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Scott Blackburn

Senior Partner Washington DC

Works with US federal departments bringing commercial best practices to solve government’s toughest problems

Scott is a senior partner in the Washington, DC office where he helps design and implement large-scale transformation programs in both the public and private sector. He has also led performance transformations in large industrial Fortune 500 companies across the US and globally, including strategy, operational excellence, commercial excellence, organizational design, culture, change management, and capability building.

Scott sits on the board of McKinsey Center for Government, a global hub for world-class research, analysis, and collaboration in government productivity and performance. He also serves as the dean of McKinsey’s Change Leaders Forum.

In 2014, Scott left McKinsey to lead the MyVA transformation at the Department of Veterans Affairs, before serving as interim VA Deputy Secretary during the presidential transition in 2017. He went on to serve as the CIO. During this period, veteran trust in VA improved to more than 70 percent, from 47 percent as a result of improved customer service, access to healthcare, contact center operations, digital experience, and employee experience, while streamlining operations and modernizing a decades-old IT infrastructure. He rejoined McKinsey in 2018.

A former US Army Captain, Scott is also active in the veteran community, routinely working with over a dozen veteran service organizations and non-profits in a pro bono capacity. Scott is on the board of directors of VETSports and the Veterans Advisory Board of the Concussion Legacy Foundation. Scott grew up in Massachusetts in a family with a long history of military and government service.

Published work

What workers want is changing. That could be good for government,” McKinsey & Company, October 2022

Transforming government in a new era,” McKinsey & Company, September 2022

Government transformation in times of great change,” McKinsey & Company, March 2022

Government transformations in times of extraordinary change: Key considerations for public-sector leaders,” McKinsey & Company, August 2021

Navigating the first 100 days: Lessons from former US cabinet members,” McKinsey & Company, January 2021

Education

Harvard Business School
MBA

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
BS, mechanical engineering