Our Distinguished Senior Fellow, Governance, Risk, and Institutional Resilience, Domenic Ionta

His work focuses on helping senior leaders manage systemic risk, steward complex public resources, and translate strategy into decisive action at scale. Over the course of his career, he has advised cabinet-level officials, briefed Congress and the White House, and led mission-critical organizations through periods of reform, crisis, and enterprise-wide transformation.

He currently serves as Partner at Bohemian Advisory Collective, where he works with senior leadership teams to develop strategy, structure complex engagements, and drive organizational performance across public and private sectors. In this role, he leads client sourcing, deal structuring, contract negotiations, and partnership execution, and represents the firm in sensitive, high-trust engagements requiring discretion, ethical judgment, and strategic clarity. He also serves as a Senior Subject Matter Expert with GLG, advising clients on geopolitical risk, homeland security, government affairs, and international policy dynamics.

From 2023 to 2025, Mr. Ionta served at Deloitte Consulting as Manager for Cybersecurity and Strategic Risk supporting the U.S. Department of the Air Force, where he directed the development of the Air Force’s Enterprise Risk Management program in alignment with federal internal control and compliance standards. He led multidisciplinary teams, delivered executive briefings to senior military and civilian leadership, and strengthened risk governance across the federal planning, programming, budgeting, and execution cycle. Previously, as Senior Advisor for Policy, Risk, and Compliance at the U.S. Agency for International Development, he advised senior leadership on enterprise risk, internal controls, and compliance across an agency managing an annual budget exceeding $27 billion. He directed USAID’s Agency Financial Report submissions to the Office of Management and Budget and Congress, reduced material weaknesses, and oversaw sensitive policy, audit, and compliance portfolios.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Ionta held senior leadership roles at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

At FEMA, he directed the planning and execution of the agency’s approximately $24 billion budget, including oversight of the $19 billion Disaster Relief Fund, and advised DHS, OMB, and Congress on appropriations and budget execution.

At ICE, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Management and Administration, providing strategic leadership for more than 2,000 personnel across finance, human capital, IT, acquisition, policy, and privacy functions, and advising senior leadership on organizational performance and resource stewardship.

In the Office of the Secretary of Homeland Security, he helped lead enterprise-wide efficiency initiatives that generated approximately $4.5 billion in cost savings.

Alongside his executive career, Mr. Ionta has contributed to public-service education as an Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at the Honors College of the University of South Carolina, where he taught courses on governance, legislative affairs, and executive decision-making. He is the author of Project Christmas, a children’s book centered on kindness, generosity, and community, and is completing a forthcoming memoir, From Children’s to the Capital, reflecting on leadership, resilience, and public service. Writing is central to his leadership practice, shaping how he communicates complex ideas and influences decision-making under pressure. He has also maintained a long-standing commitment to service, volunteering and fundraising for Children’s Hospital since 2004 and for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital since 2006.

Mr. Ionta holds a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, where he served as a Teaching Assistant in Financial Analysis, Statistics, and Professional Writing. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Allegheny College, with minors in Economics, Spanish, and Mandarin. During his undergraduate studies, he served as a Resident Advisor, Research Assistant, and Spanish–English Translator, worked as a newspaper reporter and business manager, and was inducted into Phi Sigma Iota, the National Foreign Language Honor Society, and Phi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society. He holds an Industry Proficiency certification in Government and Public Services issued by Deloitte in 2024.

Mr. Ionta is a native English speaker with professional proficiency in Spanish and academic training in Mandarin.