ABOUT WAYPOINT
Built by People Who’ve Been Inside the Work
Waypoint Advisory was created by public-sector professionals who’ve worked inside the programs, reviews, handoffs, and documentation pressures that agencies manage every day.
We understand what local teams need to keep the work moving now, and what reviewers will look for when the file is examined later.
Why Waypoint Exists
Public programs get difficult when the rules, the paperwork, and the work itself stop lining up. Staff are trying to move projects forward while answering review questions, tracking decisions, keeping documentation together, and figuring out what the funding source requires next.
Waypoint was built for that part of the job. We help teams get control of the work, make the process clearer, and leave behind records and systems that someone else can actually follow.
Our team has worked directly with applicants and inside state-administered programs. We know what it feels like to assemble the file, answer the questions, and keep the work moving, and we also know what the reviewer needs to see when that file reaches the other side.
Waypoint stays deliberately lean so the person responsible for the work is also the person you can reach. Fewer handoffs, fewer layers, and less distance between a problem and the person expected to solve it.
Waypoint is a newer firm, but the people doing the work are decidedly not new to it. We built Waypoint so experienced professionals stay involved from pursuit through delivery instead of handing the engagement off after award.
Leadership
Joseph “Joey” Gallo, CEM, CGMS
Founder and Managing Partner
Certified Emergency Manager | Certified Grants Management Specialist
Joey Gallo brings over 16 years experience in public-sector program delivery, emergency management, and federal grant administration, with a career that spans both government service and private-sector consulting. That combination gives him a practical understanding of what agencies need from their consultants as well as what it takes internally to move complex programs from policy to execution.
His public-sector experience includes work within emergency management and grant-funded programs, where he has been responsible for translating federal requirements into day-to-day operations. In the private sector, Joey has advised state and local clients on FEMA Public Assistance, program implementation, training, and operational improvement. His work has also included developing SOPs and other tools that help organizations strengthen consistency and retain institutional knowledge.
At Waypoint, Joey leads client engagements and provides senior advisory support across disaster recovery and grant-funded programs. His approach is grounded in making complex requirements workable for the people responsible for carrying them out, with an emphasis on clear processes, practical documentation, and solutions that fit the realities of the organization.
Joey is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) and Certified Grants Management Specialist (CGMS) and was featured by the National Grants Management Association (NGMA) in July 2026.
Caitlin Donnelly, CFE
Partner, Operations & Delivery
Certified Fraud Examiner
Caitlin Donnelly has more than a decade of experience in emergency management and federal grant administration, with much of her work focused on disaster recovery. Her career has included leadership and technical roles with state emergency management agencies, FEMA-focused consulting engagements, and local government. That background gives her a practical understanding of both the operational demands facing public agencies and the federal requirements that come with disaster funding.
At Waypoint, Caitlin leads technical work and client engagements involving FEMA Public Assistance and grant compliance. Her work also includes reimbursement, audit readiness, training, and program implementation. She is particularly effective at translating federal and state requirements into processes that fit how an agency actually operates. Her focus is on getting documentation and compliance right early so projects can keep moving without creating unnecessary administrative burden.
Caitlin is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), which brings an added focus on accountability and internal controls to her work. She views compliance as part of effective program delivery rather than a separate exercise. That perspective helps public-sector clients protect funding, strengthen their programs, and move recovery efforts forward with confidence.
Experience Across Programs and Places
The people behind Waypoint have worked across different agencies, funding programs, disasters, and parts of the country. That matters because there is rarely one universal way a public program operates. Different states organize the work differently, different funding sources create different pressures, and local teams have different levels of staff and infrastructure to work with.
Representative geographic experience: Arizona, California, Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oregon, Texas, and Vermont, Washington.
Tell Us What You’re Working On
If you have a program, pursuit, or specific problem where Waypoint may be useful, tell us what is going on. We’ll ask a few questions and tell you directly whether we think we can help.