Washington, D.C., partner Tom McDonald, who heads the firm's Government Policy Practice Group and was U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe from 1997-2001, was recommended by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley to be appointed to a recently formed committee which will be overseen by Secretary Christian Johansson of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.
The committee, which in addition to McDonald includes CEOs and other high-profile Maryland stakeholders, will assess and provide recommendations regarding the state's strategy to persuade Northrop Grumman to relocate its corporate headquarters to Maryland. Earlier this month, the company, the nation's second-largest defense contractor, said it would move its corporate staff to the Washington, D.C., area by summer 2011 to be closer to its key customer, the U.S. government.