AV’s Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) is chartered to provide executive-level advice to its senior leaders on all matters relating to the U.S. Department of Defense. SAG members are highly qualified former members of the U.S. Department of Defense, including retired General Officers and Senior Executive Service members, each with many decades of experience.
Christopher O’Donnell has served on the SAG since June 2023. O’Donnell spent 39 years working in all phases of Department of Defense acquisition programs, retiring in 2023 after serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Platform and Weapons Portfolio Management for four years. He spent the last two years of his career performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Acquisition and the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Acquisition. He also held the position of Executive Director of the Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell, providing solutions for hundreds of Joint Urgent Operation Needs and providing capabilities to our allies and partners.
He spent the early parts of his career leading the Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Research and Development Department and designing rocket motors and explosives.
O’Donnell earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University in 1984. He currently consults for government and the defense industry as the Acquisition Principal for O2 Defense LLC.
Lt. Gen. Ken Tovo has served on the SAG since June 2022. Over the course of his 35-year military career, much of it as a Green Beret, Tovo developed and led high-performing organizations at varying levels, from a 12-man Special Forces ‘A-team’ to the 34,000-strong U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
His operational assignments included the first Gulf War, refugee relief operations in Turkey and Northern Iraq, noncombatant evacuation operations in Sierra Leone, peacekeeping operations in Bosnia on two occasions, five tours in Iraq, and one tour in Afghanistan.
He is a distinguished graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering. He holds a Master of Science degree in Advanced Military Studies from the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College and a Master's in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College; he received the Bristol Military History Writing Award for his War College thesis.
Tovo currently serves on the board of several companies, is the chairman of the Green Beret Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting U.S. Army Green Berets and their families and is an advisory board member of a non-profit that supports the educational needs of killed, wounded, or seriously injured service members.
Lt. Gen. Mark Wise has served on the SAG since March 2023. During his career with the U.S. Marine Corps, he served as the Commanding Officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122, Commanding Officer of Marine Aircraft Group 12 in Iwakuni, the Commanding General of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, and as the Assistant Wing Commander, 3D MAW.
Wise served as the Deputy Commander United States Forces Japan working extensively with the U.S. Embassy in Japan and negotiating for Japan’s support delivering the first increase in financial support in twenty years valued at $1.8B. He performed as the Commanding General 3D Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) at I Marine Expeditionary Force in San Diego, California preparing and deploying the aviation force for combat operations. He functioned as the Assistant Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration at HQ Marine Corps in Washington, DC where he provided strategic, mission-critical oversight of the evolution of the Marine Corps within the $45B combat capability portfolio.
In his final active-duty tour, Wise served as the Deputy Commandant for Aviation (DCA) at HQ Marine Corps in Washington, DC. and acted as the principal advisor to the Commandant on all aviation matters within the $15B portfolio until retiring.
He holds a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Washington.
Wise is a licensed pilot and a prominent member of multiple professional affiliations including the Marine Corps Association, Marine Corps Aviation Association, University of Washington Trustworthy & Pragmatic Undergraduate Mentorship Program, Husky Landing, and the Military Officer Association of America.
He has numerous personal decorations including the Distinguished Service Medal, Versatile & Innovative Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Strike Flight Air Medal, Joint Commendation Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Impeccable Integrity & Drive Commendation Medal.