I learned early on how important it is to connect with your clients and see their challenges firsthand. Those experiences taught me the value of taking the time to understand what motivates other people.
Now I’m leading the firm’s Global Defense business. As a leader, it’s important to create an environment where everyone has a fair and equitable chance to make their voice heard and drive our success.
Judi Dotson leads our Global Defense Sector and is a member of the firm’s leadership team. With more than 32 years of experience in consulting services, Judi is well-versed in leading diverse teams with deep mission understanding. She currently oversees teams that provide the Department of Defense (DOD) with functional expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, next-generation data solutions, cyber, advanced software development, and more.
Prior to her current role, Judi led the firm’s National Security Sector leading teams with expertise in cybersecurity; engineering and science; analytics; digital services and mobility; and strategy, organizational development, and workforce management. In this role, Judi managed teams that delivered innovative, highly valued services, capabilities, and solutions that directly impacted core national security missions across national intelligence, military intelligence, and cyber mission providers, as well as functional support to the broader government and commercial markets .
Earlier in her career, Judi led the firm’s work with the Joint Combatant Commands (JCC). Her clients included the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), the Chief Information Officer (CIO), the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), and the Combatant Commands.
Collaborating with these organizations, she and her teams developed market strategies, led business and contract capture activities, and oversaw delivery. She was also responsible for recruiting, developing, and delivering talented teams that consistently exceeded customer expectations.
As a testament to her deep expertise and client support, Judi was named one of WashingtonExec’s Top 25 Executives to Watch in 2021. Over her career, Judi has worked across both defense and civilian clients, with her teams delivering critical programs for Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Education, Environmental Protection Agency, Army, Air Force, Navy, Defense Acquisition University, and other clients.
In addition, Judi has held several internal leadership roles including serving as a member of the Booz Allen Excellence Awards Committee, the Partnership for Public Service Executive Committee, the Facilities Governance Board, and the Women's Golf Network Sponsor. She received a B.S. in computer science from the University of Maryland.
What has been the common thread as your career progressed and you worked with different clients? In my journey at Booz Allen, I stayed with the EPA and other environmental clients for a good 15 years. Then I moved to the defense business, then to military health, then to our Finance, Energy, Economic Development business, then to our Joint Combatant Command business, then to our National Security business, and now, back to defense. While systems development is my background, along the way I listened and developed deep client relationships and an understanding of how to operate a business. That dynamic combination has been the common thread throughout my career.
What excites you about the work that you do? Every day we have the opportunity to help our clients and the people on our team to be successful—to be positioned for their own success as well as the firm’s success. We connect, communicate, and collaborate, all in the name of our defense clients.
Why are you passionate about the work Booz Allen does? The work we do is key to the mission of our clients, and ultimately, to protect and defend the nation and build a better world for the next generation. To me, there is no greater privilege than to be involved in that mission.
You’ve always gotten out there and been with your clients. What kind of a difference does that make? It makes all the difference. I didn’t realize it at the time but getting sent directly to the client site for my first 6 years at Booz Allen was the best thing that could have happened to me. I saw what clients had to deal with, I learned their missions, I understood the pace at which they needed to move and the kinds of services they needed. The relationships you develop when you’re onsite are very different than when you’re just visiting from time to time. The pandemic challenged these relationships, but we successfully pivoted to hybrid work where possible and continued to collaborate in creative ways to meet the client mission while caring for our workforce.
How do you help your clients prepare for the future? We support the critical, no-fail mission for the nation as we work shoulder to shoulder with our clients, on the front lines. Our job is not to just answer the question that they’re asking us but to step back and think more broadly: What’s the question and answer, not just for today but for the future. That’s how we truly build loyalty with our clients. We do that by building solutions in advance of the ask—there are prototypes to show them the possibilities—and really trying to shape their thinking around our thinking as it makes sense for the DOD.
What mentorship advice would you give someone who took on a new leadership role? Surround yourself with a great team. Listen carefully to them, and other people around you. Accept help from those people. And when it’s time to decide, make the decision.
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