Settling into his first year as president of ASRC Federal’s Information Systems and Technology operating group, Wayne Lucernoni isn’t about to sit still.
When this federal contracting veteran, who most recently served as president of mission sustainment and IT services for Harris Corp., isn’t guiding strategic, programmatic and technical oversight of ASRC Federal’s IS&T group, he actively engages with a diverse federal customer base, spanning health IT, the intelligence community and the national security space.
“Tactically, my goal is to be out of the office three days a week,” Lucernoni says. “Visiting customers, employees and industry partners, building relationships and attending events and forums to stay abreast of change — and what’s next, around the corner — from an innovation perspective.”
Aligned, Focused Leadership
What’s next, on all fronts, is added momentum, on top of already sizable company gains. In recent years, the Beltsville, Maryland-based firm has grown through a combination of organic and acquisition development: In November 2015, the company added the federal IT solutions provider Data Networks Corp. to its ranks, followed, in August 2016, by the purchase of a software development company Vistronix Intelligence Technology Solutions. In coming into his role in February 2018, Lucernoni embraced this heightened activity.
“My business is a blend of [these]recent acquisitions, with a number of new employees,” Lucernoni says. “Having an aligned and focused leadership team is important — as we go to market with the full strength, depth and breadth of ASRC Federal, the team has rallied around this approach and they are excited.”
Excited, for many other reasons, too.
Cyber, Enterprise Expertise
Just as Lucernoni helps unify a diverse workforce, he can look to company achievements to maximize future growth potential. This past June, for instance, the federal subsidiary was awarded a $1.2 billion contract with NASA to provide high-performance computing services. In eyeing wins like this, Lucernoni is eager to replicate similar success, with entities such as departments of Homeland Security and Justice. Lucernoni is helping ramp up efforts to realize that vision.
“We’ve added significant expertise and leadership in the [national security]space by way of strategic hires since I’ve joined,” says Lucernoni, citing, as one such example, the May 2018 onboarding of industry veteran Mike Molino to lead corporate development. More immediately, within his own team, Lucernoni focuses on additional areas such as health IT and ways to leverage accompanying cyber and enterprise architecture experience and expertise within the Defense Health Agency, among other federal entities.
Fostering Collaboration
Internal collaboration is central to achieving these efforts.
“As a leader, I focus on increasing opportunities for my leaders to interact, as a team, and fostering an environment where collaboration thrives,” Lucernoni says.
In keeping with this approach, members of the senior leadership team recently enjoyed an offsite event, where the focus was on open and honest dialogue, not slide decks or accompanying PowerPoint presentations.
“The excitement that came out of this [event]was invigorating,” Lucernoni recalls.
This focus, on dialogue, underpins much of his work.
“Keeping all parties focused on primary objectives starts with communication,” Lucernoni says. “It’s important for employees to understand the big picture.”
That big picture, he adds, centers on a customer-focused culture. There, again, Lucernoni believes the success of any mission rests on open dialogue.
“I put significant emphasis on communicating our objectives with employees, primarily in person, to ensure we are all aligned with our customers’ priorities,” says Lucernoni, who also stays apprised of customer needs through ongoing participation in industry groups such as the Homeland Security and Defense Business Council, the Intelligence National Security Alliance, and the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council.
“In order for all of us to do our job well, we need to understand what we are doing, why we are doing it, and the importance of the unique role we play in the success of the organization,” he adds.
Mission Extends to Communities
The customer mission, Lucernoni says, is clear.
“The men and women who serve our country deserve our absolute best, and my team is proud to support them,” he says. At the same time, ASRC Federal’s impact extends to communities at large. This year, for example, ASRC Federal is a major sponsor of the American Heart Association’s DC Heart Walk an event chaired by ASRC Federal President and CEO Mark Gray.
“It’s rewarding to see so many employees across our company rallying around such an important cause,” says Lucernoni, whose passion for the cause speaks to additional values he holds close — like fostering relationships, and not just listening, but investing the time, over the long term.
“What I’ve learned in my career is that relationships take time to develop, so, as a best practice, making a commitment — and investing time to really listen and understand your customers’ pain points and priorities — is very important,” Lucernoni says. “Over time, you become a trusted partner because you put the mission first.”
Raising the Bar
The mission ahead couldn’t be more exciting, Lucernoni says, particularly as the pace of implementation quickens across ASRC Federal.
“You can expect quite a bit of bullishness from the team,” Lucernoni says. “We have raised the bar, in terms of our focus on execution and innovation, and with some new leaders we’ve brought in, I expect the full depth and breadth of the enterprise to be at the forefront, as we pursue opportunities.”