL Magazine for more than two decades, during which he has written hundreds of feature articles and authored more than 300 columns and commentaries. His areas of coverage have spanned topics such as military information systems, foreign affairs, intelligence, laboratory research and development, space technologies, international security, terrorism and information operations. He has won or shared in journalism awards from the Aviation Writers Association; APEX; ACES; the Society for Technical Communication; and the American Society of Association Executives.
E-Mail: Robert K. Ackerman
Maryann Lawlor
Director, E-Newsletters and Directories
 A graduate of Marquette University with a degree in journalism, Maryann Lawlor has worked in various positions at SIGNAL Magazine since 1992. In her current role at SIGNAL, Lawlor oversees the AFCEA SIGNAL Source Book and Security Directory and manages SIGNAL Connections. She also is the contact person for authors to submit articles for publication consideration in SIGNAL media.
E-mail: Maryann Lawlor
Jim Sweeney
Managing Editor
Jim Sweeney has been with SIGNAL Magazine and SIGNAL Connections since May 2008. As managing editor, he supervises copy editors, edits stories and works with the editorial staff to coordinate production and editing. Prior to joining SIGNAL, he was chief copy editor for Government Computer News. Before that, he was chief of the proof desk at U.S. News & World Report, following a stint as a reporter for several newsletter companies, covering telecommunications, energy and environment.
E-mail: Jim Sweeney
Helen Mosher
New Media Editor
In her role as SIGNAL's new media editor, Helen Mosher acts as a new media strategist and Web content manager for SIGNAL's online publications as well as a moderator for AFCEA's presence in social networking and virtual platforms such as Facebook and Second Life. She is also an accomplished writer in her own right.
Mosher got her start as a journalist writing about arts and entertainment for the Philadelphia City Paper before going on to become an editor at the administrative newspaper for Temple University, where she earned a summa cum laude BA in English. Before coming to SIGNAL, she was print and Web editor for Advisor Today, a publication of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.
E-mail: Helen Mosher
Rita Boland
News Editor
 Rita Boland is SIGNAL Magazine’s news editor. Before coming
to AFCEA, she worked at Booz Allen Hamilton as a communications consultant. Prior to consulting, Boland was a sports editor, online editor and reporter for various
newspapers and Web sites. Her subject areas at SIGNAL cover a breadth of topics encompassing the realm of information valuable to the magazine’s
readers and AFCEA members.
Boland earned her bachelor’s degree from Southwest Texas State University (now Texas
State University–San Marcos).
E-mail: Rita Boland
George I. Seffers
Technology Editor
 Before joining SIGNAL Magazine as technology editor in June 2010, George I. Seffers was a media relations representative with Northrop Grumman and an internal communications specialist with Raytheon Technical Services Company. He has also been a reporter for Defense News and Federal Computer Week, where he covered a broad range of military and intelligence communications and electronics topics. At SIGNAL, he covers the full spectrum of technology issues.
Seffers earned his bachelor’s degree in English and Communications from Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas.
E-mail: George I. Seffers
Max Cacas
Defense Editor
 A veteran broadcast and online journalist, Max Cacas brings nearly 30 years of journalism experience to SIGNAL Magazine. Previously, he covered the Federal government and Capitol Hill for Federal News Radio in Washington, D.C. His reports were also heard on co-owned WTOP Radio, where he is still a part-time editor. His career also includes stints at Public Radio International; National Public Radio; CBS and ABC News; the Freedom Forum, and its largest operational unit, The Newseum. Cacas is the winner of the 1979 Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Award for “Best Radio Newscast.”
In 2010, Cacas joined the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at his alma mater, the University of Maryland, as an adjunct multimedia instructor. He also holds a masters degree in journalism from the Columbia University, where he also participated in the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Business and Economics Journalism.
E-mail: Max Cacas
Beverly T. Schaeffer
Associate Editor
 As SIGNAL Magazine’s associate editor, Beverly T. Schaeffer’s responsibilities include editing for SIGNAL and SIGNAL
Connections, as well as producing special sections and occasional writing assignments. Schaeffer is an experienced journalist in the
military-industrial/communications and test and evaluation fields, beginning her career at the Navy League of the United States’ Seapower magazine as
editorial assistant in 1986. Schaeffer first joined the SIGNAL Magazine staff in 1987, serving in a number of positions ranging from assistant editor to
managing editor, and then as managing editor of Virtual Government magazine. From 1998 to 2007, she worked for the International Test and Evaluation
Association (ITEA) as editor in chief of the ITEA Journal, where she received the 2007 ITEA President’s Award for outstanding service to the
association. Schaeffer holds a bachelor’s degree in English from George Mason University.
E-mail Beverly T. Schaeffer
Rachel Eisenhower
Assistant Editor
 As SIGNAL Magazine’s assistant editor, Rachel Eisenhower handles Chapter News and supports the editorial production process by preparing columns, proofreading, editing and loading e-newsletter content. Before joining AFCEA International, Eisenhower worked as a news producer for the NBC and FOX affiliates in Roanoke and as a reporter for Examiner.com and Bisnow Media. She graduated summa cum laude from Virginia Tech with a BA in Communication, specializing in electronic and print journalism, and a minor in English.
E-mail: Rachel Eisenhower
Christina Yanette
Publications Assistant
 Christina Yanette has been SIGNAL’s publications assistant since 2003. She supports the editor in chief, chief knowledge officer and advertising director with administrative, budget and production work. While processing bills and payments, she handles article research and magazine requests, manages the library and archives, and assists with e-newsletter production. Yanette is the contact for SIGNAL’s article reprint program. She supports the magazine’s bonus distribution program, makes corrections to articles and tracks advertising pages and commission figures for advertising representatives.
Yanette works with outside authors on copyright compliance procedures and payments, and she maintains the editorial calendar. She also prepares award package entries for consideration in editorial competitions. Additionally, she supports the AFCEA Intelligence Department with several annual symposiums.
Previously, Yanette worked for EMC Corporation as a human resources assistant and at TRW as an administrative assistant. She earned an associates degree from what is now Southern Virginia University.
E-mail: Christina Yanette
Chris D'Elia
Art Director
 Chris D'Elia has been the art director of SIGNAL for more than 12 years. During this time, he
has been responsible for the look and feel of SIGNAL as well as the cover designs for most issues. He lays out each issue and also helps the association with
special projects and ads. He also helps small business advertisers promote themselves by helping them with advertising design.
E-mail: Chris D'Elia
SIGNAL's Awards
- ACES 2010 Headline Writers of the Year, Non-Newspapers
- 2010 Tabbies International Editorial and Design Awards: Honorable Mention, Feature Article
- APEX 2010 Awards for Publication Excellence: Technology and Science Writing; Covers; and Web Sites
- APEX 2009 Awards for Publication Excellence: Scientific and Environmental Writing; News Writing; and Blogs, Forums and Wikis
- APEX 2007 Awards for Publication Excellence: Interviews and Personal Profiles
- APEX 2002 Awards for Publication Excellence: Feature Writing
- The Society of Technical Communication Washington DC Chapter Award of Merit 2002-2003
- Association Trends Annual Competition for Excellence in Association Publications 1998
- ASBPE National 20th Annual Awards Competition Graphic Excellence: 2nd Place 1997
- ASBPE East Coast 20th Annual Awards Competition Graphic Excellence: 2nd Place 1997
- Aviation/Space Writers Association Awards of Excellence Journalism Award: Defense Coverage 1993
- Aviation/Space Writers Association Awards of Excellence Eastern Chapter Journalism Award 1992
- Aviation/Space Writers Association Awards of Excellence Mideast Region Journalism Award 1990
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