Shift5, an onboard data company, expanded its leadership team through the appointment of Ellen McDonald (pictured) as General Counsel and the promotions of Mitchell Plonski to Chief Revenue Officer and Amanda Lampert to Chief People Officer. Shift5 also has appointed two federal marketing leaders, Vice President of Marketing, Colby Proffitt, and Head of Federal Marketing, Andy Oare.
McDonald joins Shift5 after most recently serving as General Counsel at Tanium. She will manage all aspects of Shift5’s legal affairs, including corporate governance, compliance, contracts, intellectual property and regulatory matters. McDonald has deep legal experience, having worked for companies of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 500 companies like PricewaterhouseCoopers and blue chips like IBM. This is her third General Counsel role, and as Shift5’s inaugural General Counsel, McDonald will establish Shift5’s legal function, ensuring its ability to maintain rapid growth through strategic legal and policy leadership.
Plonski joined Shift5 in 2019 as Executive Vice President, where he was involved in every facet of the company’s go-to-market strategy and growth across commercial and federal markets. Prior to Shift5, Plonski served in the U.S. military and U.S. Intelligence Community for 13 years in numerous operations and executive management roles. His experience with government acquisition, emerging technology, cybersecurity, and acquisition reform created the base of the company’s sales strategy with the Department of Defense (DoD) and opened the doors to its commercial growth. In his role as CRO, Plonski will oversee Shift5’s revenue-generating processes across federal and commercial markets.
Lampert, who joined Shift5 in 2021, is a former Marine Corps small unit leader, electronic warfare analyst, and disaster response professional who has led several human resources programs across industries. Her work as Shift5’s VP of People resulted in the maturation of its HR systems and processes as the company achieved 54 percent growth in headcount year-over-year. Lampert will be a strategic partner to the C-suite through Shift5’s next growth phase, enabling the company to embrace work reinvention in a post-COVID world.
Proffitt, a technology marketing expert with a deep focus on messaging, positioning and go-to-market strategy, has led global thought leadership and public sector marketing programs for several cybersecurity leaders across the industry. With roots as a consultant and analyst for multiple agencies, including the DoD, Department of State (DoS), the Business Transformation Agency (BTA), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Proffitt’s experience and familiarity with government will bring strategic vision to Shift5’s overall go-to-market strategy. Proffitt will oversee the company’s marketing and PR team, defining and enhancing the company’s brand presence across commercial and federal markets.
Hailing from the Office of the Secretary of Defense as Director of Digital Media within the Public Affairs team, Oare joins as Shift5’s Head of Federal Marketing. He will lead and grow the company’s reputation and thought leadership presence with federal and military stakeholders. At the DoD, Oare implemented the department’s social media policy and oversaw digital communications for the Department and for the Secretary. He has held senior positions with three winning presidential campaigns, served in the Obama Administration at the Department of Energy, and worked for several D.C.-area strategic communications firms.
For more information, visit https://shift5.io.
