About Us

Honorable Lisa W. Hershman

Former CEO & COO | Thought Leader | M&A, Operational Excellence, Digital/AI Transformations | ESG

The Honorable Lisa Hershman serves as the Indiana Secretary of Management and Budget, appointed by Governor Mike Braun in December 2024.  Hershman brings extensive experience in both government and private sector financial management, most recently serving as Chief Management Officer of the U.S. Department of Defense.

The Secretary of Management and Budget serves as the chief financial officer of the state, overseeing Indiana’s budget, financial management, and administrative operations.  Hershman is responsible for developing the budget to realize the governor’s vision, managing agencies in finance, technology, shared services, and providing operation oversight across the secretary’s verticals.

As the third-highest ranking Pentagon official from 2018-2021, Hershman managed a $168 billion budget and achieved record-setting savings of $37 billion through operational reforms.  She led the completion of the Department of Defense’s first unified budget, merging 28 organizational budgets while implementing a customized approach based on mission and purpose. She also served as the lead official for the Department of Defense for the Global Women Peace & Security initiative. As a result of her accomplishments, she was awarded the Distinguished Public Service Medal, the Department of Defense’s highest civilian honor.

Prior to her service at the Department of Defense, Hershman was the founder and CEO of The DeNovo Group, a business transformation and process management consultancy. She is also the former CEO of Hammer and Company, serving as the successor to the late Dr. Michael Hammer – the MIT icon, best-selling author, and founder of the field of business process reengineering.  Hershman is co-author of the internationally acclaimed business book Faster Cheaper Better with Dr. Hammer and has been featured in BusinessWeek, Forbes, Fox Business News, and Investor’s Business Daily.

In addition, Hershman served as Senior Vice President of Operational Excellence at Avnet, a global distributor of electronic components and technology systems. As the executive in charge of transformation and customer experience in 72 countries, her work was honored with the Avnet Corporate Chairman’s Award. She began her career with General Electric, where she managed a portion of the Seawolf submarine program.

Hershman previously served on the Indiana Commission for Higher Education from 2014-2020. A resident of Lafayette, Hershman holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Management from Clarkson University and has completed advanced programs at the Wharton School, London School of Economics, IMD/MIT, and Cornell University.

Click here to view Org Chart