ACT-IAC relaunches Companions Program for senior leaders who need to deepen impression

Terry Gerton There’s some thrilling developments at ACT-IAC. You’re asserting the 2026 Companions Program. Earlier than we get into the small print of the brand new class, inform us about this system and what it’s designed to do.

Dave Wennergren Completely. Nicely, for the sake of your viewers, Terry, I’ll simply say, ACT-IAC has been round for nearly 50 years and we had been created by authorities workers as a means for presidency expertise leaders to have the ability to speak throughout companies, but in addition with their counterparts in {industry}. And so we grew from a authorities group to be each a authorities and {industry} group. And the widespread bond that binds the whole lot that we do at ACT- IAC is this concept about when you get authorities folks and {industry} folks within the room collectively, you’ll get higher outcomes within the acquisitions that you just do. The federal expertise finances is de facto huge, $90 billion a 12 months or so, and most of that cash results in the arms of the personal sector. So we may do good contracting, we may do dangerous contracting, and a number of that hinges on how nicely do you perceive the place the personal sector is, what they’ll provide, how nicely does the personal sector perceive what authorities wants. So it’s that long-winded intro. All the pieces that we do from our communities of curiosity to our Federal Perception Exchanges after which our skilled growth applications are structured round this concept about how do you convey authorities and {industry} collectively to say, I’ll say, stroll a mile in one another’s sneakers. So we have now three main skilled growth applications. We’ve got an Associates Program for younger folks early of their profession, a Voyagers Program for mid-career of us, after which the Companions Program, which is geared for, on the federal government aspect, of us which can be 14, 15s that aspire to be SESs after which their counterparts in {industry}. So the curriculum of the Companions Program is constructed across the govt core {qualifications}, the ECQs that the federal government makes use of, and people have been up to date so we have now new ECQ’s that folk do. And so we rally a category of presidency and {industry}. However the factor that’s made the Companions Program so particular for now nicely over 20 years is that we buddy up a few {industry} folks with a few authorities folks and they also kind of kind a bunch that’s going to undergo the category collectively along with management expertise, they’re going to study one another. What’s it like from the personal sector view? What’s like from authorities view? All these types of issues. After which the magic actually appears to occur after they graduate from this system on the finish of 9 months, they grow to be an ACT-IAC fellow. After which that’s kind of just like the alumni group. And as they are saying, excessive tide rises all boats. In order you progress in your profession, you’ve received this group of individuals that you just went to highschool with which can be kind of your community. And now all people’s received extra senior jobs in {industry}. And so we have now of us who’ve taken the Companions class like 20 years in the past, who nonetheless have maintained these connections with the {industry} and authorities friends they went to class with and now have this kind of broad community of folks that they’ll belief and might belief them to interact on the matters that matter to authorities.

Terry Gerton This system was on hiatus final 12 months and also you’ve introduced it again. Did you discover a rising tide of curiosity this 12 months?

Dave Wennergren Sure, final 12 months was an uncommon 12 months, as a result of as everyone knows, the federal government companies had been actually kind of hyper-focused on inside value discount workout routines and modifications within the workforce. And so there weren’t a number of companies that had been making investments, I’ll say, in skilled growth final 12 months. And so we needed to, sadly, not do a Companions class final 12 months, and in order that was the primary time, like I stated, for the reason that program began 20-some years in the past that we weren’t in a position to discipline a category. However over the course of the 12 months, we’ve seen authorities of us kind of get out of that inside view concerning the preliminary cost-cutting workout routines that occurred with the brand new administration and now be targeted extra on, there’s a number of new steerage out about the place we have to go. And so, you’re beginning to deal with the place will we need to go? Possibly the priorities for one thing like synthetic intelligence are totally different however there truly are new priorities and so individuals are making an attempt to interact. And together with that comes a recognition that it is advisable get out and communicate, it is advisable get out and state your place, however you additionally want to verify your workforce is skilled for the longer term. And so, sure, we did begin to see some uptake on the federal government aspect. I’ll say we all the time have a number of curiosity from the {industry} aspect in a means. And sadly, we all the time have much more candidates from the {industry} aspect than authorities, even in its heyday. However sure, we began to see authorities of us being keen to get their companies to help them. You undergo this system, you retain doing all of your day job. This system’s structured over 9 months. But it surely occurs within the evenings, on the weekends, some breakfasts, issues like that. So that you’re in a position to nonetheless do your day job. However nonetheless, authorities companies do need to pay a tuition price to be a part of this system. And so we began to see companies being keen to try this once more. So we had been delighted to have the ability to discipline a category.

Terry Gerton I’m talking with Dave Wennergren. He’s the president and CEO of ACT-IAC. Dave, you’ve received a Pathfinder group in place that goes together with the cohort. Inform us concerning the Pathfinders and what their position is.

Dave Wennergren We’re a volunteer group. And the magic that has made ACT-IAC so particular so a few years is so many {industry} and authorities people who find themselves keen to spend their time to assist tackle this agenda of how will we collaborate for more practical authorities mission outcomes? And so, along with having the course, along with having exterior audio system and facilitators, we all the time have a cadre of present authorities and {industry} leaders, a lot of whom who’ve taken this system earlier than. So that they’re now fellows who assist information the work. And so along with getting the worth of the cohort that you just’re a part of the category with, you even have this cadre of presidency and {industry} leaders who’re going to assist facilitate you in your journey, present you some mentoring recommendation, assist form the curriculum to kind of not solely do the ECQs normally, however the kind of matters which can be scorching this 12 months. And so this volunteer management group is a vital a part of it.

Terry Gerton You talked about this course being sort of by yourself time and nonetheless having to do their day job. What types of experiences do the companions take part in?

Dave Wennergren There are a selection of issues we do. We do some offsites, we do some studying on the town. We do work with our varied teams. And so, once more, it’s structured across the govt core {qualifications} for folks to grow to be senior executives. And so, as , elevating enterprise acumen, with the ability to lead change and lead folks. So we have now a lot of occasions arrange round that the place we’ll usher in audio system. We’ll have them do group constructing workout routines collectively, go study historic issues that will assist with views on at present. And so it’s a extremely significant expertise and I say, do it by yourself time, however I imply, there’s a number of time. And so that you do need to put money into it. We’ve got an offsite arising in just some days to kick this system off. That’ll be like a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday factor that’ll contain some hands-on studying experiences and in addition to some classroom.

Terry Gerton It seems like this program actually does start to construct collaboration throughout the industry-government boundary and that boundary’s been sort of tough during the last 12 months. How are issues enjoying out for ACT-IAC extra broadly?

Dave Wennergren Nicely, you’re proper. I imply, the significance of collaboration stays. However you probably have a second of time if you’re kind of inwardly targeted, which I’ll say was taking place lots early final 12 months, the place folks had been so targeted extra on the modifications within the workforce, the cost-cutting workout routines internally, I imply, that’s okay. And you must try this periodically. However then when you actually need to transfer the agenda ahead, when you actually need to make some further progress on cybersecurity, tech modernization, adoption of AI, then you’ve gotten to have the ability to attain out and get the recommendation of the various. And so simply as with our skilled growth applications having a kind of interval of calm final 12 months, we’re now seeing much more participation in all of the occasions that we do. And so we have now our 9 communities of curiosity who’re targeted across the practical matters that authorities leaders inform us are most necessary at present. So the whole lot from acquisition reform and the way forward for the workforce to tech modernization and AI and cybersecurity. After which we have now agency-based teams, too, our Federal Perception Exchanges which can be targeted on what are the priorities for every company and the way do they need to get that work carried out. And we’ve began to see an actual huge pickup in all of that work this 12 months, as individuals are getting again out and entering into the market to be taught and develop collectively.

Terry Gerton What are the themes that you just’re seeing resonate throughout each communities coming into 2026?

Dave Wennergren So clearly a number of deal with synthetic intelligence is a scorching subject of the day, however then that’s kind of the grouping of, I’ll say transformation, consolidations and effectivity. So a number of work going into this concept about how can we be certain that the best individuals are doing the job on behalf of the various fairly than all people doing it themselves. Innovation continues to be a scorching precedence, and the way can we get extra of it? There are some, I’ll say, evergreen matters, tech modernization remains to be essential. A variety of federal companies are nonetheless spending the vast majority of their budgets on sustaining an getting older legacy base. So tech modernization subsequent steps, and the way does tech modernization assist facilitate your skill to do synthetic intelligence? And naturally, one other evergreen subject is cybersecurity, ever-increasing threats and the way will we keep forward of that? Significantly in an age the place quantum computing will change the whole lot about cybersecurity.

Terry Gerton Nicely, prior to now 12 months, we noticed the administration pull down a number of rules and alter a number of guidelines, however the brand new guidelines haven’t been issued but. How are you discovering the neighborhood working in this sort of limbo house?

Dave Wennergren Nicely, I’d say there may be a number of, at this level now, lots kind of top-level route. A variety of new govt orders to switch those that had been rescinded, and clearly some huge priorities round, just like the OneGov initiative at GSA and the acquisition reform work that’s happening throughout authorities. So, a precedence push round how will we get synthetic intelligence adopted extra broadly at companies, and never simply, I’ll say, on the margins, however within the core mission areas fairly than simply within the help areas. So I feel you’re proper, there’s kind of the subsequent degree of indenture about how do you execute what’s nonetheless being labored on. However clearly there’s sufficient priorities which were directed from the highest down that I feel it’s straightforward for {industry}, a lot simpler this 12 months for {industry} and authorities to each see, ah, that is the place we’re headed. So how can we assist make that occur?