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Virtual Hackathon

Booz Allen / DISCLAIMER: Most of my work is not publicly releasable, so I have refrained from sharing certain details and imagery.

Accelerating innovation through immersive virtual collaboration

Challenge

A defense innovation organization was undergoing rapid process changes and needed to rethink its acquisition model for speed, agility, and digital readiness. Leadership called for a “faster, smarter, bolder” approach—one that could cut through complexity, empower teams to experiment, and surface new ways of working. Amid a global shift to remote operations, the challenge expanded: how to drive innovation, alignment, and tangible outcomes in a fully virtual environment.

Solution

Over five months, Booz Allen designed and facilitated Hack the Acquisition, a virtual hackathon that reimagined the future of acquisition through human-centered design and rapid prototyping. The experience combined immersive storytelling, creative collaboration, and digital experimentation to generate validated, ready-to-pilot solutions.

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Our approach included:

  • Discovery research: Conducted two rounds of stakeholder interviews to map the acquisition ecosystem, identify pain points, and surface opportunities for change.

  • Co-creation sessions: Facilitated three collaborative design sessions to define the challenge, synthesize insights, and shape the virtual event experience.

  • Public engagement strategy: Developed a brand, messaging framework, and communications plan to align and activate participants before, during, and after the hackathon.

  • Immersive storytelling: Built a Virtual Installation—an interactive digital environment that used curated video, audio, and narrative content to immerse participants in the problem space.

  • Rapid prototyping: Guided teams through structured design activities to sketch, prototype, and test solutions with real users and leadership in just days.

  • Virtual facilitation: Designed and led an entirely remote experience with breakout sessions, collaboration tools, and live synthesis to keep participants engaged and outcomes actionable.

My Role

As Lead Facilitator, Facilitation Designer, and Project Manager, I:

  • Led the five-month engagement from capture through execution, helping secure a tactical sale valued in the hundreds of thousands.

  • Directed project management and contract operations, overseeing staffing resources, timelines, and deliverable quality.

  • Designed and facilitated the virtual hackathon, creating a structured experience architecture that guided 70+ participants through rapid collaboration and prototyping.

  • Developed the facilitation design framework, ensuring each activity drove alignment, creativity, and measurable outcomes.

  • Shaped the brand, creative direction, and communications strategy to ensure consistency across storytelling, design, and engagement materials.

  • Managed client stakeholder engagement, building alignment across leadership, end users, and technical experts.

  • Provided leadership and people management, guiding multidisciplinary teams and maintaining cohesion under tight timelines.

Project Images & Video

Impact

  • Engaged 70+ participants across multiple disciplines, including solution team members, facilitators, thought leaders, and showcase viewers.

  • Delivered five validated solution concepts addressing key acquisition pain points, each backed by user research and prototyping.

  • Achieved high participant satisfaction, with an overall rating of 4.3/5 and 4.8/5 for facilitation quality.

  • Increased advocacy and retention, scoring 8.2/10 for likelihood to recommend and 4.4/5 for interest in attending future events.

  • Unified a diverse innovation ecosystem, connecting military, civilian, and technical professionals around shared challenges and solutions.

  • Produced tangible, user-tested prototypes that informed follow-on pilot efforts and process improvements.

  • Established a repeatable framework for virtual hackathons and collaborative innovation across the enterprise.

  • Demonstrated measurable ROI, reinforcing the value of human-centered design and rapid prototyping in mission-driven transformation.

Takeaway

By transforming a complex acquisition challenge into an interactive digital experience, we proved that innovation can thrive virtually when designed with purpose. Through facilitation, storytelling, and rapid prototyping, Hack the Acquisition turned remote collaboration into real impact—building momentum, trust, and a scalable model for digital transformation.

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