Public sector or private — the measure of good technology is whether it meets the needs of the people depending on it
That's been the standard across 30+ years — from city and state government infrastructure to consumer platforms, a chapter at Google, and federal-scale systems engineering as a member of the U.S. Digital Service across the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Justice. Most advisors come from one world. I've worked deeply in all of them — and I bring that cross-sector pattern recognition to every inflection point.
How I work
I've engaged with organizations in every capacity — embedded inside government, in full-time leadership at digital services firms, and as an independent consultant brought in at critical moments. The right technical decisions compound into lasting competitive advantage. The wrong ones quietly destroy it. That range means I understand how to add value in whatever structure works best for you.
A discovery sprint is a focused 8–12 week engagement where a small cross-functional team interviews stakeholders at every level of an organization, reviews systems and data, and surfaces the root causes of a problem — not just the symptoms. The goal is not to solve the problem in that timeframe. It's to make sure the organization understands the real problem before committing to a solution.
I learned this methodology directly at the U.S. Digital Service, where it was developed and refined across hundreds of federal engagements. I've since applied it across many engagements at agencies spanning city, state, and federal government — helping organizations avoid costly misdirection and invest in solutions that actually address what's broken.
Who I work with
Services
I partner with founders, CTOs, and executive teams at inflection points — the moments when the right technical decisions compound into lasting advantage, and the wrong ones quietly destroy it. Thirty years across Google, the U.S. Digital Service, enterprise platforms, and early-stage startups gives me pattern recognition most advisors can't offer.
Where I add the most value
I'm most valuable at inflection points — the moments when getting the next decision right compounds into lasting advantage.
The sector changes. The standard doesn't — technology that works for the people depending on it.
In 1996 I was supporting New York State's Department of Social Services infrastructure at Unisys — Unix clusters, frame relay networks, help desk through to level 3 support. By 2000 I was managing field operations across 30 City of New York sites as a technical liaison. By 2004 I was running the Network Operations Center for New York City's Human Resources Administration, leading a team that replaced proprietary systems with open source infrastructure.
That foundation — built inside city and state government before most people were talking about digital transformation — is what makes my work different. I know how government technology actually operates at every tier: the procurement constraints, the legacy dependencies, the organizational dynamics, and what it genuinely takes to modernize without breaking things that real people depend on.
From city networks to federal platforms: After a decade in the private sector at Google, Zagat Survey, Sony Music, and Johnson & Johnson, I brought that experience back into government — serving as Director of Digital Services for Prince William County, Virginia, and spending four years at the U.S. Digital Service embedded across five federal agencies. That's where I learned the discovery sprint methodology, developed and refined across hundreds of federal engagements.
The pattern recognition advantage: Most advisors come from one world — startup or enterprise, product or infrastructure, public or private sector. I've worked deeply in all of them. That cross-sector range means the patterns that trip up most organizations are visible before they become load-bearing problems.
Trusted by the firms that do this work: I've served in full-time leadership at digital services delivery companies — Director of Engineering at Phase2, Vice President of Product Development at Pluribus Digital — and have been brought in repeatedly as a trusted technical strategist by digital service delivery firms working across city, state, and federal government. The repeat engagements are the proof.
Today I run HCGi — Holmes Consulting Group Inc. — to do the work I'm best at: helping organizations at inflection points build technology that lasts. I believe great technology organizations are built intentionally — aligning architecture, people, and process with long-term mission, not just short-term speed.
Career timeline
Let's talk about where you are and where you need to get to
Public sector or private, the work starts with understanding the real problem. If you're at an inflection point, I'd like to hear about it.