I have an analytics background, having worked with clients in defense, energy, transportation, and the environment. Now I’m positioning Booz Allen’s expertise in consulting and big data to bring change to the healthcare market, using what I call “productive disruption” to achieve success.
I’m the executive sponsor of the firm’s African-American Forum, furthering my work promoting diversity of gender, ethnicity, and thought across the company.
And I also might be the only Booz Allen executive to invest in an Academy Award-winning film.
As a leader in Booz Allen’s civil and commercial health business, Robert Silverman supports the data analytics and social science needs of clients such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
For over a decade, Robert has provided analytics, operations research, and program management services to a broad range of the firm’s civil government, defense, and commercial clients in areas including health, energy, transportation, and infrastructure.
He has been published for his research on advanced analytics for capital program management. He has also been active with a variety of organizations including the National Academies of Science, the Partnership for Public Service, the Project Management Institute, the Electronic Health Initiative, and the Association of Government Accountants.
Prior to joining Booz Allen, Robert worked for Logistics Management Institute, the University of Baltimore, and KPMG Consulting.
He has a B.S. in mathematical sciences, a B.A. in economics, and an M.S. in systems analysis for public decision making from Johns Hopkins University.
Why are you passionate about your work at Booz Allen? For people who know me, they know I’m passionate about everything I do. Whether it’s rooting for the Ravens, or the Orioles, or coaching youth sports, I feel passionate about all those things in general. But for my work, I have a passion about serving the public sector, which at the end of the day is all of us, and working with really smart people.
How do you motivate your team? What’s great is how passionate they all are about health. They start off motivated. When it comes to ideas like curing cancer, or providing affordable health care, or preventing the spread of disease, they are all over it. It’s beautiful to see. And at Booz Allen, they have the opportunity to work with the A team—incredibly motivating. This team has the ability to serve and work with smart clients on cool challenges every day.
What do you see as your clients’ most pressing needs? The idea of precision medicine really motivates me and is top of mind for our clients. In precision medicine, we want to harness the biggest of big data for good. If we can harness data to fight the bad guys, how can we harness it to help the good guys? It’s a pressing challenge and completely disruptive.
What worries your clients? At the highest levels, they worry about improving the health and wellness of our country—curing and treating disease, preventing epidemics, and ensuring access to care. This translates to business challenges, like how to approve new drugs in a timely manner, make smart investments in new innovations, share data, reduce fraud, or ensure our citizens can afford healthcare.
What is great business advice you share with your team? We should do what we are passionate about. Also, ask the bigger questions. We like to jump to the answer because we like to fix things. But the real trick is asking the right questions and having a frame of reference.
What advice would you give to yourself as a young professional? I would tell myself to take my time. Don’t be in such a rush.
What is something you feel nostalgic for? I grew up in a blue-collar area of Baltimore, and I loved the fact that it was a melting pot of religions, ethnicities, and socioeconomic status. We were all different but all in it together.
What’s something not a lot of people know about you? I was an investor in an Academy Award-winning movie. I invested in Sling Blade. A friend of mine from Johns Hopkins University made that movie, and I invested in it. Also, I went to 12 years of Catholic school and married my high school sweetheart.
What can we do to be happier in life? Enjoy the pursuit and live in the moment. Assume the best about people until proven otherwise.
Where do you see Booz Allen in the next 100 years? We will still be focused on clients. I don’t know the “what” of the things we will do, but I know the “who” and “how”—smart, passionate people facing tough challenges.
Want a job like Robert's?
Booz Allen's people-focused culture is a cornerstone of our history and how we're able to create an amazing workplace. Learn more by exploring our current openings.