Promoting Greater Collaboration Between Industry and Government

The Baroni investment will expand opportunities for center research activities and student engagement and contribute to a new space.

In November, George Mason University announced the largest gift to a School of Business center from Attain Partners founder and CEO Greg Baroni and his wife, Camille. The first-of-its-kind university center to address business, technology, policy, and regulatory issues in government contracting, the Center for Government Contracting will be renamed the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting. The nonpartisan entrepreneurial center is the first donor-named center within Mason’s School of Business.

“We are grateful to the Baronis for their gift, which will help transform the center and build tomorrow’s workforce for both government and industry,” says Mason President Gregory Washington. “Recognizing that the nation’s future success depends on a thriving and diverse education workforce, and through partnerships across industry and government, Mason sets itself apart and is focused on solutions to our biggest challenges as a nation and within the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

Mason’s Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting, established in 2019, conducts impactful research on the broad array of critical issues facing the $500+ billion government contracting community. Center staff and affiliated faculty produce significant research ranging from commentary pieces in influential outlets to white papers and essays on pressing government contracting issues. These publications are widely read by government and industry leaders and have resulted in national and regional media coverage of center research.

With its proximity to the federal government and location at the center of the Northern Virginia business corridor, the center also serves as a gathering point for industry discussions and conferences on such topics as U.S. Department of Defense budget reform, small business innovation, intellectual property policy, and defense acquisitions best practices.

The Baronis’ investment in Mason is spurred by their desire to promote a new level of innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration between government and industry to work together toward mutually beneficial outcomes. Greg and Camille’s gift will allow the expansion of center research activities and student engagement and contribute to a new convening space as part of Mason’s School of Business building.

“We are excited to partner with Mason to support and advance the government contracting industry,” says Greg Baroni. “Higher education is key to growing the industry and building diverse talent for tomorrow’s workforce. George Mason University is well positioned to drive innovation and collaboration, and we’re proud to be a part of this next chapter.”

Greg Baroni, a “GovCon” industry leader recognized for providing business and technology solutions for public-sector markets, is the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Attain Partners, a professional services company focused on delivering asset-powered, tech-enabled solutions for education, government, health care, and nonprofit organizations. He is also the founder and managing partner of Attain Capital Partners and Attain Sports & Entertainment. Greg serves as chair of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and is on the board of directors of the Professional Services Council.

He received Washington Exec’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the Pinnacle Awards, an annual program highlighting successful executives and businesses fostering innovation for their federal government clients across the region.

Camille Baroni began her career in banking and finance as a junior portfolio manager at First American Bankshares. During various mergers and corporate changes, she quickly rose through the ranks and served as manager of Nationsbank’s Washington, D.C., Metro Region Investment Division, where she oversaw the investment, trading, and management of approximately $500 million in assets. After a successful and fast-paced career, she chose to leave the corporate world to lead operations at home and care for their three children.

“The name Baroni symbolizes innovation, commitment, and leaders at hip across a host of industries and sectors,” says Ajay Vinzé, dean of the School of Business. “Mason’s School of Business embraces these same qualities, which is evident in our research and our students. It is an honor to have our center named after a benefactor and industry leader who shares our goals.”

Jerry McGinn, the center’s executive director, agrees, saying, “This gift will propel the center onto the national scene as the preeminent leader for research, innovation, and impact in government contracting.”

Education and Training in the Heart of the Federal Contracting Industry

From its inception, the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting has focused on education and training as one of its core lines of effort—including an ever-expanding range of offerings for students, government agencies, and business.

With more than 10,000 alumni working in government and business, and a prime location in the heart of the federal contracting industry, the center works closely with the School of Business’s Office of Career Services to partner with companies and government agencies in creating opportunities in a community that provides 40 percent of the local GDP.

Additional resources include an undergraduate GovCon minor, graduate-level accounting certificates, and a Student Ambassador Program connecting mentors from Advisory Board member companies to undergraduate and graduate students. The purpose of the ambassador program is to attract talent to work in the vital government contracting industry.