Deloitte adds PSC's Wennergren to executive ranks
By
Nick Wakeman
Dave Wennergren, the Professional Services Council's COO, is leaving that post to join Deloitte as the firm continues to build its stable of high-profile people with deep government expertise.
Deloitte is developing a reputation for its ability to hire well-known and respected people in the government contracting arena.
The latest is Dave Wennergren, who is leaving his post at the Professional Services Council to become managing director at Deloitte Consulting. His focus at Deloitte will be on IT modernization. His last day at PSC is June 30 and his first at Deloitte is July 5.
“It has been a fabulous ride here at PSC,” Wennergren told me. “But this is an opportunity for a whole new adventure.”
The heart of that adventure is working directly with government customers. In a way it is a return to his roots. Much of Wennergren's professional career has been in government, specifically at the Navy and the Defense Department.
Wennergren retired in 2013 as DoD’s assistant deputy management officer and joined CACI International. In 2014, he moved to PSC to manage their technology policy group. In February, he added the chief operating officer title to his job description.
He said he’s proud that the PSC technology practice grew in his three years at the trade association and a successor will be announced in the coming weeks.
The tug back to a more direct involvement with government was strong for Wennergren, especially when he looks at the trends driving the market today.
“I think we are at an inflection point with IT modernization,” he said.
Modernization, cybersecurity initiatives and the power of data analytics give opportunity to have a significant impact on how the government operates, Wennergren told me.
“The government is living with antiquated IT systems that can’t rapidly take advantage of the cloud and mobile and cybersecurity advances,” he said. “So what do you do about it? You need a plan.”
That will be a large portion of his role at Deloitte, working with customers to understand how technology can enable their mission, he said.
Wennergren said he was drawn to Deloitte because of the growth the business has been experiencing but also because of their success in joining technology to their legacy as a consulting firm.
He is also following several other well-known names. The firm has a strong track record going back nearly a decade of recruiting high-profile experts in the government space.
That trend goes back to 2008 with Deloitte's addition of Rep. Tom Davis, who joined the firm after leaving Congress in 2008. Tim Young also joined at about the same time. Young was a former deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget.
That was the start of a steady rise in Deloitte’s profile in the government market. After several years being ranked in the bottom half of our Top 100 list of the largest prime contractors, it now consistently holds a position in the top 25.
Wennergren will join former ASI Government CEO Kymm McCabe, who was hired by Deloitte last year to run their federal digital practice.
More recent hires include Cynthia Vitters, former chief risk officer for the Education Department’s Federal Student Aid risk management office; Dave Mader, former controller in the Office of Management and Budget; Jeneanne Rae, founder and CEO of Motiv Strategies; Justin Johnson, former executive director of the chief human capital officers council at the Office of Personnel Management; and Jon Holladay, former chief financial officer, at the Agriculture Department.
All of these folks are part of a federal team led by Dan Helfrich, principal and federal government services leader.