JDG Associates Retained by the Institute for Defense Analyses for General Counsel Search
June 30, 2026 – Rockville, MD-based executive search firm JDG Associates has been retained by the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) to lead its search for a general counsel based in Alexandria, VA. Reporting directly to the president and CEO, the general counsel serves as IDA’s chief legal officer and secretary of the Corporation, with responsibility spanning legal counsel and risk management, compliance and corporate governance, and government relations and legislative affairs.
The general counsel directly supervises the associate general counsel and law clerk, oversees all engagements with outside counsel, and serves as chief compliance officer, leading the continuous improvement of IDA’s compliance program across all three FFRDCs and its corporate operations. The role also carries a meaningful legislative affairs portfolio, including engagement with congressional offices and executive branch officials on matters affecting IDA’s mission and FFRDC authorities.
Candidates must hold a JD, be admitted to at least one U.S. state bar (active Virginia bar membership or eligibility strongly preferred), and bring 10+ years of relevant legal experience, including at least five years in a regulatory compliance-related area of practice within an FFRDC, UARC, government contracts, or research environment. Strong familiarity with FAR/DFARS, ITAR, EEO statutes, and federal ethics rules is required. U.S. citizenship required and must be eligible to obtain a TS/SCI clearance with full-scope polygraph. Compensation ranges from $325,000 to $375,000+ with a strong benefits package.
IDA is a non-profit corporation operating three Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) on behalf of the U.S. government, providing objective, data-driven analysis on the most complex national security and science policy challenges facing the United States.
JDG Associates has been providing executive recruitment services to Fortune 1000 corporations, associations and non-profits, federal, state, and local governments, research and consulting firms, and defense contractors since 1973. The firm’s research-intensive process and personal approach have resulted in more than 4,000 senior-level searches across a broad spectrum of industries and disciplines in the Washington, D.C. region and nationally.
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Darren DeGioia serves as president of JDG. He conducts senior-level search assignments for research and consulting organizations as well as the public sector. His areas of expertise include information technology, accounting and finance, the quantitative sciences, operations/general management, marketing, and communications. Prior to joining JDG, Mr. DeGioia spent four years in the hospitality industry with the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Sheraton Hotels.
Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Search
JDG Associates was also recently retained by the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) to lead its search for a new president and CEO. The Chicago-based institute, the leading technical institute and trade association for the precast, prestressed concrete industry in North America, seeks a visionary and collaborative executive to succeed its long-serving chief executive, Bob Risser, who is retiring.
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Reporting to the board of directors through the executive committee, the new CEO will direct all aspects of the institute’s operations, programs, finances, and business affairs, serving as the principal liaison between PCI’s volunteer leadership and its professional staff. The incoming leader inherits an organization at the strongest point in its 70-year history, with record financial reserves, the industry’s first precast concrete building code now referenced in the International Building Code, a deeply collaborative staff culture, and an updated strategic plan that will provide a clear roadmap for the organization’s future.
Founded in 1954, PCI is both a technical institute and a trade association. As a technical institute, it develops, maintains, and disseminates the industry’s body of knowledge, including standards, design manuals, the peer-reviewed PCI Journal, and research, and serves as an ANSI-accredited standards developer.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
