Josephine "Joey" Tientcheu is a technology leader, military officer, and founder whose career spans national security, research, academia, and entrepreneurship. As Founder & CEO of Brāv Vantage, Inc. and a champion of the military and veteran business community, Joey's mission aligns seamlessly with the Maryland Veterans Chamber of Commerce's commitment to providing veterans with the resources and tools needed to thrive in today's dynamic economic landscape.
 

Joey founded Brāv Vantage (formerly Brāv Buddies), a communications intelligence platform that transforms fragmented text replies into a unified operational picture for organizations coordinating distributed teams under time pressure — without requiring anyone to change how they communicate. With the Army National Guard as its beachhead market, Brāv Vantage brings battle-tested coordination challenges to the center of its product design. Over the past year, Joey has sharpened the company's go-to-market strategy through the Johns Hopkins Alumni Accelerator, built out its early customer development function, and launched a fellowship program that develops the next generation of go-to-market and cybersecurity talent — extending her mentorship ethos directly into how she builds her company.
 

Professionally, Joey serves as a Lead Cybersecurity Researcher at a Federally Funded Research & Development Center (FFRDC), where she leads a multi-component oversight program assessing the security, effectiveness, and mission-readiness of joint cyber warfighting capabilities, and serves as the primary point of contact for her Department of Defense client. Her analyses directly inform decision-making that safeguards our nation's defense infrastructure. As an Engineer Officer and Platoon Leader in the Maryland Army National Guard — and the only female officer in the state's Guard serving in an engineering leadership role — Joey recently completed the 19-week Engineer Basic Officer Leadership Course, deepening the leadership, resilience, and strategic planning that define her service.
 

Academically, Joey is a Doctor of Engineering candidate in Cybersecurity Analytics at George Washington University, where her doctoral research advances adaptive, privacy-preserving explainable AI for intrusion detection — work at the leading edge of trustworthy AI for cyber defense. Her educational background, which includes an Honors Associate in Political Science, a Bachelor's in Accounting, and a Master's in Data Analytics & Policy from Johns Hopkins University, reflects her lifelong learner mindset and innovator's edge at the intersection of technology and national security.
 

Beyond her professional and academic pursuits, Joey remains deeply committed to mentorship and service. She sits on the board of the Defense Entrepreneur Forum, mentors rising cybersecurity professionals as a Scholars Mentor for the NobleReach Foundation, and continues to champion junior officers through the Army Junior Officer Counsel (AJOC), where she has authored mentorship frameworks and led communications ensuring retention strategies are informed by those who serve. Joey embodies the core values of Purpose, Resilience, Service, and Community — leaving a lasting impact on the veteran and military communities she so passionately supports.