DECADES OF COMBINED EXPERIENCE, AT THE WAUFORD GROUP AND OTHER NATIONALLY-KNOWN AND RESPECTED ORGANIZATIONS, GIVES OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM THE INSIGHT TO HELP YOUR COMPANY ACCELERATE ITS GROWTH.

Leadership Team

Robert Acosta-Lewis

Robert Acosta-Lewis

Attorney

Robert Acosta-Lewis has served as an advisor and counselor to the Wauford Group for more than 30 years. Initially, Mr. Acosta-Lewis represented the Group as an Associate and later as a Partner with the firm then-known as Hunton & Williams (now Hunton Andrews Kurth). Since his retirement, Mr. Acosta- Lewis has continued to serve as an outside advisor to the Group on business and corporate matters.


B.A. Philosophy – Randolph-Macon College
Juris Doctor – William & Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law

David Balducci

David Balducci

Controller

Mr. Balducci is currently the Business Controller for the Wauford Group. He has been with the company since 2001 and has over 30 years of experience in accounting and finance. Mr. Balducci began his career with a Big 4 public accounting firm, and prior to joining the Wauford Group, was a partner at a local accounting firm providing both audit and tax services to his clients. He and his wife have two children and are natives of the Richmond area.


B.S. Accounting – University of Richmond
Master of Tax – Virginia Commonwealth University
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

Alan Ball

Alan Ball

General Manager - Waubridge Specialty Fabrics

Mr. Ball has been with the Wauford Group since 2013, heading up the Performance fabrics business, Waubridge Specialty Fabrics. Originally from the UK, he has over 30 years’ International experience with U.S. & European companies in sales, marketing, finance and senior business leadership positions serving the chemical, nonwovens, and technical fabrics & fibers industries. He and his wife have two children and live in the Richmond area.

John M. Carter

John M. Carter

Director of Compliance and General Counsel

Mr. Carter’s experience includes holding the position of Assistant Secretary and General Corporate Counsel for Land America Financial Group, Inc., Executive Vice President of Law and Employee Relations for Land America and he also served as the Director of Human Resources in the Office of the Executive Secretary for the Supreme Court of Virginia. Mr. Carter is married with two children and lives in the Richmond area.


B.A. Economics – University of Virginia
Master of Business Administration – Virginia Commonwealth University
Juris Doctor – University of Richmond School of Law

Christine Chandler

Christine Chandler

President - AdvantaSatff

Chris has 25 years of experience in all aspects of the staffing industry, including sales, operations, customer service, and financial management. The focus of her career in staffing and recruitment has been the support of customers in the manufacturing and distribution services sectors. Chris is proud to be a Richmond native and lives in Hanover with her husband and their two children.


B.A. Political Science – Virginia Commonwealth University
Certified Staffing Professional (CSP) – American Staffing Association

Emily Erwin

Emily Erwin

Director of Personnel Development

Ms. Erwin began as a Legislative Assistant in the House of Representatives in D.C., before focusing on education. She taught in Chesterfield County, where she also worked for the school division on curriculum development and testing design. She currently runs the training department for the Wauford Group umbrella, where she continually improves the leadership development, new hire, and on-boarding programs. Emily lives in the Midlothian area with her husband and son.


B.A. Political Science, Romance Languages and Literatures – University of Notre Dame
Master of Teaching – University of Virginia

Veronica Harless

Veronica Harless

Human Resource Director - Benefits

Ms. Harless began her career as an Associate Financial Representative at Northwestern Mutual in Richmond, Virginia. She then served as the Branch Licensing Coordinator for AXA Advisors working primarily with on-boarding procedures. Her concentration within the Wauford Group of companies includes the administration of the benefit plans. Veronica lives in the Richmond area with her husband and three children.


B.A. Business Administration – Old Dominion University
SHRM Certified Professional

Kevin Metheny

Kevin Metheny

Financial and Information Technology Manager

Mr. Metheny has been with the company since 1997 and has over 20 years of experience in accounting and finance. Kevin has overseen the growth of the information technology and accounting systems utilized by all of the Wauford Group Portfolio Companies. Kevin and his wife, who are natives of the Richmond area, have two children and live in Hanover County.

 
 


B.S. Accounting – Virginia Commonwealth University

John Piehl

John Piehl

Process Engineering Manager - DCI

Mr. Piehl has worked at Diversified Converters, Inc., since 1997 in Engineering and Operations Management. He has over 40 years of experience in process control and engineering development for industries involved in automotive glass, assembly operations, steel components manufacturing, and bonding, printing and converting of polymer-based materials. He and his wife have three grown children and live in the Midlothian area.


B.S. Industrial Engineering – Lehigh University

Jeff Siffert

Jeff Siffert

General Manager - DCI

Since joining the Wauford Group in 1999, Mr. Siffert has had several different roles, including his current role as General Manager of Diversified Converters, Inc. He has served as General Manager for multiple operations, and worked in New Business Development, utilizing his over 30 years of experience in operations, human resources, facilities management and marketing positions serving the textile industry. Mr. Siffert is a native of southern Virginia and currently resides in Chesterfield with his wife and two daughters.


B.S. Economics – Elon University
Master of Business Administration – Elon University

Stipe Skunca

Stipe Skunca

Environmental Health and Safety Manager

Stipe has been with Diversified Converters, Inc., since 2012, where he has conveyed his 27 years of experience to help our corporate team as we continue to grow our world-class safety programs. His areas of expertise are in Environmental and Safety Compliance; Behavioral Safety; Safety Cultural Needs; Environmental Excellence; Incident Investigation and Risk Assessment; Ergonomics; Cost Control; Workers Compensation. He has two children and one grandchild and lives in the Richmond area.

Bill Sydnor

Bill Sydnor

Director of Contract Operations

Mr. Sydnor draws on over 40 years of experience in manufacturing operations, planning, procurement, and systems management to drive process improvements and consistent business unit performance. Prior to his current role, he spent nearly ten years as a General Manager for multiple Wauford Group companies. Long time Richmond area residents with two grown children, Bill and his wife live in Powhatan.


B.A. Managerial Economics – Hampden-Sydney College
Master of Business Administration – University of Virginia

Lisa Tharp

Lisa Tharp

Chief Financial Officer

Ms. Tharp began her career in a Big 4 accounting firm with a concentration in corporate audit. Her experience in corporate finance was enhanced by her time spent with the Internal Revenue Service. In 1991, she translated that discipline to her family’s business and has built a team of finance professionals to serve the accounting, tax, and financial analysis needs of all Wauford Group managed businesses. Lisa and her husband have three grown children and reside in Goochland County.


B.S. Accounting – James Madison University
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

J.T. Wauford

J.T. Wauford

Client Services Manager - AdvantaStaff

Upon graduation in 2013, J.T. joined AdvantaStaff as an Onsite Manager. After holding this role with a few different clients, Mr. Wauford decided to get some outside experience. J.T. worked in IT Staffing at TEKsystems and then in Human Resources for Fanatics, Inc., while living in Jacksonville, Florida. He returned to AdvantaStaff in 2018, taking on the role of Client Services Manager, where he specializes in catering to current clients and bringing new clients under the AdvantaStaff wing.


B.A. Geography – The George Washington University
Certified Staffing Professional (CSP) – American Staffing Association

Mark L. Wauford

Mark L. Wauford

President

Mr. Wauford’s career began over thirty years ago in operations management with Allied, now known as Honeywell. His experience with the Wauford Group for the last three decades has enabled him to build a team of management professionals who work together to provide flexible, world-class manufacturing solutions to companies of all sizes. Mark and his wife reside in the Midlothian area with their children and grandchildren.


Bachelor of Business Administration – James Madison University