Strategic Advisors to Government Executives

The Strategic Advisors to Government Executives network is comprised of more than 120 former political and career executives who continue their commitment to public service by supporting current government leaders. By sharing their extensive experience and expertise, SAGEs help senior executives create and manage a more effective and efficient government.

Contact

Interested in connecting with a SAGE? Please contact Kelly Shih at kshih@ourpublicservice.org for more information.

Spread across five communities of practice—Chief Acquisition Officers, Chief Financial Officers, Chief Human Capital Officers, Chief Information Officers and Chief Operating Officers—SAGEs have deep expertise in many critical areas. They lend their knowledge and insights to help senior leaders navigate the complex federal environment and the political, management, legal and fiduciary demands of their positions.

Co-Chairs

SAGE co-chairs are integral to the success of our program. These talented executives each lead one of our five SAGE communities and ensure that we are coordinating effectively across them. The co-chairs also collaborate with the Partnership to set the strategic direction for the program, recruit new members and engage existing SAGEs in our efforts to support federal leaders.

Jim Williams

Chief Acquisition Officer SAGE Co-Chair

Jim Williams has over 38 plus years of successful public and private sector experience, over 18 at the federal senior executive level, leading major program and acquisition organizations. He also had leadership roles in government nonprofits, including serving as co-chair for the Partnership for Public Service’s Strategic Advisors to Government Executives community, ACT-IAC Industry Chair, and Strategic Advisor to the Government Services and Technology Coalition.

Full Bio

Brodi Fontenot

Chief Financial Officer SAGE Co-Chair

Brodi Fontenot is a recognized expert in federal management, federal process improvement, and using performance and budget data to improve agency processes for better results. He was previously a top management official at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and U.S. Department of Transportation. Mr. Fontenot also served as a staff member of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, where he oversaw and helped guide legislative development of federal spending.

Ventris Gibson

Chief Human Capital Officer SAGE Co-Chair

Ventris Gibson was appointed as the District of Columbia’s Director of the Department of Human Resources by Mayor Muriel Bowser on August 3, 2015. Ms. Gibson provides leadership for the development, execution and management of the District’s human resources program that serves 35,500 employees and 650,000 residents.

Full Bio

John Gilligan

Chief Information Officer SAGE Co-Chair

John M. Gilligan is executive chairman of the Center for Internet Security, a nonprofit cyber security company. He is also co-chair of the AFCEA Cyber Committee and president of the Gilligan Group, Inc., a cyber and IT consulting firm.

Full Bio

Beth McGrath

Chief Operating Officer SAGE Co-Chair

Elizabeth (Beth) McGrath is a Managing Director in Deloitte’s Federal practice. Ms. McGrath has broad, multi-disciplined, strategic and operational management experience acquired from more than 25 years successful performance in the federal government, while in positions up to the undersecretary level of the Department of Defense.

Full Bio

NUMBER OF SAGES

120

NUMBER OF POLITICAL APPOINTEES ACROSS FOUR ADMINISTRATIONS

33

NUMBER OF CAREER SENIOR EXECUTIVES

77

NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

35

AVERAGE YEARS OF GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE

20-30

AVERAGE NUMBER OF HOURS CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROGRAM ANNUALLY

500

SAGE Roadmaps

The SAGE network has produced roadmap reports for our CAO, CFO, CHCO and CIO communities. These resources support federal leaders who may be serving in these positions or collaborating with them. They outline strategic and operational responsibilities for the roles, challenges that executives may be addressing, resources that are available to help, and stakeholders who can support them.

Download CAO Roadmap
Download CFO Roadmap
Download CHCO Roadmap
Download CIO Roadmap

Active SAGE Members

CAO SAGEs

Jim Williams, Co-Chair
Former Commissioner, Acting Administrator, Federal Acquisition Service, General Services Administration

Allan Burman
Former Administrator, Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget

Rob Burton
Former Acting Administrator, Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget

Michael Fischetti
Former Director, Acquisition Management and Support, Department of Defense

Ronald Flom
Former Associate Director for Management Services, Office of Personnel Management

Gregory Giddens
Former Chief Acquisition Officer, Department of Veteran Affairs

Richard Ginman
Former Director, Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy (DPAP), Department of Defense

David Grant
Former Chief Procurement Officer, Federal Emergency Management Agency

Steve Kelman
Former Administrator, Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget

Kymm McCabe
Former Deputy Director, Office of Business Transformation, Department of the Army

Diann McCoy
Former Component Acquisition Executive, Defense Information Systems Agency, Department of Defense

Anne Rung
Former U.S. Chief Acquisition Officer, Executive Office of the President

Mary Lynn Scott
Former Director, Division of Contracts, Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Stan Soloway
Former Deputy Undersecretary of Acquisition Reform, Defense Reform Initiative, Department of Defense

Pat Tamburrino
Former Chief of Staff for the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Department of Defense

Karen Wilson
Former Member of the Board of Visitors, Department of Defense

CFO SAGEs

Brodi Fontenot, Co-Chair
Former Assistant Secretary for Management and Chief Financial Officer, Department of the Treasury

Doug Criscitello
Former Chief Financial Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development

Vincent Dennis
Former Deputy Director and Chief Financial Officer, National Reconnaissance Office

Vincette Goerl
Former Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture

W. Todd Grams
Former Chief of Staff, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Information Officer, Internal Revenue Service

Bob Hale
Former Undersecretary of Defense and Chief Financial Officer, Department of Defense

Sallyanne Harper
Former Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Government Accountability Office

Jon Holladay 
Former Chief Financial Officer, Department of Agriculture 

Roger Kodat
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of the Treasury

Joseph Kull
Former Deputy Controller for Federal Financial Management, Office of Management and Budget

Shoshana Lew
Former Chief Financial Officer, Department of Transportation

Dave Mader
Former Controller and Acting Deputy Director for Management, Office of Management and Budget

Scott Quehl
Former Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration, Department of Commerce

Robert Shea
Former Associate Director for Administration and Government Performance, Office of Management and Budget

Hal Steinberg
Former Deputy Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management, Office of Management and Budget

James Taylor
Former Chief Financial Officer, Department of Labor

Kathleen Turco
Former Chief Financial Officer, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs

Mark Weatherly
Former Deputy Associate Director of Housing, Treasury and Commerce, Office of Management and Budget

CHCO SAGEs

Ventris Gibson, Co-Chair
Former Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services

Napoleon Avery
Former Chief Human Capital Officer, Small Business Administration

Jeri Buchholz
Former Chief Human Capital Officer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Roger Campbell
Former Chief Human Capital Officer, National Reconnaissance Office

Rebecca Contreras
Former Chief Human Capital Officer, Department of the Treasury

Michael Cushing
Former Senior Vice President for Resource and Information Management, Export-Import Bank of the U.S.

Melinda Darby
Former Executive Director, The Wounded, Ill, and Injured Senior Oversight Committee, Department of Defense

Ronald Flom
Former Associate Director for Management Services, Office of Personnel Management

Daniel Ginsberg
Former Assistant Secretary for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, U.S. Air Force

Chuck Grimes
Former Chief Operating Officer, Office of Personnel Management

Michael Hager
Former Assistant Secretary for Human Resources, Department of Veterans Affairs Acting Director, Office of Personnel Management

Cynthia Heckmann
Former Chief Human Capital Officer, Government Accountability Office

Jody Hudson 
Former Chief Human Capital Officer, Department of Energy 

Gail Lovelace
Former Assistant Administrator and Chief People Officer, General Services Administration

Christine Major 
Former Chief Human Capital Officer, Department of Health and Human Services 

Kathryn Medina
Former Executive Director, Chief Human Capital Officers Council, Office of Personnel Management

William Milton
Former Chief Human Capital Officer, Department of Agriculture

Jeff Neal
Former Chief Human Capital Officer, Department of Homeland Security

Ron Sanders
Former Chief Human Capital Officer, Office of the Director of National Intelligence

John Sepulveda
Former Assistant Secretary of Human Resources, Department of Veterans Affairs

Myra Shiplett
Former Director, Center for Human Resources Management, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

Felícita Solá-Carter
Former Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer, Social Security Administration

Pat Tamburrino
Former Chief Human Capital Officer, Department of Defense

Reginald Wells
Former Deputy Commissioner for Human Resources, Social Security Administration

CIO SAGEs

John Gilligan, Co-Chair
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of Energy and U.S. Air Force

Jonathan Alboum
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of Agriculture 

Frank Baitman
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of Health and Human Services

Roger Baker
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs

Alan Balutis
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of Commerce

Robert Brese
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of Energy

Paul Brubaker
Former Director of Planning and Performance Management, Department of Defense

Dick Burk
Former Associate Deputy Chief Information Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development

L. Reynolds Cahoon
Former Chief Information Officer, National Archives and Records Administration

Scott Charbo
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of Homeland Security

Dan Chenok
Former Branch Chief for Information Policy and Technology, Office of Management and Budget

Casey Coleman
Former Chief Information Officer, General Services Administration

Linda Cureton
Former Chief Information Officer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Karen Evans
Former Administrator for the Office of E-Government and Information Technology, Office of Management and Budget

Mark Forman
Former Administrator for the Office of E-Government and Information Technology, Office of Management and Budget

Stephen Galvan
Former Deputy Administrator, Chief Operating Officer, Chief of Staff and Chief Information Officer, Small Business Administration

Sonny Hashmi
Former Chief Information Officer, General Services Administration

Robert Haycock
Former Chief Information Officer and Chief Architect, National Business Center, Department of the Interior

Vance Hitch
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of Justice

Ira Hobbs
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of the Treasury

Michael Howell
Former Deputy Administrator for the Office of E-Government and Information Technology, Office of Management and Budget

Peter Levin
Former Chief Technology Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs

John Marshall
Former Assistant Administrator for Management and Chief Information Officer, United States Agency for International Development

Dave McClure
Former Associate Administrator, Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, General Services Administration

Edward Meagher
Former Deputy Chief Information Officer, Department of the Interior

Dan Mintz
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of Transportation

Molly O’Neill
Former Chief Information Officer, Environmental Protection Agency

Gloria Parker
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development

David Powner
Former Director of IT Management Issues, Government Accountability Office 

Anne Reed
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of Agriculture

Christine Rider
Former Chief Information Officer, Small Business Administration

Patrick Schambach
Former Chief Information Officer, Transportation Security Administration

Lisa Schlosser
Former Federal Deputy Chief Information Officer, Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget

Henry Sienkiewicz
Former Chief Information Officer, Defense Information Systems Agency, Department of Defense

John Sindelar
Former Associate Administrator at the Office of Government-wide Policy, General Services Administration

Richard Spires
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of Homeland Security

W. Hord Tipton
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of the Interior

Peter Tseronis
Former Chief Technology Officer, Department of Energy

Alan Wade
Former Chief Information Officer, Central Intelligence Agency

Dave Wennergren
Former Assistant Deputy Chief Management Officer, Department of Defense

Frontis Wiggins
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of State 

Jerry Williams
Former Chief Information Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development

COO SAGEs

Beth McGrath, Co-Chair
Former Deputy Chief Management Officer, Department of Defense

Charles F. Bolden, Jr.
Former Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Rafael Borras
Former Under Secretary for Management, Department of Homeland Security

Michell Clark 
Former Assistant Secretary of Management, Department of Education 

David Cohen
Former Deputy Director, Central Intelligence Agency

Nani Coloretti
Former Deputy Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development

Chris Cummiskey
Former Acting Under Secretary Management and Chief Acquisition Officer, Department of Homeland Security

Michael Donley
Former Secretary of the Air Force, U.S. Air Force

Michéle Flournoy
Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Department of Defense

Chuck Grimes
Former Chief Operating Officer, Office of Personnel Management

Krysta Harden
Former Deputy Secretary, Department of Agriculture

Ned Holland
Former Assistant Secretary for Administration, Department of Health and Human Services

Patrick Kennedy
Former Under Secretary of State for Management, Department of State

Krista Paquin
Former Deputy Associate Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Bob Perciasepe
Former Deputy Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency

John Porcari
Former Deputy Secretary, Department of Transportation

Gale Rossides
Former Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer, Transportation Security Administration

Dan Tangherlini
Former Administrator, General Services Administration

Danny Werfel
Former Acting Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service

SAGE Emeriti

The Partnership has appreciated the support of many exceptional former political and career executives from across government who have dedicated their time and expertise as a member of our SAGE community. We thank each of them for their contributions, which have been instrumental in helping us achieve our impact.

Tony Cicco
Formerly with the Government Accountability Office

Mary Ellen Beach 
Formerly with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Michael Dominguez
Formerly with the Department of Defense

Pat Healy
Formerly with the Department of Agriculture

Kathleen Hirning
Formerly with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Lee Holcomb
Formerly with the Department of Homeland Security

Marvin Langston
Formerly with the Department of Defense

Norm Lorentz
Formerly with the Office of Management and Budget

Dan Matthews
Formerly with the Department of Transportation

George Molaski
Formerly with the Department of Transportation

Kimberly Nelson
Formerly with the Environmental Protection Agency

Charlie Williams
Formerly with the Department of Defense

Staff

Members from the Partnership staff will work with you to ensure that your experience goes smoothly.

Interested in becoming a SAGE? Admission to this network is by invitation only. Please contact Kelly Shih at kshih@ourpublicservice.org if you have any questions.