WASHINGTON, July 16, 2012—The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has named Michèle Flournoy, the former U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, as a senior advisor.
Flournoy served as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the Department of Defense from February 2009 to February 2012. As the third-ranking official in the DoD, she served as the principal advisor to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta in the formulation of national security and defense policy, oversight of military plans and operations, and in National Security Council deliberations. She also led the development of the department’s new strategic guidance and represented the DoD in dozens of foreign engagements, in the media, and before Congress.
Flournoy joins BCG’s growing Public Sector practice, where she will provide advice on driving change in the government arena to BCG teams and the governments they are supporting around the world.
“Michèle has served at the forefront of efforts to redefine U.S. national security in the post-9/11 world, while also helping to lead the DoD in a time of global challenges,” said Joe Davis, a BCG senior partner and head of the U.S. Public Sector practice, based in Washington. “Her strategic insight and experience will be invaluable in helping our government clients tackle their most critical challenges.”
Prior to her confirmation as Under Secretary, Flournoy co-led President Obama’s transition team at the Department of Defense.
In January 2007, she cofounded the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a non-partisan think tank dedicated to developing strong, pragmatic, and principled national security policies. She served as CNAS’s president until returning to government service in 2009.
Before cofounding CNAS, she was a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and served as a distinguished research professor at the National Defense University.
Flournoy was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service in 1998, 2011, and 2012 and is a recipient of several other DoD and Joint Chiefs of Staff civilian awards.
She is a member of the Defense Policy Board, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Aspen Strategy Group, and several nonprofit boards.