Frank Kendall rejoins Renaissance Strategic Advisors

Aerospace and defense advisory firm Renaissance Strategic Advisors of Arlington, VA announced on June 1 that Frank Kendall has rejoined the firm as an executive in residence.  Kendall brings over four decades of acquisition, technology and defense expertise to RSAdvisors.  He was a managing partner of RSAdvisors from 2008 until 2010 when he was confirmed by the Senate to serve as principal deputy under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. In May 2012 he was confirmed by the Senate as under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics, USD(AT&L), and he served in that position until January 2017.

As the longest serving USD(AT&L), Kendall was responsible to the secretary of defense for all matters pertaining to acquisition; research and engineering; developmental testing; contract administration; logistics and materiel readiness; installations and environment; operational energy; chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons; the acquisition workforce; and the defense industrial base.  He was the leader of the Department of Defense’s efforts to increase the Department’s buying power and improve the performance of the defense acquisition enterprise.

Kendall has over 40 years of experience in engineering, management, defense acquisition, and national security affairs in private industry, government, and the military.  He has been a consultant to defense industry firms, non-profit research organizations, and the DoD in the areas of strategic planning, engineering management, and technology assessment.  He was VP of engineering for Raytheon Company, where he was responsible for management direction to the engineering functions throughout the company and for internal research and development.

Kendall is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He holds a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from California Institute of Technology, an MBA from the C.W. Post Center of Long Island University, and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

“We are excited to have Frank rejoin the RSAdvisors team after such a distinguished term in government service.  His keen analytical mindset, depth of expertise and intellect will be a great and welcome addition to the firm,” said Pierre Chao, founding partner of Renaissance Strategic Advisors.