Excella, a technology firm serving government clients, has appointed Luanne Pavco to its board. Pavco brings over 30 years of leadership experience, including a decade in executive roles at IBM's public sector business groups. Most recently, she served as president and chief operating officer at Avantus, where she oversaw eight acquisitions and one divestiture over three years, transforming the company from a small-business orientation to a large-enterprise mindset. She has also held senior positions at Slalom Consulting and runs her own consultancy, Three Bridges Consulting. Founded in 2002, Excella delivers technology solutions in modern software delivery, artificial intelligence, analytics and organisational transformation to federal government clients. The company has been recognised among Forbes' America's Top Management Consulting Firms.

Excella appoints Luanne Pavco to board of directors to support growth strategy. Photo: Excella Luanne Pavco has been named to the board of directors of Excella, where she will provide strategic guidance as the company pursues continued growth and modernization, according to a press release sent to ExecutiveBiz. "I look forward to advising on the strategy to grow both top line and bottom-line results while retaining and growing the talent that makes it possible," said Pavco. Who is Luanne Pavco? Pavco is a veteran technology executive with over 30 years of leadership experience across the federal technology market. She has held senior roles at multiple federal-facing companies, leading organizations through sustained growth from early-stage businesses to large enterprises. A previous Wash100 Award winner, Pavco currently serves as adviser and coach at Three Bridges Consulting, a consultancy firm she founded in 2023. She was previously the chief operating officer of QinetiQ US and the president of Avantus Services and COO of Avantus Federal prior to its acquisition by QinetiQ US in 2022. Pavco spent over five years at Slalom as regional general manager, where she led growth strategy and oversaw delivery operations during the launch of new offices. Before that, she spent more than a decade at IBM in senior public sector leadership roles, including managing partner for public sector global services and vice president of public sector consulting. What are Excella CEO's thoughts on Pavco's appointment? "We are thrilled to be able to tap into Luanne's business experience and technology expertise to inform our next phase of growth. Luanne's people-focused leadership has ensured that employee experience and customer success remain strong foundations for enterprise growth," said Burton White, co-founder and CEO of Excella.

There’s no question that the cybersecurity sector thrives in the DC region, and this past month proved its prominence. The DMV saw several board appointments and a strategic partnership in this sub-industry in September, as well as other tech-related leadership moves in federal contracting and the private sector. Keep reading to get the details on those and more Power Moves in the region. But first, check out our monthly look at which companies are hiring for tech jobs in the area.Raft assembles advisors to help navigate defense contracts The McLean-headquartered defense technology company tapped several retired US Army and Air Force officials to form an advisory board.  The new group will assist in building out partnerships and different services offered by Raft, according to a press release. Raft specializes in artificial intelligence and data solutions for the military and other government agencies. "With the establishment of our new Federal Advisory Board, we are bringing together defense's premier thought leaders and the nation's esteemed military leaders who will play a pivotal role in guiding our efforts,” said CEO and founder Shubhi Mishra. “Together, we will continue to deliver innovative data capabilities for mission-critical operations."Advisory firm forges a new partnershipCybersecurity and risk management advisory company MorganFranklin Consulting is officially teaming up with the simulation company ThreatGEN. ThreatGEN’s founder Clint Bodungen will join McLean-based MorganFranklin Consulting as part of the deal, per a press release. Bodungen will still maintain his role as head of product innovation at ThreatGEN. This agreement allows for the cybersecurity training platforms developed by Houston-based ThreatGEN to be included in MorganFranklin Consulting’s services, per a press release.   “By integrating ThreatGEN’s simulation platforms into our cybersecurity services, we are offering clients an unprecedented opportunity to assess their cyber defenses and engage in real-world, hands-on exercises to prepare their teams for current and future threats,” said Keith Hollender, MorganFranklin Consulting’s partner, managing director and global cybersecurity services practice lead.CACI lands another acquisitionAfter publicly-traded IT company CACI purchased the Fairfax firm Azure Summit Technology for $1.275 billion in mid-September, it announced yet another acquisition. The prominent government contractor acquired the firm Applied Insight, which is also based in Reston. Applied Insight has a history of contracts with the Department of Defense and a strong national security focus, per a press release