Guidehouse names Don Heckman as defense cyber solutions leader
Management and technology consultancy Guidehouse has appointed Don Heckman as leader of defense cyber solutions.
Heckman brings more than 36 years of Department of Defense (DoD) and intelligence community cybersecurity experience to Guidehouse, where he will advise defense sector clients on cyber strategy, policy, security architecture and engineering, identity and access management, and data protection, among other areas.
“Don is a renowned cyber professional with extensive experience in national security. We are honored to have him spearhead our Defense Cyber Solutions efforts,” said Ed Meehan, partner and defense segment leader at Guidehouse. “In his new role, Don will work with our DoD clients to develop and evolve their cybersecurity programs to help them anticipate and mitigate cyber risks.”
Before joining Guidehouse in 2020 as a cybersecurity director, he served as the Pentagon’s deputy chief information security officer – overseeing the DoD’s $8 billion cybersecurity program and ensuring compliance with US laws and regulations.
Before that, Heckman was deputy chief of cybersecurity solutions and chief of the architecture group at the National Security Agency (NSA). He began his career at the NSA in 1983, holding increasingly senior technical and management positions.
Heckman holds a master’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from The Johns Hopkins University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Drexel University.
“I’m thrilled about this new role as it allows me to leverage my own experience while also partnering with Guidehouse’s industry, data analytics, AI, IT strategy and Enterprise Risk Management experts to develop innovative, resilient solutions to our clients’ most complex issues,” Heckman said.
Guidehouse, alongside rival Booz Allen, are popular destinations for high-ranking federal civil servants. Some of Guidehouse’s high-profile additions in the last two years include Patricia Cogswell, former deputy administrator for the TSA; Marianne Bailey, former deputy national manager for US national security systems at the NSA; and Michael Hoskin, former US Army Corps director of contracting.
The consulting firm, which recently won a five-year contract from the DoD to transform its financial management, has approximately 8,000 global professionals that advise public sector and highly regulated industries on management, technology, and risk.