About

Don Buehler

President

Don has more than 30 years of experience working in the aerospace, defense and regulatory industries. Prior to founding Export Solutions, Don held a variety of leadership and management roles at GE and the Performance Review Institute (PRI). As PRI’s Export Compliance Officer, Don led the aerospace industry export compliance system for the Nadcap process for three years. His ability to deliver practical solutions and “straight talk” about U.S. export regulations has enabled Don to help more than 150 companies of all sizes with ITAR/EAR compliance.

Don is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the Society for International Affairs (SIA) and a facilitator for, and founding member of, the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG). He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Tom Reynolds

Vice President

Tom brings 12 years of professional experience to the Export Solutions team. His career includes staff positions at two of the most recognized companies in the world – GE and Disney, where he gained a wide variety of communication, training, marketing and project management skills.  Tom has worked with a variety of different companies to help them improve their compliance to U.S. export regulations.  His experience spans many activities, including:  building ITAR/EAR compliance programs from the ground up, assessing and improving existing policies/procedures, training employees, and acting as a liaison with U.S. government export enforcement and compliance agencies (DDTC, BIS, etc.).

A member of the Society for International Affairs (SIA), Tom lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Orlando, Florida.

Vickie Lanich

Senior Compliance Specialist

As a certified U.S. Export Compliance Officer (USECO) and Certified Federal Contracts Manager, Vickie brings more than 13 years of experience helping companies understand and comply with ITAR, EAR and other import/export regulations.  Her previous experience includes the development of an Export Management System which abated over $8MM in fines and attorney’s fees in the first year alone. Vickie has authored a number of voluntary disclosures to the U.S. Department of State, developed internal audit programs for export compliance, and formed focus teams and training for six separate sites in the areas of export licensing, classification, and provisos. She has also developed Foreign National visitation and hiring policies which abated $1.5MM in fines and attorney’s fees.

Vickie is a member of the Society for International Affairs (SIA). She lives in Maineville, Ohio.

Marci Gentry

Sr. Compliance Specialist, ITAR/EAR and Encryption Controls

Marci has worked in the import/export compliance field for more than 14 years.  Her experience includes serving as an Export Compliance Officer for several Fortune 500 companies, including Dell, Freescale Semiconductor, BAE Systems, Nortel Networks and L-3 Communications.  Marci is a subject matter expert in a variety of U.S. and foreign trade regulatory requirements.  These include:  BIS (EAR), DDTC (ITAR), OFAC, FDA, BERR, and DFAIT.  One of her areas of expertise includes High Tech, Telecommunications and encryption products.  In addition, Marci has consulted for JPMorgan Chase Vastera’s Managed Service, which manages outsourced compliance programs.

Marci has been a licensed U.S. Customs Broker since 2004.  She currently maintains an active security clearance of "Secret" with the U.S. Government.  Marci has been a member of International Compliance Professionals of America (ICPA) and also served as an Adjunct Professor teaching Import and Supply Chain courses at the Austin Community College’s International Business Institute.  She lives in McKinney, Texas.

Karla Niemi

Senior ITAR/EAR Compliance Specialist

Karla has more than 13 years of import/export compliance management experience.  Her background covers a wide range of regulatory knowledge and expertise.  This includes ITAR and EAR regulations, as well as other governmental agencies, such as the Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Department of the Treasury, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).

A licensed U.S. Customs Broker since 2000, Karla is adept at helping organizations navigate every aspect of their import/export business.  She has broad expertise in preparing and securing Commodity Jurisdiction Requests, Advisory Opinions, ITAR/EAR licenses, and Technical Assistance Agreements (TAAs).  She also has significant knowledge of securing approvals for technology transfers, Foreign Person employment, and deemed export management/compliance for a variety of research and development projects.

Karla holds Masters of International Business and Bachelor of Business Administration-Management degrees from New Mexico Highlands University.  She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Bruce Cathell

Senior ITAR Compliance Specialist

Bruce has more than 20 years of experience with ITAR and EAR regulations, and serves as an advisor and consultant to Export Solutions.  His background includes both U.S. Government and client work in export compliance.  As a former Program Manager for the U.S. Defense Technology Security Administration (DTSA), Bruce interfaced directly with DDTC on policies, license approvals and regulatory interpretations under the ITAR.  He has also worked with more than 100 different U.S. companies on a variety of ITAR-related compliance issues.

During his career, Bruce has been responsible for drafting and submitting hundreds of complex TAAs, MLAs and other export license applications.  He routinely interfaced with U.S. Government officials from State and Commerce, and in the past has spoken at a variety of conferences and industry training sessions on trade compliance issues.

Bruce holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, as well as a Master of Science degree in Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech.  He lives just outside of Washington, D.C., in Ashburn, Virginia.