It’s been two years since I wrote about why we launched ParsonsTKO. I am a bit overdue for an update…
In the time since writing that post we have continued to grow, adding seven new PTKO team members Lisa, Adam, Courtney, Bailey, Chris, Rick, Andrea and working regularly with our fantastic expert partners Lindsay, Freddie, Kaitlin and Kate. I am thankful that I am working with all these wonderful people; their dedication, talent and curiosity make for an engaging, trusting environment. Having that kind of environment is essential for fostering the learning culture we believe best exemplifies the ethos of our company.
The past two years have been packed with change and evolution for us! Beyond the rapid growth of the team, we’ve also worked with over 20 new clients, across the full range of Engagement Architecture – from planning and process to technology and analytics, change management and implementation. We are grateful to our clients for helping us grow and for letting us partner with them in their savvy, resilient pursuit of better communities for all of us. The endurance and passion our clients demonstrate to us in their pursuit of positive change and in driving their missions forward is inspiring, keeps us on our toes, and motivates all of us at ParsonsTKO to continually push the envelope for how we can help create impact.
Our growth and marketplace experiences led to some spirited discussions during our internal strategic planning session at the beginning of this year. While it was hard to see day to day, after taking a step back for a few days we realized the leadership team was working hard in the company, but that was not necessarily equating to the working on the company. More staff and more projects were leading to more insights and expertise, but also to the leadership focusing more and more on the day-to-day. Through long talks and internal debates we came to consensus that as a team of over 10 we needed to change our organizational structure to fit our new shape, and, while going from 5 to 12 in pure numbers does not seem big, in terms of company complexity this has been significant.
We want to provide constant excellence in our work with clients and maintain a joyful, balanced internal culture for our staff. To get there and continue to grow, we decided that we needed to find a new teammate to lead our operations. After an extensive search and many invigorating conversations that challenged our default thinking, we found the person we were looking for. I am beyond excited to announce the arrival of Patti DeBow, who will become our President at ParsonsTKO!
Patti will be joining me in the DC office and making regular visits to our hubs in North Carolina and San Francisco. Patti spent more than a decade working with Accenture and is expanding our strategic consulting capabilities with her expertise in operational and organizational management. She brings many other skills and talents to ParsonsTKO, and will help us ensure that we’re continuing to deliver great work for our clients.
Like most good partnerships, Patti isn’t joining us as a stranger; I’ve known Patti for three years thanks to our neighborhood Crossfit gym, Crossfit Petworth. Crossfit can be a humbling experience, just like many of the endurance races I’ve done have been. You might start out wanting to be first, and then you realize the real battle is against yourself. That humility has taught me that in a supportive environment we create an energy of possibility that helps everyone build a willingness to try, an acceptance of failing, and the will to pick ourselves up and go again. Building this company has felt, and will continue to be, a long endurance race, and I am confident that Patti will help us continue to move forward, constantly improve, and nurture the community of passionate, creative teammates that make up ParsonsTKO.
Patti, thank you for coming on board, and welcome to the team!
