ACG National Capital
ACG National Capital is always proud to highlight our best and brightest, and this week, we’d like to feature Dr. Marta Wilson, CEO of Transformation Systems Inc. (TSI) and an ACG board director.
As a testimony to Dr. Wilson’s leadership, TSI has received numerous accolades from defense organizations for helping set historic records in the counter-IED effort and for ERP transitioning plus awards from Inc.’s Fastest-Growing Companies in America, Virginia’s Fantastic 50 and the Society for Human Resource Management.
Wilson has also been recognized by The Washington Business Journal among the 25 leading business women in the Washington, D.C., area who have managed to sustain growth in their companies while still providing extensive community service.
We had an opportunity to speak with Dr. Wilson about industry trends, as well as her experience with ACG. Here is what she had to say:
CGCS: What are some of the common challenges facing civilian and military organizations today in terms of strategy and management?
Marta Wilson: For starters, federal executives are seeing employee disengagement cost billions annually in productivity losses. As fiscal forces threaten the ability to address human capital issues, stewardship of the modern workforce is at risk. Resources are limited, funds are contracting, budgets are strained, and changes are happening at an increasing pace. Within government, there are four realities that constantly challenge leaders in terms of strategy and management. The first reality is that complex systems are very difficult to lead and manage.
Second, poor performance can be extremely difficult to address. Third, many people are stretched way too thin as a result of budget cuts and staff reductions. And fourth, new technologies are slow to be adopted and implemented. In the face of these challenges, leaders often struggle to sustain mission success and maintain high employee morale. My team and I help federal leaders address and overcome these challenges.
CGCS: Have recent cybersecurity breaches affected your clientele’s focus on cybersecurity and technology?
Marta Wilson: I’ve been discussing this issue at length with TSI’s Chief Solutions Officer, Dr. Altyn Clark. Basically, folks all over the world are becoming addicted to the convenience of internet-enabled devices, appliances, automobiles, banking systems, and power and data grids. National and global industries, as well as governments and defense departments, are all accelerating their adoption of cyber networks and big data analytics. The irreversible connectivity trend brings great societal and national defense benefits—at a risk level that is only gradually becoming understood.
In particular, DoD and the defense industry are worried that there are not enough cyber experts to protect vital systems from malicious cyber experts. Any technology that good guys connect to a network can be hacked by bad guys—and everything is getting connected! No one knows the likelihood of a catastrophic hack, but the frequency of serious hacks in recent years is causing a lot of lost sleep at the Pentagon. Is a major homeland security or defense system hack preventable or inevitable? We don’t know for sure.
CGCS: How has your role within TSI prepared you to become an ACG Board Director?
Marta Wilson: As the CEO of TSI, I am a leader who stays in motion to create connections with a broad network of colleagues and clients to collectively achieve bold goals. As a CEO, I serve on various industry and charitable boards as part of my commitment to help our community to thrive. My experience as a leader and board member has postured me to help expand ACG’s visibility within the region by leveraging my network and influence. Also, as an industrial-organizational psychologist and management consultant, I constantly look for ways to improve processes, increase effectiveness, and implement plans. This is expertise that I bring to bear to help the ACG Board achieve the organization’s goals.
CGCS: Why should fellow National Capital Region c-suite executives take notice of ACG? How has being an ACG member benefited you in the past?
Marta Wilson: I’ve been an active member of ACG for several years. During that time, I have made great contacts and learned a lot from ACG’s many programs. ACG’s networking opportunities are outstanding with excellent events throughout the year where I continuously meet the people I want to know. Also, my executive team and I learn a lot from ACG’s educational forums, which are great sources of valuable information that we leverage to move our business forward.
So, I encourage members of the business community who want to be in the know and connected to the growth that is occurring in the national capital region to join forces with ACG.
To learn about upcoming ACG events and to register, click HERE