Beacon Global Strategies (BGS), a leading strategic advisory firm focusing on global public policy, government procurement, emerging technology, and geopolitical risk analysis, today announced the expansion of its National Security Technology Practice. BGS has added to its ranks former Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) Ms. Suzette Kent, Cybersecurity expert Ms. Julie Grundman, Government Technology Procurement and Acquisition leader Ms. Elizabeth Hampton, former Senate Intelligence Budget and Policy Director Ms. Tara C. McFeely and former DoD Science and Technology expert Ms. Whitney McNamara who will bring decades of experience in cybersecurity, IT modernization, intelligence, and defense innovation.
“We are thrilled to expand our National Security Technology Practice by welcoming such a highly respected group of experts and look forward to the value they will add to our team,” said Jeremy Bash, Partner and Managing Director at BGS.
BGS’s National Security Technology Practice is focused on enabling collaboration between U.S. technology innovators and the national security community. The Practice is led by BGS Managing Director Lauren Bedula and supported by BGS Senior Counselor and former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell, and BGS Senior Advisors former DoD CIO Dana Deasy, former Vice Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Sandy Winnefeld, former Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Robert Cardillo, former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force for ISR General Dash Jamieson, former Commander of Navy Cyber Command Admiral TJ White, Former Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army General Joe Anderson.
“The U.S. Government understands that it needs to take advantage of disruptive technologies to maintain our competitive posture,” said BGS National Security Technology Practice Lead Lauren Bedula, “We know how to navigate government procurement and team with innovators to ensure the best technologies America has to offer are available for members of our national security community.”
Ms. Suzette Kent joins BGS as Senior Advisor. Prior to joining BGS, Ms. Kent served as the Federal CIO. She joined government from industry where she has been a global leader in large-scale business transformation and has worked with many of the world’s most complex organizations. Her experiences cover a wide spectrum, which include technology development, product design, customer servicing, merger and acquisition, technology and risk policy and establishing new global industry capabilities. Before taking the role of Federal CIO, Ms. Kent spent over 29 years in the financial services industry where she served as a principal at EY, partner at Accenture, consulting president at Carreker Corporation, and Managing Director at JPMorgan. Ms. Kent currently serves a board member and senior advisor for businesses and multiple technology organizations. She has been a frequent speaker in global industry forums, publisher of thought leadership pieces, and holds patents in banking processes.
About Beacon Global Strategies
Founded in 2013, Beacon Global Strategies is a bipartisan strategic advisory firm that provides clients an in-depth understanding of national security decision-making to advance objectives and solve problems in Washington and abroad. The Beacon team brings experience informed by their years of service in the White House, State Department, Defense Department, CIA, Justice Department, on Capitol Hill, and in the private sector.