For many years, I served in leadership positions in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other parts of the federal government; I had the opportunity to see how Booz Allen works and to become acquainted with some of the people at the firm. What I experienced was a company that really thinks about and lives the client’s mission. So, when I left government, I wanted to come to Booz Allen.
I like the quality of the folks that I work with every day and the caliber of the thinking that goes into solutions we create for clients. Booz Allen looks at problems from all angles and develops solutions that nobody’s really thought of before in quite the same way. The enthusiasm the people here bring to addressing their clients’ challenges is inspiring.
As the co-lead of the Booz Allen FEMA account, I help coordinate and oversee all of the work we do at FEMA, We serve the agency in many areas, such as helping with preparedness grants, preparedness doctrine, response planning at both the national and regional levels, and strategic planning and policy support.
It’s the opportunity to be involved with one of the most unique missions in government—to literally help respond to, prepare for, and recover from disasters. Booz Allen has provided me with the opportunity to continue to be part of that mission.
I actually have several mentors. One has been invaluable in helping me learn about Booz Allen’s business processes and how the firm staffs projects and applies resources in order to support a client problem. I also mentor a number of staff and peers myself. They may want to better understand a Booz Allen procedure, gain insight on particular client issues, or discuss ways to guide the careers of their own staff.
Booz Allen thinks first about making a client’s mission successful. We will literally reach out through the entire firm to find the right skill set or thought leadership or piece of intellectual capital to address a client’s particular challenges. We also have a broad reach across other parts of government and are able to connect clients to issues and people and solutions they might not otherwise have known about. For many clients that’s as valuable as our technical expertise.
Working at Booz Allen has exposed me to a broader suite of capabilities that are available to help clients—not just within the emergency management space, but across different federal agencies. The firm also encourages staff to be active in professional associations and contribute ideas within our fields. I was recently asked to join the DomPrep40, an advisory body to the Domestic Preparedness Journal. I think my selection is testimony to the outstanding work we do here at Booz Allen and to the way the firm served me when I was at FEMA.
Being ready for what’s next is part of emergency management—we work alongside FEMA and other DHS clients to help the public and the country’s infrastructure systems withstand disasters, whether they be manmade or natural. We’ve partnered with our clients on some very thorny issues in regards to national planning for major catastrophic events. We strive to develop solutions, so that our clients’ work will continue to translate into fewer lives lost in disasters, a better-prepared nation, and ultimately a speedy recovery when something does happen.
