Meet Richard

Richard Goffi leads Booz Allen’s energy innovation, resilience, and security businesses, focusing on energy and climate efforts for government and private-sector clients. With wide-ranging expertise in advanced energy systems, innovation, and data science, he has deep experience in government technology and national security initiatives.

From energy security to innovation, resilience, and sustainability, to understanding and mitigating the broad and disparate impacts of climate change, Richard is focused on what’s next for the federal government. He oversees the full range of our support to the Department of Energy and other federal agencies. He has directed management, technology, and cybersecurity work in the Department of Energy as well as complex energy initiatives across the Department of Defense. His work covers a broad spectrum including supporting federal R&D investments in transformational energy technologies, energy project development, and energy management for defense activities, modernization of citizen-facing federal technology infrastructure, and the management and operation of the nation's nuclear weapons complex.

Previously, Richard was a management and technology consultant for multinational oil and gas companies, financial institutions, leading Fortune 500 companies, and major utilities responding to emerging regulatory and technology changes in the energy sector. He also has years of experience supporting federal initiatives focused on transforming the energy economy, managing the nation's nuclear materials, as well as global initiatives for combatting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. He started his career as an operations analyst in NASA’s space shuttle program.

Richard earned a B.S. with honors in aerospace engineering from the United States Naval Academy. He completed graduate studies in nuclear engineering at the University of Maryland.

What makes you passionate about your work at Booz Allen? I love being part of change and driving the development, deployment, and adoption of new technologies and new business models. I’m also passionate about seeing government and defense enterprises serve as a catalyst for change and become less vulnerable and dependent on energy. I’m inspired by the proactive approach towards equity issues. Climate change significantly impacts disadvantaged groups and communities. I see our comprehensive and data-driven approach to helping the government understand and mitigate these consequences as a logical extension of our purpose and values.

Why did you choose Booz Allen? I like big challenges. I started my career in Washington dealing with a major challenge addressing both the legacy and the future of nuclear energy. I expanded upon that, building a business around non-proliferation, dealing with profound security challenges of the post-Cold War world. I then moved to my next big challenge—the need to transform energy solutions and address the profound threats of climate change.

What have been the biggest changes in the energy industry during your career? We're fundamentally transforming an industry that still maintains old, and arguably outdated, business models. We must look at all aspects of the federal government whose mission will be impacted by climate—from the resilience of infrastructure to increasingly frequent severe weather events to the preparedness, response, and mitigating disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged communities.

How does your team help clients with change? Booz Allen understands the potential afforded by both information and modern technology. We have a cadre of technical experts who can help see the game changers that will transform this industry, coupled with the business experts who understand the implications, and the change management talent to help make it happen. We also have the data science and analytics expertise to make sense and sound decisions from the universe of available data.

How will you make that happen? In the world of energy and climate, the true measure of success is not the development of new and innovative technology—it’s deployment and driving innovation in the nation’s economy. It must be adopted by the private sector to be successful and become an ongoing part of the broader change. For example, solar power and electric vehicles have been around for decades but underutilized. We must quickly expand their use to meet the goals set by the current Administration.

What’s exciting about the future of energy? Smart energy excites me. Are we going to provide energy when and where needed? Can we be economically and environmentally responsible? Can it be reliable and secure? Can we accommodate electrifying much of the transportation sector to reduce its climate impact? As the planet’s population moves toward 10 billion, we want to be sustainable around the world. This is a global issue.

What kinds of people do you value? I value and enjoy working with creative people who like to take on challenges. They’re willing to say, “Let me figure it out.” That speaks to my heart.