Former VA CIO to lead Grant Thornton’s innovation unit

As the former CIO of the Department of Veterans Affairs, LaVerne Council is accustomed to bringing innovation to large organizations.

Grant Thornton will be counting on that experience, tapping Council to be its national managing principal for Enterprise Digital Strategy and Innovation.

The professional services firm announced the move Thursday, saying in a statement that Council’s role would involve advising CIOs on “their most challenging issues through the firm’s innovative enterprise digital and technology strategies and offerings,” including applying innovative problem solving to issues like digital delivery, technology management, effectiveness and efficiency, and data strategy and solutions.

“LaVerne is a true leader and her passion for using technology and innovation to solve the issues that CIOs face will be integral in expanding the firm’s advisory services offerings,” Srikant Sastry, Grant Thornton’s national managing principal of Advisory Services, said in a statement.

“Her broad-based leadership experience, action-oriented approach and irrefutable industry acumen will help our clients create, protect and transform value across their businesses,” Sastry said.

Council oversaw broad efforts to modernize the VA’s IT infrastructure, including efforts to reform the agency’s data management to create what she called a “360-degree view of the veteran” through electronic health records and cloud migration of services.

She stepped down in January during the presidential transition after two years in the role, later becoming senior vice president for the MITRE Corporation’s Center of Connected Government in April.