GW graduate students learned about national security issues in a new way by hearing the perspectives of professionals currently working in this specialized field. A team of five presenters from Guidehouse (formerly PwC Public Sector), a leading government consulting firm, lead a discussion on how private-public partnerships strengthen our country’s national security efforts with students in the Homeland Security and Cyber Security Strategy and Information Management master’s degree programs. The May 29 panel discussion, held in Arlington, Virginia, provided students an opportunity to explore a variety of employment and career options.
The panelists from Guidehouse talked about how the division assists government agencies from a tactical and strategic perspective in strengthening our nation’s security (physical and cyber space), as well as providing valuable consulting resources in space planning, strategic budgeting, and improving business processes. They spoke about this with first-hand expertise gained from supporting the public sector, including the Department of Justice, FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Council.
“Having events such as this one not only provides a new learning platform regarding issues relevant to the field of study, but it also affords students an opportunity to explore their career options,” said Elaine Lammert, event organizer and program director for Homeland Security and Cybersecurity Strategy and Information Management Programs. “GW aims to not only educate our students, but also help them achieve their career goals by understanding the market they are entering post-graduation.”
GW students in the Homeland Security and Cyber Security Strategy and Information Management master’s programs listened to the panelists from Guidehouse (formerly PwC Public Sector) talk about national security topics (GW College of Professional Studies).
The panelists also described “a day in the life” at the firm. They were able to share their experiences collectively leading projects across a variety of subject areas, including human capital, program and project management, business process improvement, real estate and construction issues, risk and compliance, strategic change and organization transformations, strategic management consulting services, finance transformation, systems integration, grant management and cybersecurity program management support.
“The students were especially interested to ask them advice about current employment needs and opportunities,” said Connie Uthoff, associate program director, Cybersecurity Strategy and Information Management Program.” Student questions included how resources are deployed within the government agencies; Guidehouse's work with small businesses and other consulting firms; as well as in-depth questions about work currently being done with government agencies.