Michael Aavang | Bertram, TX | michael.aavang@gmail.com | 517-398-0010 

My professional journey began in the United States Marine Corps, where I enlisted in an IT role but stepped up to deploy as a machine gunner in Iraq, earning a Combat Action Ribbon amid intense operations. This foundation in high-stakes leadership and technical systems management—overseeing secure communications networks and training Marines in combat disciplines—instilled in me a disciplined approach to turning chaos into coordinated action, a theme that has defined my career ever since. 

Transitioning to civilian life, I pursued a BA in Politics from Hillsdale College, graduating Cum Laude with honors in Philosophy and German, while interning in digital marketing and legislative research. These experiences honed my analytical skills and communication prowess, from automating online course registrations with HubSpot to drafting policy briefs on agriculture and defense in the U.S. House of Representatives. Building on this, as a VFW SVA Legislative Fellow, I delved into veteran healthcare policy, authoring a white paper that influenced the extension of the Veterans Choice Program, blending advocacy with data-driven insights to bridge gaps in critical services. 

This passion for impactful change led me to Accenture, where I've advanced through management consulting roles, specializing in guiding large-scale transformations. For instance, on Accenture's Enterprise Google Account, I crafted a holistic change strategy that streamlined application rollouts, coached teams in agile methodologies, and overcame adoption hurdles through targeted training and metrics-driven dashboards, ultimately delivering significant cost efficiencies. Similarly, during the Avanade integration, I unified global teams with a change framework, facilitating weekly collaborations to capture stakeholder voices and visualize sentiment data, ensuring seamless alignment across geographies. 

In acquisitions like the $1B+ Anser Advisory deal, I bridged organizations by mapping synergies and leading executive workshops to forge go-to-market strategies, fostering relationships that propelled business growth. At the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), I modernized strategic planning by facilitating director-level sessions, incorporating industry best practices, and developing public KPIs to track progress, while also championing agile transformations for their enterprise platform—mapping billion-dollar contract processes and creating custom training to boost user adoption and accuracy. 

Complementing these efforts, I've optimized procurement for global applications, negotiating with providers like Microsoft and Google to secure over $1 million in savings. Holding an MBA from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School with a Finance concentration, along with Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Marine Corps IT certifications, I've consistently turned ambiguity into actionable clarity, as evidenced by winning Accenture's North America Case Competition with an AI robotics solution for veterans' affairs. Beyond work, my competitive spirit shines in elite Tactical Games championships and throwing down every day with friends at CrossFit.