Taking the Reins: Alvin Pesachowitz
Taking the Reins: Alvin Pesachowitz
Alvin Pesachowitz
Director of Information Technology Consulting for Grant Thornton, Vienna, Va.
FIRST DAY ON THE JOBJune 19
AGE55
HOMETOWNFlemington, N.J.
HOME NOWFalls Church, Va.
FAMILYWife Connie; three sons: Adam, 28, and twins Eric and Daniel, 24
MOST RECENTLY READ BOOK"River-Horse" by William Least Heat-Moon
HOBBIESPower boating on the Chesapeake Bay; fishing on the Bay, deep sea or anywhere; traveling; investing; golf ("soon")
RESTAURANT/FOODMost ethnic restaurants, including Haandi, Lebanese Taverna, Philin's, Cote D'Or, any good steak or Italian place.
QUOTE"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." — Albert Einstein
VACATION SPOT"Italy or anywhere near or on the water."
EDUCATIONBachelor of arts, liberal arts, and bachelor of science, chemical engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Master's in business management, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
CAREER BACKGROUNDFrom 1971 to 2000, Pesachowitz was with the Environmental Protection Agency, most recently as chief information officer.
BEST CAREER ADVICE YOU EVER RECEIVED"Step up and take the heat," and "Strength is in our people."
How does your 29 years with the federal government translate to your new role at Grant Thornton?"The primary function is to hopefully help the federal government by providing consulting services to them in the area of information technology. My last position [as chief information officer of EPA], as well as being vice chair of the CIO Council has exposed me to many of the issues that face the CIOs in the federal sector. ... I'm hoping with my knowledge of the federal government and of its IT issues, I can contribute back to the government."
What do you see as issues for the federal government?"I think one of the key [issues] is moving toward e-government. Just as the private sector has moved to business-to-business exchange using the Internet, government will look at business-to-government and government-to-citizen, using IT to provide information or create efficiencies and transactions.
"Security will continue to grow [as an issue] as we continue to expand networks. ... I think all the federal government is aware of the problems it faces in security and is beginning to address those issues.
"A third issue might be in area of streamlining and integrating administrative systems, including looking at enterprise resource planning solutions, issues of payroll, personnel, financial grants, contracts and improving the efficiency of the federal sector."