The Desoto Group’s Leadership Team
Our leadership is composed of highly educated and experienced professionals focused on building strong, collaborative relationships with our clients. Our team has MBAs, a CPA, a JD, Bachelor’s degrees, and PE and PMP engineering licenses between them.
Ms. Montgomery is the founder, and current Chief Executive Officer and President of The Desoto Group. A seasoned executive with exceptional leadership skills and an outstanding record of operational improvement, Ms. Montgomery continues to break glass ceilings at the helm of her company.
Ms. Montgomery is a hands-on CEO, responsible for the oversight of day-to-day operations for the company’s multiple business lines and maintaining strong relationships with both public and private partners. Her focus on the design and implementation of operations strategy and account oversight programs ensures a synchronized corporate-wide message.
Ms. Montgomery’s expertise and professionalism is derived from over 30 years of combined experience in public administration, public/private partnerships, C-Level executive management, and service to her country. She understands the issues, challenges, and opportunities of doing business in today’s environment, particularly as it relates to public utilities policy and regulations, construction, and workforce development.
Ms. Montgomery is a U.S. Army veteran who participated in both Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. In addition to her military experience, she possesses a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees. Her service in the U.S. Army, the Executive Office of the Governor, and as a longtime government affairs consultant to Fortune 500 companies has afforded her the ability to harness partnerships, develop unique and individualized strategic infrastructure solutions for the benefit of clients worldwide.
Sonya Montgomery
Chief Executive Officer & President
Sherese McGriff
Chief Executive Officer and PresidentMrs. McGriff is the Chief Executive Officer and President of The Desoto Group. She brings over 20 years of operational and administrative leadership experience, including the skills necessary to cultivate a dynamic corporate environment that is driven to achieve customer satisfaction. As CEO, she is fully immersed in overseeing day-to-day operations for Desoto’s multiple business lines, and maintaining strong relationships with Desoto’s public and private partners.
Mrs. McGriff’s expertise is derived from her experience in policy development and review, over 20 years of business management, 15 years of storm damage restoration management, and 10 years of contract management and construction project management. Her extensive training in emergency management and public safety and security gives her the organizational and management skills necessary to excel in the EPC industry. Mrs. McGriff is a licensed General Contractor in multiple states, certified in FEMA Level III Emergency Management, and a certified SHRM Human Resources Manager.
Ms. Guariniello serves a dual role as both The Desoto Group’s General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. As General Counsel, Ms. Guariniello advises the executive team on legal issues and risk mitigation strategies. As Chief Compliance Officer, she is responsible for designing, implementing and monitoring processes to ensure The Desoto Group complies with all applicable laws and regulations.
Ms. Guariniello was previously an associate in Holland & Knight LLP’s corporate services department, focusing her practice on mergers and acquisitions, securities law, and general corporate governance. Her experience includes representing a wide variety of clients, both private and public companies, in various buy- and sell-side transactions valued between $2 million and $3 billion.
Ms. Guariniello earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Florida’s Fredric G. Levin College of Law with numerous awards, and her bachelor’s degree in International Business and Marketing from the University of Tampa John Sykes College of Business.
Gabriella Guariniello
General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer
Cavin Greenup
Chief of Staff
Cavin Greenup is an accomplished administrative professional with 17 years of experience in leadership and operational management. He holds a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of South Florida.
Past experience includes him serving as Administrative Officer with the Department of Corrections, where he played a pivotal role in streamlining processes, improving efficiency, and ensuring compliance with regulatory policies. His extensive background in administration, coupled with his strategic mindset, allows him to effectively support executive leadership and drive organizational success.
As the Chief of Staff at The Desoto Group he is responsible for overseeing internal operations, optimizing workflow, and enhancing communication across departments to support the company’s mission and growth. His expertise in organizational management, problem-solving, and team coordination makes him a valuable asset to the firm.
Beyond his professional endeavors, he has been married for 19 years and enjoys practicing Jiu-Jitsu and traveling, embracing new cultures and experiences.
Mr. Rivera serves as the Vice President of Vegetation Management for The Desoto Group. In this role, Mr. Rivera continues to drive safety, innovation, and operational excellence within the vegetation management business line. His vision is to revolutionize vegetation management strategies, ensuring a sustainable, diverse, and reliable future for utility companies and their customers, with a strong emphasis on workforce development representative of the local communities they serve.
Over the course of his two-decade career, Mr. Rivera has held virtually every position in the utility line clearance business, beginning as a groundman. Immediately prior to joining The Desoto Group, Mr. Rivera held operational oversight responsibilities for numerous regions across the U.S. and Canada performing a wide range of services which encompassed all aspects of utility vegetation management. These work scopes include all aspects of distribution, transmission, Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM), New Right-of-Way (ROW) clearing, storm response, environmental compliance, and much more. His strategic leadership and operational acumen have played a pivotal role in optimizing vegetation management processes, ensuring the reliability and safety of utility infrastructure.
Mr. Rivera earned a bachelor’s degree from the University College of Puerto Rico. He is an ISA Certified Arborist and Certified Utility Specialist, certified as both a Tree Care Safety Professional (TCIA) and Arborist Advance Climbing Trainer, and holds pesticide licenses in multiple states.
Jose Rivera
Vice President of Vegetation Management
Curtis Bradley
Vice President of Electrical Construction
As Vice President of Safety, Quality, and Training, Mr. Bradley is responsible for building strong relationships with the operation segments across our company, as well as with the customers Desoto serves. His passion and mission is to establish a focus-based safety and training culture for all Desoto employees.
Mr. Bradley has a vast background in the utility distribution field, including overhead, underground, substation, apprenticeship, and field leadership training with a respectable understanding of utility transmission and fiber optics. Mr. Bradley has a high regard for serving others, and continues to teach a Lineman Program he created at a local Community College, the nation’s first pre-apprentice weekend lineman program. He has created pre-apprentice “Lineman Programs” throughout the State of Mississippi.
Mr. Bradley earned his bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety and Health from Columbia Southern University and his Industrial Maintenance and Fiberoptics Splicing Certificates from Meridian Community College.