Capital Park Partners

Integrity. Acumen. Execution.
Results Delivered.

"Difficulties is the name given to things it is our business to overcome”
- Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, U.S. Navy

Mission

As experienced leaders, we help clients in the United States and abroad to rise above daily distractions and embrace the broader strategic picture.  We navigate uncertain and ever-changing business and government landscapes to achieve critical goals and objectives.

We pride ourselves in learning the complexities of clients and their constituencies so that our strategies are timely, executable and precise – giving us the ability to deliver meaningful client value every single day.

We effectively and efficiently oversee all aspects of organizing, communicating and influencing client interests including:

• Navigating government, legal, regulatory, political, budgetary and appropriations frameworks

• Leading commercial advocacy campaigns

• Securing public and private tenders, projects and grants

• Facilitating equity, debt and project financing

• Enabling international business development, dispute resolution and negotiations

• Gathering and analyzing commercial and geo-political intelligence

• Creating public and private partnerships

• Assisting in export and import transactions

"All organizations are perfectly designed to get the results they are now getting. If we want different results, we must change the way we do things." — Tom Northup.

Vision

Faced with a business problem, personal challenge, government interference or a once in a lifetime opportunity, leaders often apply “familiar” approaches. When desired results are not achieved, leaders often try to make what worked in the past work again by simply exerting more effort or force. As an alternative, our principals deliver unique perspectives, flexible approaches, and well-planned strategies.  We provide persistent determination and execution to successfully operate in today's interconnected and dynamic world. Very simply, we help clients win.

"The will to win is not nearly so important as the will to prepare to win" — Vince Lombardi.

Resources

We have assembled an astute team of experienced professionals and strategic partners to ensure our clients have access to a deep bench of talent capable of addressing opportunities and challenges of all sizes.

Our principals and advisors have high-level relationships, built upon decades of experience, trust and credibility with influential government and business leaders around the world, from diverse entities and organizations including: 

• Entrepreneurial ventures

• Fortune 100 companies

• U.S., state and foreign governments

• U.S. executive agencies including the Departments of:

  • Defense

  • State

  • Homeland Security

  • Transportation

  • Commerce

  • Treasury

  • Energy

  • Interior

• U.S. Congress

• U.S. Intelligence Agencies

• Non-profit organizations

Furthermore, our clients are always assured the engagement is being led by our principals who, along with our trusted advisors, come prepared every day to advance the interests of our clients.

"The only thing that is constant is change."
— Heraclitus of Ephesus, 500 B.C.

Mobile: +1 619 368 8339
mavila@capitalparkpartners.com

Mr. Miguel “Mando” Avila is the Managing Principal of Capital Park Partners LLC. He has served as a diplomatic executive, military officer and public safety expert in the U.S. and overseas, and brings decades of global experience and perspective to the Capital Park Partners’ clientele.

Mr. Avila has consistently achieved meaningful and measurable results in some of the most challenging diplomatic, business and combat environments around the world. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2015 after a distinguished 20-year career.

Most recently, Mr. Avila served as an instructor pilot for the Texas Department of Public Safety - flying missions in both fixed wing and rotary wing assets - to support the mission of combating crime and terrorism, enhancing public safety and assisting in statewide emergency management.

Previously, Mr. Avila flew numerous aircraft with the U.S. Marine Corps, including the venerable CH-46 Sea Knight. He also flew combat support missions in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom – many of them casualty evacuations from front-line operations.

Following graduation from the prestigious Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (the U.S. Marine Corps’ version of TOPGUN) Mr. Avila was chosen as a Marine One pilot to fly U.S. President George W. Bush, other dignitaries and foreign heads of state as an aircraft commander serving in the Presidential Helicopter Squadron (HMX-1) from 2003 to 2007.

Following his service in support of the U.S. President and the White House, then Lieutenant Colonel Avila was selected as the only U.S. Marine Corps officer to attend (2007 to 2008) the U.S. Army’s Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation at Fort Benning, Georgia. Upon graduation, he completed a third flying tour in the Middle East and was selected to attend the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Joint Military Attaché School prior to a three-year tour as the Marine Attaché to the Republic of Indonesia (Jakarta).

Mr. Avila is a graduate (B.S. – Industrial Distribution) of Texas A&M University, and is fluent in Indonesian and Spanish. As a life-long pilot, Mr. Avila has flown more than 3,600 hours spanning more than two decades, he holds a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Rotary Wing Airline Transport Pilot license and maintains type ratings in multiple fixed-wing and rotary wing aircraft.

Mobile: +1 757 567 4730
bdowney@capitalparkpartners.com

Mr. Brian Downey is a Principal with Capital Park Partners LLC, and brings decades of experience to the Capital Park Partners team. His operational acumen, combined with his policy and Defense Department budget expertise bring an incredibly capable skill set to client engagements.

In the final position of a 25-year career as a Naval Officer, Mr. Downey served at the Pentagon as the Senior Navy Advisor for Force Development to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. In this role, he developed and coordinated the yearly Defense Planning Guidance, the document which guides investment for the Defense Department’s $750B annual budget. He was frequently called upon to advise the Deputy Secretary of Defense and to represent DoD to the National Security Council.

Mr. Downey also advised the Policy Secretary on the Program Review and Strategic Portfolio Review processes, shaping the budget and vision for the Department. Additionally, he led Policy’s 2019, 2020, and 2021 Congressional budget rollouts, developed future Pacific force structure, commissioned studies on developing new Arctic seaports and regional security centers, and advised foreign Ministries of Defense on DoD best practices.

During his operational Naval Aviation service, Mr. Downey flew the F-14 Tomcat in combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan during three, six-month warship deployments supporting Operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. Transitioning to the FA-18F Super Hornet, he lived abroad in Japan for six years where he deployed for ten additional multi-month patrols. Serving as fighter squadron Department Head and then Carrier Air Wing Five Operations Officer aboard the USS Kitty Hawk, George Washington, and Ronald Reagan aircraft carriers, he helped protect U.S. interests against foreign adversaries in the waters around the Korean peninsula and in the South China Sea.

Mr. Downey’s diverse education includes engineering, national security, strategy, business, and financial services disciplines. He earned a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy and holds three master’s degrees: a strategy-focused Master’s in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, a defense-focused Executive Master’s of Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a financial-services focused Master’s of National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School. He is PMP-certified, a DoD Joint-Qualified Officer, and a U.S. Navy TOPGUN graduate.

Mobile: +1 202 460 0199
griels@capitalparkpartners.com

Mr. Greg Riels is the Founding Principal of Capital Park Partners LLC, and has served as a strategic adviser to Presidential candidates, a U.S. Senator, Congressional Chiefs of Staff, and flag officers - along with a select clientele of U.S. and international companies, entities and individuals.

Previously, Mr. Riels served as the Director of Government Relations for Advanced Tactical Systems; a U.S. subsidiary of a publicly listed, global defense and aerospace conglomerate with 4,000+ employees and nearly $1 billion in annual revenue. In this position, he led a U.S. team responsible for government and external relations, strategic communications and international business development.

Mr. Riels held the position of Director, Government Affairs, for Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, a leading international law and government relations firm. In this position, Mr. Riels served clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to small businesses representing key global industries including energy, technology and defense.

Previously, Mr. Riels served as a senior aide and military adviser to U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole during her tenure on the prestigious US. Senate Armed Services Committee. In this role, Mr. Riels was responsible for coordinating legislative and oversight efforts among various constituencies including U.S. Senators and Congressmen, U.S. military officers, and senior staff serving in the U.S. Congress, White House, Department of Defense, various U.S. government departments and agencies, as well as foreign government and military officials. 

Prior to his business and public service careers, Mr. Riels served in the U.S. Navy as an F-14 “Tomcat” pilot and as a flight instructor, Admiral’s aide and Navy Reserve officer flying senior Navy Department officials worldwide in the C-37B (Gulfstream 550) aircraft. He also served as a Security Assistance Officer and the Reserve Support Coordinator on the staff of Commander Naval Forces Europe, Commander Naval Forces Africa and Commander Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy. Mr. Riels retired from naval service as a Commander in 2016.

Mr. Riels is a cum laude graduate (B.B.A. – Finance and Management) of Texas A&M University, and earned a Master in Public Leadership degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America and was selected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Texas Lyceum – one of the state’s premier leadership organizations.

An avid pilot, Mr. Riels has flown over 3,000 hours over 33 years. He holds an FAA Airline Transport Pilot license and maintains type ratings in the GulfstreamV and Gulfstream550 aircraft.

rdeschamps@capitalparkpartners.com

Mr. Roberto Deschamps is an Advisor with Capital Park Partners and is an invaluable business management asset to clients both stateside and internationally. With more than 25 years of business management experience, Mr. Deschamps is an expert in strategic planning, cost containment, new business startup and market plan execution.

Mr. Deschamps’ previous banking experience spans over two decades with top tier clients in both Mexico and the United States. As the former Senior Relationship Vice President of BBVA Mexico, he led and managed numerous private banking offices in the country. While in this role, he also coordinated the boards of advisors in each office and oversaw the implementation and coordination of strategy efforts.  Mr. Deschamps has a long track record of success in investment management, capital markets, trust services, wealth planning strategies, global lending and alternative investments for clients in various industries.

Mr. Deschamps’ extensive education includes a Business Administration Degree from Universidad Valle del  Bravo, and an Investment Strategy Advisor Certification from AMIB, (Asociacion Mexicana de lnstituciones Bursatiles).  He is a graduate of the Directive Development Program from IPADE Business School (Universidad Panamericana) as well as the Leadership Development Program at ITESM (Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.) Roberto holds a certificate in International Anti-Money Laundering from the University of Florida, as well as a certificate in Food Safety from Texas A&M University.  He is a Paul Harris Fellow and member of Rotary International.

whalstead@capitalparkpartners.com

Woodrow Halstead serves as an Advisor to Capital Park Partners. Mr. Halstead began his legal career over 20 years ago as a prosecutor for Bexar County, Texas. For 14 years, Mr. Halstead represented the State of Texas as a prosecutor in thousands of criminal cases, ranging from misdemeanors to murders, and concluded his prosecution career as the First Assistant for the Bexar County D.A.’s Office. While serving as the First Assistant, Mr. Halstead was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the third largest District Attorney's Office in Texas and supervised 197 attorneys and over 300 support staff members. In this role, Mr. Halstead led an executive leadership team of eight senior attorneys and managed an annual budget of over $32 million. After leaving the District Attorney’s Office, Mr. Halstead was appointed by the Bexar County Commissioners’ Court to serve as a part-time Criminal Law Magistrate Judge, a position which he currently holds.

In 2019, Mr. Halstead became a principal at the law firm of Daniel & Hudson, and the firm subsequently changed its name to Daniel & Halstead. The firm is a client-focused law firm in San Antonio, TX that specializes in defending individual liberties and freedoms.

In addition to his civilian legal practice, Mr. Halstead served 12 years as a Judge Advocate in the United States Army Reserve and currently serves as a Judge Advocate in the United States Air Force Reserve. As a Judge Advocate, Mr. Halstead has dealt with numerous legal issues including government contracts and fiscal law, military construction projects, administrative law, and military justice. Mr. Halstead’s military service includes three mobilizations in support of Operation Noble Eagle and Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as deployment to the Afghanistan area of operations. He currently serves as the senior legal advisor to one of the largest Wings in the Air Force Reserve.

Mr. Halstead is a graduate of Texas A&M University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science. He subsequently earned his Juris Doctor from St. Mary’s University School of Law. Mr. Halstead is licensed to practice by the Supreme Court of Texas and is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and Federal Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas. Additionally, Mr. Halstead is one of only 867 attorneys in the State of Texas who is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Mr. Halstead is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Texas District & County Attorneys Association and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Crosspoint, Inc., a local nonprofit organization whose mission is to build safer and stronger communities by empowering individuals to lead productive lives.

glengyel@capitalparkpartners.com

Gregory “Greg” Lengyel is a senior national security executive with significant global experience leading in the U.S. military’s special operations community and within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He has achieved measurable operational results in the most challenging environments through transformational organizational management in operations, finance, strategic alliances, logistics, and human resources responsibility for organizations with multi-billion-dollar budgets and thousands of employees. He is a retired U.S. Air Force Major General with 33 years of service.

Major General (ret.) Lengyel most recently served as the Deputy Commander, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), where he managed resources totaling $10 billion of infrastructure, a $1.9 billion annual budget, and 1,750 team members in a multi-service environment to conduct strategic planning and solve our nation’s hardest problems. He also led JSOC’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Council making basing and collection priority decisions for the Department of Defense’s largest consumer of ISR.

As Commander, Special Operations Command Europe, he was the senior U.S. military officer leading 2,500 personnel and managing risk for all U.S. special operations forces in Europe. He built, trained, exercised, and led a cohesive team of nine NATO allies against foreign aggressors.

Greg was handpicked by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force to serve as the Commandant of Cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy. In this capacity Major General (ret.) Lengyel was the Dean of Undergraduates and Military Commander of 4,000 U.S. Air Force Academy Cadets. As the Executive Assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, he managed and led a 100-person staff supporting the senior military officer in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Alliance, and served as a trusted advisor to senior leaders in critical negotiations with heads of state, defense ministers, chiefs of defense, and the international media.

Major General (ret.) Lengyel has commanded at every almost every level in the Air Force and joint special operations aviation community. He has flown 4,000 hours in helicopters, tilt-rotor, and fixed-wing aircraft. Greg earned a BS in Engineering Technology from Texas A&M University and an MS in International Relations from Troy University. He is also a graduate of the Air War College, Joint Forces Staff College, CAPSTONE, and served as a National Defense Fellow at The Brookings Institution.

gmayer@capitalparkpartners.com

George Mayer is a senior aviation executive with extensive national security experience, strong business acumen and management expertise who drives businesses to achieve financial success and operational excellence. George is an entrepreneur and innovator with broad leadership experience within startup, rapid growth circumstances and turnaround challenges across multiple industries. Mr. Mayer is a retired Rear Admiral with 32 years of active-duty service in the U.S. Navy.

For the past thirteen years, Mr. Mayer has managed an aviation company with 72 employees and twelve highly modified business jets providing electronic warfare training and test and evaluation services for the Department of Defense and private industry. In this role, George also managed an FAA certified Part 145 Repair Station and ran a profit and loss center - responsible for a $24M annual budget and $46M in assets.

In his distinguished naval career, Rear Admiral Mayer led at every level across the organization.

As Commander of the Naval Safety Center, he coordinated the efforts of 200 personnel, responsible for all safety policy formulation, data collection, analysis and program development for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. He managed a $20M budget impacting over 500,000 personnel.

As Chief of Naval Air Training, Rear Admiral Mayer led an organization of over 4000 personnel and 400 training aircraft with an annual operating budget of $450M. He was responsible for all aspects of budgeting, operations, training, logistics and life-cycle management. He provided oversight for all training programs in Naval Aviation to prepare students for combat missions in helicopters, propeller aircraft or fighter jets. As Commander of the Navy Region South, he managed six naval bases in Texas and Louisiana providing airport and seaport services.

As Commander of Carrier Strike Group Operation, Rear Admiral Mayer led a group of eight ships and 65 aircraft through a one-year maintenance and training cycle in preparation for overseas deployment. He managed 5000 personnel, $13B in assets and an operating budget of $452M.

As Deputy Director for Operations at U.S, Central Command, Rear Admiral Mayer was responsible for operational coordination and support of personnel deployed to an area of operations spanning 22 countries from eastern Europe to the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He oversaw the efforts of the 85-member operations staff in developing and executing operational plans. In addition, he skillfully led the Crisis Action Team following an attack of the USS Cole, coordinating with all forces involved in the recovery and salvage efforts. He organized the Operations Directorate staff following the events on September 11, 2001, and capably integrated the efforts of augmentees, Reservists, and coalition partners.

George flew the A-7E and F/A-18 as a Navy pilot with over 5,000 flight hours and 1,000 carrier landings. His education includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master’s Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He completed the Executive Training Program from the University of North Carolina, Executive Business training from Babson College and is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

krobnett@capitalparkpartners.com

Kevin Robnett is a senior executive in the private equity, technology, energy and defense sectors. After building a software company that integrates modernized technological capabilities into the oil and gas industry, Kevin co-founded an oil and gas consulting and asset management firm.

Previously, Kevin was Vice President of Limestone Capital Advisors LLC, a private equity firm founded by Admiral Bobby R. Inman, U.S. Navy (ret.) that evaluated and executed investment opportunities for international investors. In this position, Kevin specialized in sourcing U.S energy deals for the Asian market.

Kevin held the position of Deputy General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor to Speaker Joe Straus of the Texas House of Representatives for two legislative sessions. In this role, he managed key policy decisions on energy, business, agriculture, international relations and defense issues facing the State of Texas.

Kevin began his professional career as an analyst, asset manager, and counsel for an independent investor in energy, real estate, and water transactions. Prior to that, Kevin earned his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) at the University of Texas School of Law, during which time he was the special legal assistant to Major General Clyde Tate, U.S. Army (ret.) during the Abu Ghraib prosecution trials and worked with the Iraq Investment and Reconstruction Task Force. Kevin was also a Co-Founder and the Managing Editor of the Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law.

Kevin is a U.S. Navy veteran who served for over 10 years as an intelligence and operations officer with Naval Special Warfare and the U.S. Special Operations Command—Africa. He has deployed to many combat zones including Afghanistan and Africa and holds the highest-level security clearance. Kevin was also the regional Navy lead for the Defense Department’s DIU or Defense Innovation Unit project. In this capacity, Kevin was responsible for coordinating projects designed to bridge military defense needs with private innovation. His leadership continues in the field as the civilian Chairman of the Board of the Washington D.C.-based National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL).

A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Kevin is active in the University of Texas System Chancellor’s and Centurion Councils. In addition to being an inaugural fellow of the NexGen Project at the Straus Center of International Security and Law, he is also a founding member of both the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation’s Stewards of the Wild and was selected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Texas Lyceum – one of the state’s premier leadership organizations.

rwright@capitalparkpartners.com

Mr. Robert (Rob) Wright is an Advisor with Capital Park Partners LLC and brings decades of experience to the Capital Park Partners team. His operational and strategic experiences working within the Department of the Army and the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) offers a unique, functional, and capable skill set to clients. He is a retired U.S. Army Colonel with over 26 years of experience.

Previously Mr. Wright served as the Senior Regular Army Advisor to the Texas State Adjutant General. He advised the leadership of the Texas National Guard on all aspects from manning, training, and equipping an organization consisting of over 19,000 personnel. His efforts consistently facilitated a trained, manned, and equipped organization ready for world-wide missions.

Mr. Wright served directly to the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army leading the Senior Leader Division charged with managing the assignment, utilization, and education of over 3,500 executive level active duty Army leaders. He interacted with numerous executive leaders at the Department of the Army, institutes of higher learning, and numerous “Think Tanks” ensuring the executive level leaders were exposed and educated, ensuring the success of our Nation’s defense. Rob served as the Operations Officer for the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps-Turkey in Istanbul. He coordinated the efforts and operations for over 30 separate strategic country partners. His direct report staff consisted of over 13 separate nationalities. Additionally, Rob was selected by the Chief of Staff of the Army to establish the Army’s “Soldier for Life” program. He led the effort for the Central United States to facilitate the transition of Soldiers into the private sector. He directly coordinated and collaborated with numerous small businesses, fortune 500 companies, trade schools, major universities, and non-profit organizations.

Mr. Wright served two combat tours in Iraq: one as a battalion operations officer and the second as a battalion commander. He was responsible for the security of two separate Iraqi provinces. He directly coordinated the security, training, and deployment of over 35,000 Iraqi Security Forces. During this deployment, he also led two Provincial Reconstruction Teams- one manned by the U.S. Department of State and the second an international team, the only one in Iraq.

Mr. Wright has a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University, a Master of Arts in Management from Webster University, and a Master of Arts in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University’s National War College. Mr. Wright also served as a fellow for Seminar XXI, a fellowship through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) earning a certificate in National Security Strategy. Mr. Wright is a DOD Joint Certified Officer and a graduate of the NATO Senior Officer Policy Course.

Strategic Partner

KSA, LLC, is a Service Disabled Veteran-owned Small Business founded by Lieutenant General (USMC, Retired) Keith Stalder. KSA provides custom consulting solutions, without the overhead cost constraints of larger, less flexible companies, including strategy development, organizational development, program management, training and education, and technology integration.