ICF International and Its Tuskegee Heritage

Categorized Under: Aviation, Defense, Program Management + IT Management

The history of ICF International goes a lot farther back than 1969 when it was founded as the Inner City Fund. Our first president was Clarence D. Lester, a former Tuskegee Airman. Our consulting business proved more successful than our investments, so in 1972 the firm was reorganized as a consulting firm and renamed ICF Incorporated. Today, under the name ICF International, a global professional services company, we continue to honor our founder, "Lucky" Lester, and build on our aviation heritage.

As a member of 332nd Fighter Group, "Lucky" piloted a P-51 Mustang as the group escorted bombers on raids throughout Europe. Flying escort for heavy bombers, the 332nd earned an impressive combat record, and bomber crews often requested escorts from the "Red Tail Angels"—a nickname the Tuskegee air crews earned because of the red paint applied to the aircraft's tail section and because of the crews' strong reputation throughout the bomber community. This article, published in the Journal of Air Traffic Control, highlights "Lucky" Lester's combat service as well as his public service when he returned home.

Authored By

Lou Pack
Senior Vice PresidentICF International

Lou Pack has more than 25 years of management experience. He specializes in assisting public sector and commercial clients develop and implement best practice project management and acquisition management processes, techniques, and tools. His expertise covers management systems evaluations, management process improvements, program management office (PMO) implementations, development and implementation of earned value management (EVM) systems, project scope and requirements definition, portfolio management, performance measurement tools, risk analyses, and acquisition management systems for federal programs, including competitive sourcing procurements.

He teaches project management for the Federal Aviation Administration’s Academy. He is a certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and serves on PMI standards development committees.
Jeff Breunig
PrincipalICF International

Jeff Breunig has broad aviation program management and strategic planning experience with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Defense (DoD), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He provides expertise in aviation system planning, technology requirements development and integration, flight training, transportation security, infrastructure planning, resource procurement, policy and strategy development, risk assessment, and mission and investment analysis.

He has extensive experience in the planning and management of large multidisciplinary transportation projects and programs involving multiple industries, government agencies, and research organizations. Mr. Breunig is a rated aviator and former U.S. Air Force Flight Instructor with more than 2,300 hours of flight time in jet aircraft.