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Our Team

Michael Willis

Chief Executive Officer

Michael Willis is the CEO of The Color Nine Group and has led the firm since 2014, helping cities, counties, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations secure transformative federal funding and shape policy that strengthens communities. Under his leadership, CNG has helped communities like the City of Sarasota secure more than $78 million in federal support and the City of Delray Beach nearly $63 million, with clients experiencing exceptional outcomes relative to their investment.

In addition to his public-sector work, Michael leads the CNG teams that advise for-profit companies operating in energy innovation, rare earth materials, advanced manufacturing, and AI-driven technologies, helping them navigate federal opportunities, regulatory landscapes, and multi-sector partnerships that accelerate growth.

Widely recognized as one of Washington’s most influential transportation and infrastructure strategists, Michael blends deep legislative expertise with practical, solution-focused execution. He has played a role in drafting key provisions of nearly every major federal disaster response bill since Hurricane Katrina and is known for designing simple, effective strategies that engage partners across government, industry, and community sectors.

Michael has worked closely with White House officials federal agencies, Members of Congress, and senior officials across multiple sectors, as well as international government leaders during his policy work in Ukraine. His reputation for clarity, strategic insight, and mission-driven leadership has made him a trusted advisor to organizations seeking effective, purpose-aligned results in both the public and private arenas.

Stephanie Willis

Chief Operating Officer

Stephanie Willis is the Chief Operating Officer of The Color Nine Group and has served alongside the CEO since the firm’s founding in 2014. She brings a rare blend of operational leadership, organizational development expertise, and a 20-year background in high-acuity nursing, allowing her to support clients with precision, empathy, and real-world insight.

Her leadership extends across CNG’s diverse portfolio, including government clients, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit companies in emerging sectors such as energy innovation. Her ability to integrate operational structure with human-centered leadership makes her a trusted advisor to teams navigating growth, complexity, or organizational change.

From 2022 to 2024, Stephanie lived and worked in Ukraine, where she led the New Horizons for Children Ukraine program, built a sustainable Ukrainian-led operating model, and partnered closely with government officials and international stakeholders. Her work strengthened long-term systems of care for vulnerable children in wartime conditions.

At CNG, Stephanie oversees operations, client delivery, team performance, and the firm’s Personal and Organizational Significance programs. She is a Maxwell Leadership Certified Coach, DISC practitioner, and a leader known for building healthy, purpose-driven teams across public, nonprofit, and private sectors.

Laura Wittenbauer

Director of Grant Programs and Administration

Laura Wittenbauer is a grant funding and administration professional with 25 years of experience helping public agencies secure and manage funding for critical infrastructure, resilience, and community improvement projects. She has worked on grant projects totaling more than 2 billion in awarded funding, with a portfolio that includes stormwater, flood mitigation, transportation safety, utility, and community development initiatives across multiple jurisdictions.

Laura combines deep grant-writing expertise with hands-on grant administration, compliance, and financial oversight, ensuring that complex projects stay aligned with governmental accounting standards and federal regulations. Her experience spans FEMA BRIC and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, CDBG and CDBG-MIT, Resilient Florida, SS4A, BUILD/RAISE, and other federal and state programs, including managing a successful 16.5 million Rebuild Florida CDBG-MIT grant for the City of Boynton Beach and advancing the Ocoee-Apopka Road Safety Widening Project through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s BUILD/RAISE program. She holds a Master of Science in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Florida State University, and is an active member of the National Grants Management Association and the Grant Professionals Association.

Wiley Deck

Principal

Wiley Deck is a senior government affairs and public policy leader with deep experience across both the Executive and Legislative branches of the federal government. As a Principal at The Color Nine Group, he advises clients on navigating complex agency processes, shaping legislative strategy, and aligning policy objectives with regulatory and political realities to achieve measurable outcomes.

Wiley brings a rare combination of frontline federal agency leadership and senior congressional experience, giving him a comprehensive understanding of how policy is developed, negotiated, and implemented. He helps clients anticipate regulatory direction, engage effectively with decision-makers, and position initiatives for success within both administrative and legislative frameworks.

Wiley held several senior leadership roles at the U.S. Department of Transportation, including Deputy Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. There, he managed a $600 million budget and oversaw regulatory programs impacting more than 530,000 trucking companies, 12,000 passenger carriers, and nearly 4 million commercial drivers. He also served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Transportation and as Director of Governmental Affairs at FMCSA, where he led legislative strategy, congressional engagement, and intergovernmental coordination.

Earlier in his career, Wiley spent more than two decades in the U.S. House of Representatives, including serving as Director of Oversight and Investigations for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and as Chief of Staff to a senior Member of Congress. In these roles, he developed and executed oversight initiatives, guided major legislative efforts, and built deep institutional knowledge of congressional processes, stakeholder dynamics, and policymaking.

He later applied this experience in the private sector as Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy at PlusAI, Inc., where he led federal and state engagement strategies supporting the deployment of autonomous trucking technologies. In this role, he worked directly with regulators, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to align emerging technologies with evolving safety standards and regulatory frameworks.

Across government and the private sector, Wiley is known for translating complex policy environments into actionable strategies, helping organizations effectively engage agencies and Congress, and advancing initiatives that intersect infrastructure, transportation, public safety, and emerging technologies. He holds a B.A. in International Affairs and American Government from the University of Central Florida.

Chris Whaling

Principal

Christopher L. Whaling is a senior intelligence and technology strategist with more than 25 years of experience supporting the Department of Defense, federal agencies, and global commercial clients. He co-founded a national competitive-intelligence consultancy that secured millions in contracts and delivered more than 60 high-impact technology and supply-chain intelligence products guiding billions in R&D investment decisions.

Chris has led multidisciplinary teams of PhD-level scientists, AI/ML engineers, technology scouts, and decision-intelligence analysts to support proactive threat detection, global risk mitigation, and secure technology development. His work includes pioneering AI-enabled digital subject-matter-expert (DSME™) systems and evaluating quantum-based decision-intelligence models for advanced national-security applications.

His career spans senior roles supporting the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Commerce, and Department of Justice, including high-profile contributions to federal investigations, global competitiveness benchmarking, and national-security threat mitigation.

Chris holds a master’s degree in Policy Studies from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree in Political Science with Honors from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has lived and worked across five continents and remains deeply engaged in public-service initiatives, AI ethics committees, and outreach programs supporting vulnerable communities.

Vennia Francois

Senior Government Affairs Advisor

Vennia Francois is a Government Affairs Advisor with The Color Nine Group, bringing more than two decades of experience in federal policy, corporate law, and regulatory enforcement. A first-generation American raised in a Bahamian family that modeled hard work and service, Vennia has built her career around strengthening communities and expanding opportunity.

She previously served as a policy advisor to U.S. Senators Mel Martinez and George LeMieux, working on issues related to economic development, national security, transportation, and regulatory reform. She later joined the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Trial Unit, supporting complex financial fraud prosecutions and contributing to major investor-protection efforts.

A corporate and business attorney by training, Vennia brings expertise in contract law, compliance, immigration, and litigation. Her combined legal and policy experience enables her to help CNG clients navigate federal landscapes, strengthen their strategic positioning, and engage effectively with key policymakers and agencies.

Active in civic leadership across Central Florida, Vennia serves as Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the Central Florida Navy League and participates in several regional organizations focused on arts, civil rights, and community advancement. Her commitment to service and principled leadership strengthens CNG’s work with governments, nonprofits, and purpose-driven organizations nationwide.

David Vu

Senior Advisor on Cybersecurity

David Vu is a globally recognized cybersecurity leader with extensive experience guiding cyber-operations teams across the technology, healthcare, finance, and federal sectors. With senior roles at Snowflake, PwC, Sutter Health, Better, Electronic Arts, the FBI, and Intel, David has built and led high-performance teams responsible for enterprise-wide incident response, threat intelligence, insider-threat mitigation, SOC operations, vulnerability management, cyber forensics, and risk governance.

David has led numerous teams in addressing Global Incident Response, Triage & Automation, and Insider Threats overseeing teams across the United States, Poland, and India. He has previously directed cybersecurity programs for Sutter Health, led PwC’s Cyber Incident Threat Management practice, and managed global investigations and response operations at Electronic Arts.

During his decade of service as a Special Agent and Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI, David conducted and led major national-security and cyber-intrusion investigations, collaborated with international law-enforcement agencies, briefed U.S. executives and embassy officials, shaped cyber-training curricula, and served overseas as a Cyber Assistant Legal Attaché in Stockholm.

David holds an M.S. in Information Assurance from Norwich University and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Davis. He maintains multiple GIAC certifications, including GSEC, GCIH, GCIA, and HCISPP.

Caryn Miller

Grant Writer and Administrator

Caryn Miller is a seasoned municipal executive and grant-management expert with more than 26 years of leadership in local government administration, economic development, redevelopment, and disaster-recovery funding. A former City Manager, Town Administrator, CRA Director, and Interim Finance Director, she has overseen multimillion-dollar operating budgets, infrastructure programs, and redevelopment initiatives across multiple states.

Caryn has secured and managed more than $20 million in FEMA, DOT, EPA, Water Management District, and state-level grants and has coordinated disaster-recovery operations following hurricanes, tropical storms, and tornadoes in Florida and South Carolina. Her experience spans FEMA Public Assistance (PA), Hazard Mitigation (HMGP), infrastructure-grant administration, budget and financial oversight, zoning and site-plan review, utility-system management, intergovernmental coordination, and organizational restructuring.

She has led departments of up to 60 personnel, negotiated major contracts, restructured municipal fee systems to increase revenue, implemented large-scale capital projects, and guided complex redevelopment efforts—sometimes doubling or dramatically improving municipal revenue and operational effectiveness.

Fluent in English and Spanish, Caryn holds both a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from the University of Central Florida. She is a member of ICMA, FCCMA, and FRA.