How long have you been with the firm and how did you end up with Kearney?

I joined the firm as a Summer Associate in 2005. In my summer project preferences, I put down aerospace and defense, and landed a project in our defense practice. That was the first time I did anything related to the government and I had a great summer experience. I received an offer at the end of the summer and haven’t looked back.

How did you end up in the D.C. office?

I was actually a Summer Associate in the New York office, but my project with the Navy was in D.C. That was the first time I’d ever really been exposed to D.C. even though I was completing my MBA at Darden, not too far away. I liked D.C. so much that when I received my full-time offer for New York I asked if I could start here instead. The firm was very flexible with my request, which is always a good sign.

What do you enjoy about D.C?

During my time spent in D.C. as a Summer Associate I realized that D.C. had a lot to offer—things like more green space and being able to live pretty close to the office without the need for a long commute. Although D.C. is expensive it’s still much more affordable than New York. I really fell in love with the lifestyle and pace of the city.

What is the D.C. office like?

We are truly a midsize office. Funnily enough, I recently looked at the global office size ranking and we’re the sixth or seventh biggest, which I found surprising. In reality, we’re big enough to have the critical mass for a strong community, but we’re also small enough to be easy to navigate.

What do you think makes your office different from other Kearney offices you’ve seen?

We have a good amount of local work because so many of us focus on government and defense, and at the same time there are enough of us who don’t work in defense to provide a good balance. The balance between those who work locally and those with clients outside the city makes us that much stronger. It’s good to have both opportunities in the same office.

What’s your favorite office event or office-related memory?

Our annual Holiday Party is our most important office event. We have live and silent auctions, with the proceeds going to a local charity. Our whole office gets behind the event, and many people offer something personal, such as dinner at their house or homemade chocolates—a lot of personal touches that help us get to know each other better. One year my wife bought “BA Night,” where the two of us joined our office BAs at a bunch of dive bars in Georgetown. The BA Night tradition has endured, although it’s actually hosted at my house now (long story behind that). With the consulting lifestyle, it can be hard to attend all the different social events throughout the year, but this is the one time when everyone comes together. Most people bring a partner, so it truly feels like a family gathering.

What’s the one thing you would like candidates to know as they choose their home office?

I’m so glad you asked that question as it’s important and asked too infrequently. I have given this advice to candidates over the years: for your summer, choose the city you want to live in full-time. You’d be amazed how many candidates come to me and say that they really wanted to be in Atlanta or Dallas or Washington but they chose New York or Chicago because someone said that those are the bigger offices or have a larger intern intake. If you are applying to be a Summer Associate, you should use the Summer Program as a chance to get an understanding of what your life would be like as a full-time employee. If you think you’d want to be a full-time consultant in D.C., then you should spend your summer internship there.

Washington, D.C. office photos