About – NextStep Technology

About NextStep Technology

Leadership, capabilities, and experience aligned to deliver trusted results for complex federal missions.

A Legacy of Excellence

NextStep began in the Bay Area as a global provider of enterprise business systems and analytics, delivering Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP, and Microsoft solutions for finance, logistics, and distribution organizations across North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. This early work deploying and optimizing complex enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms established a strong foundation in enterprise systems, disciplined delivery, and large-scale business transformation.
As our federal government embarked on modernizing or replacing legacy systems and improving financial transparency and becoming audit compliant, NextStep transitioned into the federal market as a trusted business and implementation partner of the ERP systems, beginning with the Army National Guard.
Today, NextStep supports multiple defense and civilian agencies with mission-critical solutions spanning enterprise systems, AI-driven analytics, financial management, intelligent automation, and test and evaluation.
We combine the agility of a small business with the rigor required for large-scale government programs to deliver measurable results.

NextStep began in the Bay Area as a global provider of enterprise business systems and analytics, delivering Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP, and Microsoft solutions for finance, logistics, and distribution organizations across North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe.

This early work deploying and optimizing complex enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms established a strong foundation in enterprise systems, disciplined delivery, and large-scale business transformation.

As our federal government embarked on modernizing or replacing legacy systems and improving financial transparency and becoming audit compliant, NextStep transitioned into the federal market as a trusted business and implementation partner of the ERP systems, beginning with the Army National Guard.

Today, NextStep supports multiple defense and civilian agencies with mission-critical solutions spanning enterprise systems, AI-driven analytics, financial management, intelligent automation, and test and evaluation.

We combine the agility of a small business with the rigor required for large-scale government programs to deliver measurable results.

Years Of Service

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Federal Contracts

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Projects Delivered

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Meet our Leaders

Our team is focused on accountability, execution, and long-term mission success.

Arsenio Ayón

Chief Executive Officer

Bringing more than 25 years of executive leadership delivering enterprise technology solutions for Fortune 500 companies, Arsenio sets the strategic direction and health of NextStep and plays a hands-on role in clients’ large-scale digital transformation initiatives. He participates in complex, mission-critical programs while navigating the unique demands of federal and regulated environments.

Donnica Parker

Executive Vice President

Leading enterprise human capital strategy with deep experience in federal contracting and operations, Donnica oversees workforce planning, compliance, and organizational effectiveness, ensuring teams are aligned, scalable, and prepared to support complex, mission-driven government programs.

Dave Shondeck

Corporate Advisor

Serves as a Corporate Advisor, bringing decades of executive leadership and operational experience across technology, government contracting, and enterprise services. He provides strategic guidance on corporate growth and execution, helping the leadership team align business strategy with market opportunities. Having held executive roles as a CEO in the high-tech industry and as SVP at NextStep, Dave brings practical, results-driven insight that supports long-term value creation.

Bijan Knight

Vice President & BD

Leads business development and oversees enterprise-wide day-to-day operations in alignment with NextStep’s overall business strategy. With more than ten years of experience supporting federal government requirements, Bijan drives business performance, scales organizational capabilities, and ensures consistent, high-quality delivery for customers. He focuses on translating vision into action while strengthening operational discipline and supporting the company’s long-term growth.

Ryan Blair

Director of Innovation

Providing executive leadership for innovation strategy, guiding the research, development, and application of advanced technologies to address complex mission and business challenges, Ryan focuses on aligning emerging capabilities with real-world operational needs, ensuring delivery of practical, secure, and forward-looking solutions for government and industry partners.

Michael Zinno

Director of Operations

Driving operational excellence across federal programs with more than 18 years of experience in government contracting, Mike oversees delivery execution, quality assurance, and process discipline, ensuring consistent performance and high service standards across all client engagements.

Shearry Blackwell-Richardson

Talent Engagement, Manager

Strengthening organizational capability through more than 20 years of experience in human resources and talent management, Shearry leads workforce development, employee engagement, and compliance efforts, ensuring a skilled, diverse, and mission-ready organization.

Leadership Excellence

Our leadership team brings deep experience, disciplined execution, and a shared commitment to delivering trusted results for complex federal missions. Customer service is our middle name…

Depth of Experience

Our leaders collectively represent more than 150 years of experience across enterprise technology, federal contracting, operations, and workforce management. This depth enables informed decision-making, steady program leadership, and the ability to anticipate challenges before they impact mission outcomes.

Integrated Leadership

NextStep’s leadership team brings together complementary expertise across technical, operational, financial, and human capital disciplines. This integrated perspective ensures programs are managed holistically—balancing innovation, compliance, performance, and sustainability.

Execution-Focused Innovation

Innovation at NextStep is grounded in execution. Our leaders emphasize practical, secure, and scalable solutions—applying emerging technologies where they create measurable value, while maintaining rigor, governance, and accountability.

Accountability & Trust

Our leadership culture prioritizes transparency, partnership, and results. Leaders remain actively engaged across programs, ensuring clear communication, responsive decision-making, and accountability to customers, partners, and stakeholders.

Core Capabilities

NextStep combines small-business agility with the leadership, systems, and delivery discipline required to support complex, large-scale federal programs. Our teams bring deep technical expertise, operational insight, and a commitment to knowledge transfer and long-term mission success.

SAP, Oracle, and PeopleSoft implementation, integration, and sustainment
DoW and federal ERP environments (DIBS aka GFEBS, GCSS-Army, DAI, DEAMS)
DoW and federal ERP environments (DIBS aka GFEBS, GCSS-Army, DAI, DEAMS)
Legacy system modernization and transition planning Business process alignment to COTS platforms

Test and Evaluation (T&E) support
Experimentation and prototypes
Modeling & simulation, digital twins, and scenario analysis
Operational readiness assessments
Wargaming and mission effectiveness analysis

Healthcare data integration and interoperability
Fraud detection and mitigation strategy
Claims, eligibility, and enrollment system support
Healthcare analytics and program integrity
Regulatory compliance and quality reporting

Ready to work with NextStep?

Let’s discuss how our expertise can help bridge the gap between technology and your business needs.