Who we are
ELT
Rana Alsaadi | Executive Chairwoman
Mrs. Al Saadi is the Co-founder and Executive Chairwoman for PACEM Solutions International LLC. Mrs. Al Saadi is a refugee from Iraq and now a naturalized American citizen. Prior to co-founding PACEM Solutions International, Mrs. Al Saadi held multiple Senior Executive positions and served with the U.S. Department of State as an Advisor and the U.S. Department of Defense as a Translator/Analyst in Iraq. Al Saadi earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Baghdad University and her Executive Master of Business Administration from Georgetown University.Andrew Knaggs | Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Knaggs currently serves as Chief Executive Officer for PACEM Solutions International. Just prior to joining PACEM in 2020, Mr. Knaggs was a Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in the 7th District of Virginia. From 2017 to 2019, Mr. Knaggs served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Combating Terrorism in the Trump Administration, where he led the Department of Defense's global policies and authorities for special operations, counterterrorism, irregular warfare, and information operations. Earlier in his career, Mr. Knaggs founded a Washington, D.C.-based law firm where he advised small business clients on strategic growth and corporate legal matters. He is also a decorated combat veteran with multiple deployments in direct support of the Global War on Terror, who received the Bronze Star Medal for combat actions while serving as a U.S. Army Special Forces officer in command of a team of Green Berets. Mr. Knaggs earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Juris Doctor degree from William & Mary Law School. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.
Joseph Schmitz | Chief Legal Officer
Joseph E. Schmitz currently serves as the PACEM Solutions International Chief Legal Officer. Previously, Mr. Schmitz served as the fifth Senate-confirmed Inspector General of the Department of Defense from April 2002 to September 2005. As such, he was agency head of the most expansive Inspector General organization in the world, with statutory policy oversight responsibility for roughly 60,000 auditors, investigators, inspectors, law enforcement officers, and oversight professionals throughout the Department of Defense. Mr. Schmitz graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1978, and received his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Stanford University in 1986.
ADVISORY BOARD
Joseph Schmitz | Chairman
Prior to his current position as the Chief Legal Officer for PACEM Solutions, Mr. Schmitz served as a foreign policy/national security advisor to Donald J. Trump from March 2016 through the November 2016 election. His government service includes service as the 5th Senate-confirmed Inspector General of the Department of Defense from April 2002 to September 2005. For his service as Inspector General, Mr. Schmitz was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the highest honorary award presented by the Secretary of Defense to non-career federal employees.
In 2013, Mr. Schmitz published “The Inspector General Handbook: Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Other Constitutional ‘Enemies, Foreign and Domestic’,” the first-ever handbook for the inspector general profession – written also for those who work with inspectors general. Mr. Schmitz has extensive anti-corruption experience in overseeing compliance with various international and security-related laws, including but not limited to the Inspector General Act, Intelligence Oversight laws, the Posse Comitatus Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and laws administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.
Prior to his service as Inspector General of the Department of Defense, Mr. Schmitz was a Partner in the international law firm of Patton Boggs LLP, serving as head of the Aviation Practice Group, and at the same time a Captain in the United States Naval Reserves, serving as Inspector General of the Naval Reserve Intelligence Command. After his Inspector General service, Mr. Schmitz served as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of the Prince Group in McLean, Virginia, after which he served as Managing Director in the Washington D.C. Office of Freeh Group International. His pre-Inspector General public service included: twenty-seven years of naval service, first on active duty and then as a reserve officer; law clerk to the Honorable James L. Buckley, Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit; and Special Assistant to the Attorney General of the United States, the Honorable Edwin Meese III.
Mr. Schmitz has published numerous articles and has testified as a constitutional expert before U.S. Senate committees, and before various state legislature committees. From 1995 until 2002, he was an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, where he developed and taught a seminar on advanced Constitutional Law.
Mr. Schmitz graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1978, and received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Stanford University in 1986. He is a Senior Fellow for the Center for Security Policy, and a regular Newsmax “Insider” on constitutional issues under the banner, “Support and Defend.” In 2013, Mr. Schmitz was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (Virginia Chapter) as an “Outstanding American.” Joe and his wife of 40 years, Mollie, have raised six sons and two daughters.
Dale Rasmussen
Mr. Rasmussen served as the President and Chief Executive, Financial & Accounting Officer of Mascota Resources Corp. from March 2014 until February 2018. Mr. Rasmussen served as Secretary at Mascota Resources Corp from March 2014 until February 2015.
He has more than 25 years of experience in the Energy and Alternative Energy Industries. He served as a Senior Vice President of Fuel Systems Solutions, Inc. from June 1989 to December 2005, also served as its Secretary from April 1984 to November 2005 and Vice President of Investor Relations.
He served as Senior Vice President at Impco Technologies Inc. (now Fuel Systems Solutions) from June 1989 to December 2005. He joined IMPCO Technologies Inc. in April 1984 as a Vice President of Investor Relations, Finance and Administration and served as Corporate Secretary from April 1984 to November 2005.
Prior to IMPCO, Mr. Rasmussen was a Commercial Banker for 12 years at banks that were acquired by Key Bank and U.S. Bank.
Mr. Rasmussen has served as a Chairman for Fisker Automotive and Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc. He has been a Director for Mascota Resources Corp., and Schneider Power Inc. Additionally, Mr. Rasmussen served as a Director of Fisker Automotive, which he was also a Founding Member.
Mr. Rasmussen holds a B.A. in Business Administration and Economics from Western Washington University and is a Graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School, University of Washington.
Rick Hillier
General (Ret.) Rick Hillier serves as Vice Chairman of the Advisory Board for PACEM Solutions International and PACEM Defense LLC. General Hillier is the former Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) for Canada. He held this appointment from February 4, 2005 until his retirement from active duty on July 2, 2008. General Hillier has commanded troops from the platoon to the Multinational Formation level in Canada, Europe, Southwest Asia, and the United States, and has served as a staff officer at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels.
As well as being the Chief of Land Staff and in addition to multiple domestic and international operations, General Hillier served as the Deputy Commanding General of III Corps, U.S. Army, in Fort Hood, Texas, commanded a NATO division in Bosnia, and commanded the NATO mission, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), in Afghanistan. General Hillier, in addition to being the highest-ranking Newfoundlander in history, has been recognized by many countries besides Canada for his service, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Afghanistan.
General Hillier was noted for his public calls for increased resources for the Canadian Forces, during his tenure as Chief of the Land Staff and as CDS, and was instrumental in a fundamental shift in Canadian military focus to reflect the security threats of today.
In his retirement, General Rick serves his community, the country, and as much of the world as possible with a focus on leadership and charitable endeavors that support veterans. He and his wife Joyce live in Ottawa, sometimes in Newfoundland, and, during those cold Canadian winters, in Florida.