IN THE BOARDROOM™ with... Deana P. Herbert
Executive Vice President
Thomas & Herbert Consulting LLC

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Deana, we understand that you have provided consulting services to Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and the Treasury Department, among other government agencies. Please give our audience an overview of your background and a brief company history of Thomas & Herbert Consulting LLC (T&H).

Deana P. Herbert: I am a co-founder and Executive Vice President of T&H. In addition, I lead T&H’s Department of Defense (DoD) practice. I have over 17 years of experience in the areas of strategic planning, enterprise architecture, program and project management, information engineering, organizational transformation, and data integration.

During this time, I have consulted for the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), Department of Treasury, Bureau of the Public Debt, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of the Army.

As Executive Vice President for T&H, I provide strategic support, thought leadership and technical guidance in support of the firm’s business development, program management and organizational change management activities.

I have led the development and reengineering of major DoD and Army legacy Automated Information Systems (AIS) within functional areas such as logistics, financial management, contract, safety and real estate management; and I have managed large-scale projects offering thought leadership in the following key areas of expertise:

• Strategic Planning
• Organizational Development/Change Management
• Performance Management/ Measurement
• Quality Improvement/Assurance
• Systems/Data Integration
• Business Process Redesign
• Enterprise Architecture
• Training Systems Design/Development
• Risk Management

Regarding my educational background, I have an MS in Computer Systems Management from the University of Maryland, and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of the District of Columbia.

Regarding our corporate history, Thomas & Herbert Consulting LLC was founded in 1996, and is a leading provider of information technology and management consulting services for Federal, State, and Local Government organizations. We have one corporate office which is the Silver Spring, MD office and an office in Crystal City, VA that currently serves as our EA Center of Excellence. Our core services include enterprise architecture (EA), systems development and integration, e-Gov solutions, managed services, business transformation, and program management support. T&H leverages industry best practices coupled with the requisite experience to deliver precise enabling technology to yield quantifiable results for our clients. We understand the challenges our clients face and we employ the foresight and perspective required to overcome challenges and ensure success. In 2004, T&H was named by Inc. Magazine and Washington Technology magazine as one of fastest growing and most successful companies in the United States.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: T&H recently announced that it has been awarded six new contracts in excess of $20 million to provide a range of services for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). What are the solutions that T&H will be providing to HUD?

Deana P. Herbert: T&H is providing support to: develop the target architecture, segment architectures, governance, communications planning, IT investment management, and ensure compliance with Section 508 and FISMA security requirements. A major objective is to leverage the Enterprise Architecture to manage change across HUD lines of business.

Specifically, one of our contracts at HUD will support the Multi-family Housing’s On-Line Property Integrated Information Suite (OPIIS) initiative via a 5-year contract. OPIIS focuses on conducting Multi-family risk assessments to make program and related data available to HUD program managers to improve program performance, hold down costs, and increase the effectiveness with which HUD can maintain and increase the supply of affordable rental housing and health care facilities. T&H’s support shall include business analysis, data mining, and business intelligence using tools such as MicroStrategy and ERwin.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Kindly summarize the most significant core competencies for T&H:

Deana P. Herbert: Our most significant 6 core competencies are:
Enterprise Architecture
- EA Center of Excellence

Managed Services

Program Management
- Quality Assurance

Systems Development and Integration
- Systems Development and Integration
- Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
-Systems Security Accreditation & Certification

Business Transformation
- Business Process Improvement/Reengineering
- Supply Chain Support
- Strategic Planning
- Contingency Management Planning

E-Government

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: What career opportunities are available at T&H?

Deana P. Herbert: T&H consists of highly skilled career professionals that possess expertise in our six core competencies. We are always looking for more skilled professionals who have experience in the four areas listed below and are interested in joining a firm where they can be a key contributor, gain more exposure to new and exciting things such as T&H’s EA Center of Excellence, Leadership Development Program, E-Learning Program, Hubzone Incentive Program and much more.

At T&H, we welcome employment inquiries from talented professionals. If you possess expertise in any of our core competencies, we want to talk to you. We are particularly interested in hearing from individuals with expertise in the following areas:

• Enterprise Architecture
• DoD Logistics
• Public Housing
• Intelligence/Security

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Are there any other success stories you would like to mention?

Deana P. Herbert: 2004 was a year of great milestones for Thomas & Herbert. We were recognized by Inc. 500 as one of the fastest growing companies in the United States with an annual growth increase of 156.2%. We were also recognized by Washington Technology’s Fast 50 where T&H moved up on their list from 23rd place in 2003 to 14th place in 2004. We were also recognized by Diversity Business Magazine as one of the Top Diversity-Owned Companies in America coming in at 267, Top African-American Owned Businesses in America at #68, Top Small Business in the State of Maryland at #20, and Top Diversity-Owned Businesses in the State of Maryland at #11.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: T&H has experienced great success in a short period of time, does it participate in any philanthropic activities?

Deana P. Herbert: T&H has an active and diverse community service program supporting several philanthropic initiatives, and continues to seek out more opportunities for involvement. T&H is a participant in the Washington DC philanthropic organization Charity Works. 2005 is the fourth year that T&H has supported this worthy endeavor. Another major community service activity T&H and its employees embrace is the Montgomery County Adopt-a-Family program. Although the program is designed to be active during the winter holiday season, T&H has committed to extend its support by providing the benefiting families year round essentials. T&H also provides donations of money and computer equipment to several educational institutions.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Please tell us about your contract “win” with the Department of Homeland Security?

Deana P. Herbert: This contract is to assist DHS in meeting the objectives of Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-6, which directs agencies to “consolidate the Government’s approach to terrorism screening and provide for the appropriate and lawful use of Terrorist Information in screening processes.” It states that departments and agencies shall “provide to the Terrorist Threat Integration Center (TTIC) on an ongoing basis all appropriate Terrorist Information in their possession, custody or control.” In turn the TTIC will provide the organization that manages the Government’s consolidated terrorist watch list (now established as the TSA under the operational management of the FBI) access to all appropriate information or intelligence that the TSA requires to perform its functions. Further, HSPD-6 states “…agencies shall conduct screening using such information at all appropriate opportunities.”

The contract is a one year blanket purchase agreement (BPA) with options for four renewals of one year each. The initial task order under the BPA will focus on documenting the “As-Is” work processes and data flows of terrorist information within DHS’s border-security and other screening programs, and on coordination of DHS plans to define improved “To-Be” processes. The “To-Be” environment is envisioned as employing automated interfaces between DHS systems and the TSA’s Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB), plus enhanced processes for getting value from this data. In addition to the above tasks, T&H may be called upon to provide limited operational technical support for the DHS detailees and other staff at the TSA and/or the TTIC.

Rodney Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of T&H, said about this contract “This project is a critical component to streamlining the information-sharing process between agencies involved in homeland security, and ultimately, providing the tools to help make the country more secure,” “As a veteran who served our country during the Libyan crisis of the mid 1980s, I am honored to engage my company’s expertise in combating modern-day terrorism for a program of this magnitude.”

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: T&H has also won a contract from the State of Maryland regarding Technical Architecture Framework. What can you tell our audience about this deal.

Deana P. Herbert: The MTAF contract is administered by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and will support all agencies within the Executive Branch across the entire State of Maryland

The Maryland Department of Budget and Management Office of Information Technology (OIT) is responsible for providing technical leadership and guidance to all agencies in the Executive Branch of the State. The OIT assures that State agencies implement successful information technology development projects in accordance with the mission of the agency and establishes direction for the productive and efficient use of information technology at the statewide level. To assist in fulfilling this responsibility, T&H will work in partnership with OIT’s Senior Architect as well as Chief Information Officers (CIOs) across the State to develop the MTAF. The MTAF will serve as a technical “blueprint” that will enable interoperability and efficiency across platforms and services for State agencies at the infrastructure level, create a fresh awareness of Enterprise Architecture concepts and benefits, and serve as the foundation for future development of the State’s Enterprise Architecture. T&H will implement ASG’s Rochade Metadata Repository to rapidly automate, maintain and enhance the Technical Architecture Framework and the Technical Reference Model.
Rodney Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of T&H, said about this contract, “As a longtime Maryland resident and the founder of a Maryland-based company, I am extremely enthusiastic about the opportunity to engage my company’s expertise to assist our State with such an essential program. Development of the MTAF represents the State’s first step toward establishing a value-driven Enterprise Architecture program geared toward streamlining the delivery of services to citizens across the State while improving the cost effectiveness of State agencies in future information technology purchases.”