Navigating Careers and Climate Change: Insights from an Associates Graduate from Maximus

In this episode, we chat with Dominic Palumbo about his career journey, academic background, and his current role at Maximus. Dom shares his experiences with the ACT-IAC Professional Development Associates Program and discusses a significant project examining the impacts of climate change on data centers. Highlighting networking, confidence building, and research skills, Dom provides valuable advice for young professionals and emphasizes the importance of industry involvement. Tune in to learn about his journey, the importance of networking, and the exciting challenges of working on climate resilience projects.

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Intro/Outro Music: See a Brighter Day/Gloria Tells
Courtesy of Epidemic Sound

(Episodes 1-159: Intro/Outro Music: Focal Point/Young Community
Courtesy of Epidemic Sound)

Transcript

Yohanna: [00:00:00] Hey there. Welcome back. In this episode, we get to chat with Dom Palumbo about his experiences and career journey. Dom discusses his academic background, initial career steps, and his current role at Maximus. He shares his insights into his involvement with the ACT IAC, professional Development Associates Program.
Yohanna: Including his project focused on the impacts of climate change on data centers. Okay, great. I hope you enjoy. Who doesn't like public speaking? Welcome Dom. Dominic. 
Dom Palumbo: Thank you. Thank you. 
Yohanna: So before we get started, let's talk a little bit about who you are, where you're from, and I guess your career journey to, uh, you know, how you landed at Maximus.
Dom Palumbo: Absolutely. So my name is, uh, Don Palumbo. Uh, I grew up in, uh, Northeastern Pennsylvania, uh, right around Hazelton. Uh, and if you don't know, Hazelton, just south of Scranton, uh, in the coal region. 
Yohanna: Okay. 
Dom Palumbo: I graduated college in 2021. I went to [00:01:00] Muhlenberg College, uh, where I played football as well. That's a little fun fact.
Dom Palumbo: And, uh, I started my career. Uh, at a small business called Feta, RFP. They were a business consultant, uh, for other small businesses, uh, in the GovCon space. Uh, a lot of what we had done there, um, was handle the, the BD and capture, uh, lifecycle for small businesses that weren't quite big enough to have their own, uh, internal business development departments.
Dom Palumbo: Uh, and then they actually. Had a sister company called EMD Strategies. Uh, they were owned by two brothers. Uh, so I had also done a decent amount of work for EMD strategies, uh, managing an account for them. They were a, a bonafide contractor who, who went after work. Uh, so I did. Uh, BD and capture as well for EMD, uh, towards, towards the tail end of my time there.
Dom Palumbo: I'd worked there for just about three years, uh, before Maximus, uh, came knocking and, uh, I made the move, uh, to a [00:02:00] large business where I started as, as business analyst. 
Yohanna: Oh, wow. Straight outta college, right into the thick of it. 
Dom Palumbo: Certainly. 
Yohanna: So currently, what are you doing over at Maximus? Shout out to Maximus.
Yohanna: They're a great sponsor of a lot of our events. 
Dom Palumbo: A hundred percent huge shout out to Maximus. Um, so what I'm currently doing for Maximus. When I started, like I said, I started as a business analyst. Uh, a lot of what I was doing was competitive intelligence, uh, market research, that, that kind of research intensive work.
Dom Palumbo: Um, over the past year, things have kind of developed. I did a little stint with our government relations department, uh, where I was sitting in on congressional hearings and, uh, taking a lot of notes and doing, doing briefings, uh, to our, uh, leadership on some of the. Transitions that were happening, especially with that tumultuous period.
Dom Palumbo: Uh, with the change in administration, I was very, very engaged with, uh, with the ongoings, uh, on the hill. [00:03:00] Uh, just trying to make sure that we were, we were up to speed, especially within the Fed safe growth team. I wanted to make sure that everybody was, uh, as informed as possible with any kind of changes that were gonna be coming, leadership, tone, turnover in the agencies, uh, that, that kind of thing.
Dom Palumbo: Any legislative changes that might be coming. Uh, doge was very active at that time, so trying to stay on top of anything that, uh, doge might've been targeting, uh, was of large importance. And then most recently actually, I have been transitioning into a business development role, uh, in a more pure form where I've been, um, transitioning over part of my own pipeline, um, focused on.
Dom Palumbo: Uh, federal, financial and regulatory agencies, uh, under Gabrielle Rivera. Huge shout out to Gabrielle. She's my sponsor for ACT IAC and the reason that I'm here today. 
Yohanna: Oh, that's great. Yeah. So what, what did Gabrielle say? What did she do to inspire you to apply to the, uh, ACT IAC Professional Development Associates Program?
Dom Palumbo: So, Gabrielle approached me about applying to associates, [00:04:00] uh, right around this time last year actually. And she had said, you know, I'm very involved in ACT iac. This is what it's about. Um, there's an event happening at Topgolf in Oxen Hill where ELC just was. 
Speaker 3: Yeah. 
Dom Palumbo: Um, she said, you know, why don't you come and get to meet everybody, get to meet Sarah, uh, get to meet some of the other prospective associates and, you know, just see what you think about it.
Dom Palumbo: Um, she's very involved in the community, uh, specifically in the emerging technology coi, uh, and the the dig working group. Um. And she had said to me, you know, this would be a huge step for your career. This would be very, uh, beneficial to you in your professional development. So when I showed up to that event, I got to meet everybody.
Dom Palumbo: And, um, I thought everything was, was beautiful. Uh, it went really well. And, uh, I applied and, and had gotten in. 
Yohanna: We threw pretty, pretty fun parties. Topgolf is our favorite. We, we went to a, like a pizza shop and we did an event there. Yeah, so I'm [00:05:00] so happy you got to party with us and you, and you saw how we, uh, how we roll.
Dom Palumbo: Yes, definitely. 
Yohanna: All right, so you're in, you applied, you were accepted. I wanna know what were your initial impressions of the program? Were there any aspects that like surprised you? 
Dom Palumbo: Certainly. So the first event that we had was at the US Patent and Trade Office, and that was where the Associates 25 kickoff happened.
Dom Palumbo: And my introduction to the coaches and the other associates was definitely a shock. Number one, how professional everybody was. Uh, it's not often you meet young people who are just starting out their careers that are that focused and that professional who really are all there for the right reasons. And then to do a tour of U-S-P-T-O and just see how dedicated the ACT to IAC staff was as well as the coaching staff.
Dom Palumbo: Uh, that was definitely, uh, an aha moment for me where I realized, you know, everybody's here and everybody's locked in [00:06:00] and we're, we're all gonna get through this program. And, uh, it's definitely gonna be a learning experience. 
Yohanna: That's great. Yeah. That's really good. I've never been to the patent office. It sounds like it's 
Dom Palumbo: patent trade.
Dom Palumbo: Office was nice. Uh. Big library, uh, of all of the, uh, big patent library and then, uh, a small museum. It was pretty cool. 
Yohanna: So, so, uh, real quick, like during the program, were there any pivotal moments or, I, I really wanna talk about your project during the program. It sounds like a really fun project. You wanna get into that 
Dom Palumbo: For sure.
Dom Palumbo: Yeah, definitely. 
Yohanna: Okay, cool. 
Dom Palumbo: My group was chosen to support the resilient infrastructure, community of interest and resilient infrastructure. Handles a lot of, uh, climate change, uh, or environmental aspects of critical infrastructure components. So bridges, telecom, uh, data centers, which was what we selected.
Dom Palumbo: So what we wanted to focus on was kind of a confluence of both [00:07:00] where we wanted to choose, uh, critical infrastructure component, um, as well as an environmental component. So we wanted our project to really stand out from the rest where it was going to be informative, it was going to be research based, but it was going to be more interactive and most importantly.
Dom Palumbo: Repeatable for, uh, not just the koi, but potentially any agency or uh, company who would like to, uh, adopt something similar. 
Yohanna: Oh, wow. 
Dom Palumbo: So what we had chosen to do was do a war gaming scenario, and we chose the, the war, war gaming specifically because it grabs the attention. So the basis of our project centered around compiling as much open source data as possible on, uh, our resilient infrastructure component, which was the data centers, uh, as well as some different public utilities.
Dom Palumbo: Uh, also critical infrastructure around, uh, water and power specifically in the DMV, since that's the most relevant area, uh, [00:08:00] for everybody in including, um, ACT IAC as an organization. So with the project. Focus was, was assessing a long-term drought over the course of a few months, compounded by a seasonal heat wave and how that would affect, uh, public utilities as well as data centers.
Dom Palumbo: It's been published pretty widely, the environmental impact that data centers have, uh, as well as the community impact that they have. And Northern Virginia just so happens to be the largest concentration of data centers in the United States. Uh, over 70% of all. Global internet traffic, uh, happens to pass through, uh, Northern Virginia data centers.
Dom Palumbo: So that is an interesting statistic. In any case, 
Yohanna: oh wow. 
Dom Palumbo: Our project assessed how a long-term drought would. Impact the function of data centers as well as other critical infrastructure. And then specifically that heat wave at the end, uh, creating, so to say, a da, a disaster scenario [00:09:00] where the government, the private sector and the public would all have different reactions to it.
Dom Palumbo: And along the way we wanted to address, uh, different interventions that could happen at each point where. The government or industry could step in and, and say, you know, we need to, uh, take action before things get to the point where there's serious national security risk or there's serious, uh, downstream implications.
Yohanna: That's tough. It's tough to be preventative about stuff like that. Oh, wow. It's a lot of layers. Really intense. 
Dom Palumbo: It, it was, it was a lot of research. Um, that's, that's for sure. 
Yohanna: All right, so this, this project sounds amazing. It's, it sounds like a lot of research. Like, I'm so happy you were on the team 'cause you're a research kind of dude.
Yohanna: Let's talk about your coaches. What kind of support did your coaches lend with, with this project? Or I guess just navigating any challenges or uncertainties throughout the program. 
Dom Palumbo: Absolutely. So huge shout. Shout out to both my coaches, Laura Smith and Kim Pak. Uh, [00:10:00] they were instrumental in this project getting complete and supporting our group throughout the entire process.
Dom Palumbo: So one thing that I definitely think they helped us with was compartmentalizing everything and keeping us on track and on time. Uh, their contributions to our time management, maintaining the logistics behind everything. Team circle of some meetings, different benchmarks that we needed to hit. At certain points, we would've struggled without their guidance there.
Dom Palumbo: They're truly professionals. And they have experience meeting deadlines and getting projects and proposals submitted on time. So the cadence that they established, uh, for everything was, was critical for us and critical to our success. 
Yohanna: Oh, that's solid. That's great. Is there maybe a piece of advice that, you know, one of your coaches, uh, gave you that is, um, kind of you're still living with today?
Yohanna: Maybe not advice or maybe it sounds as if they showed you. And [00:11:00] instead of like telling you they 
Dom Palumbo: were certainly involved and hands-on. 
Yohanna: Yeah. 
Dom Palumbo: Uh, as far as the project goes, outside of that, uh, one piece of advice that the coaches did give that I would definitely like to communicate, especially to other young professionals, um, is they were heavily, they heavily emphasize the importance of attending events.
Dom Palumbo: You never know who you're gonna meet and where you're gonna meet them and what conversations you might have. Uh, the Associates program was very focused on networking. Uh, I think that's one component that's of business that's very important to, uh, all young professionals, but our coaches specifically emphasized.
Dom Palumbo: Never turn down an invite. Always go, even if it's for a little bit. Show your face, get your name out, and. Have conversations, shake hands, meet people. That's so important in both industry and government. [00:12:00] To have people know your name, know your face, know what you're about. Uh, and they, they definitely emphasize that.
Dom Palumbo: And I think that's something that absolutely has stuck with me. 
Yohanna: I, I believe that I'm, I'm all about that. 'cause there's only so much you can do online, you know, you can do Absolutely. Your LinkedIn introduction. You can send a little dm Cool. But like sitting down face to face handshake. All of those really go a long way.
Dom Palumbo: A hundred percent. 
Yohanna: Sounds amazing. So you're out there, you're hitting the streets, you're going at the events, you're networking. Mm-hmm. We're also getting closer to the associate's graduation. I, I wanna know, in what ways has the PDA program influenced your career path so far? Where do you see yourself, uh, going on this, on, on your career journey?
Dom Palumbo: So the PDA program has absolutely helped. Boost my networking ability as well as my confidence presenting. Those are two things that were emphasized throughout the program that I thought were extremely important that I needed to develop in myself. Uh, especially being young in this [00:13:00] arena, confidence is so important because you need to really shake the imposter syndrome, especially when you get into it fresh outta college.
Dom Palumbo: You know, it's one of those things that. You're not always in a comfortable space where you feel like you belong. Uh, you're surrounded by professionals who've been in this space for 20 years, who know all the acronyms, who know all the people who have the relationships built already, and really getting your feet underneath of you and integrating.
Dom Palumbo: Pretty seamlessly into those spaces, uh, is, is something that I think the PDA program has helped me with immensely working on the project that we did, uh, that has absolutely boosted my research ability, um, combing open source data. I mean, that's, that's what I did largely for, uh, for work at Maximus. But this was different.
Dom Palumbo: This was looking at public databases. This was looking at. Uh, different private sector information. It was a different type of research and that was a refreshing perspective and, and I think my skillset has [00:14:00] definitely improved in those areas as well. 
Yohanna: Yeah. Happy graduation. 
Dom Palumbo: Thank you. Appreciate it. 
Yohanna: That's great.
Yohanna: So, uh, speaking of graduation, when, when all of this is finished, do you see yourself still, I guess, maintaining some of these connections with your coach, with your cohort? I know that networking is a, is a big deal, but it's also tough, you know, when you're not like volunteering your time and, and researching, like you said, like you're doing extra homework, you know, essentially how do you see yourself in the future maintaining your, uh, your connections and your network?
Dom Palumbo: Certainly, I mean, one thing that Gabrielle emphasized when I applied to the program was these relationships last forever. Once you get your certificate, once you get that credential, that's something you'll have forever. And you'll always be able to attend ACT iact events, whether you're in industry or the government.
Dom Palumbo: And I don't know where my career may take me, whether it be either path. Uh, I'll definitely be involved in the space one way or another. So the ability to always come back to [00:15:00] act iact and come back to these relationships is so important to me and not for nothing. A lot of the relationships that I built through the program have turned into friendships.
Dom Palumbo: It started as a professional. Uh, professional situation and developed into, uh, group chats where we're laughing and joking and I see people at events and the first thing I do is go over and I'll, I'll shake their hand or dap 'em up and, uh, we'll start laughing. Immediately joking. We'll have dinner, drinks, and, uh.
Dom Palumbo: Really sit down as friends instead of colleagues. And that includes the coaches as well, that's not just exclusive to the associates. 
Yohanna: Oh, absolutely. Yeah. They're, they're silly. Even though you see them like, you know, professional and walking around, they, they got their little jokes too. 
Dom Palumbo: A hundred percent.
Yohanna: So let's say, uh, there's somebody listening who is interested in applying to one of our professional development programs. What, uh, advice would you, would you give them? 
Dom Palumbo: Do it. 100%. [00:16:00] Um, the one thing that I will say, and a huge piece of advice is work with your sponsor on your application. That was a huge benefit to me, is having such an invested sponsor to sit down and work with me in developing the strongest application possible.
Dom Palumbo: All of Act IAC professional development programs are extremely competitive. And it's something that you need to really distinguish yourself in your application to just get into the program. So put the time in. I understand it's a lot of work, it's a lot of effort, but it pays off because the program ultimately pays off and the relationships you build, the skills that you learn, the confidence will gain, is worth all of the extra work on the application and through the program, the return on it is immeasurable.
Dom Palumbo: So do it. Definitely apply. 
Yohanna: Yeah. The, the work you put into it is the, the amount of work that you get out of it. 
Dom Palumbo: You got it. Absolutely. It's like with [00:17:00] everything. 
Yohanna: All right. Are you ready for my fun little game that I made up called acronym wars? 
Dom Palumbo: Let's do it. I'm ready. I'm ready. 
Yohanna: Okay. All right. So acronym Moores is a game that I made up where I give our contestants the acronym, just the letters, and they have to tell us what that acronym stands for.
Dom Palumbo: Alright. 
Yohanna: All right, Dom, here we go. 
Dom Palumbo: Okay. 
Yohanna: Here's the first one. 
Dom Palumbo: Yeah. 
Yohanna: SSA 
Dom Palumbo: Social Security Administration. 
Yohanna: Hey, nice. All right. Good. Good. All right. Here is the second one. GSA 
Dom Palumbo: General Services Administration. 
Yohanna: All right. All right. Two for two. 
Dom Palumbo: And 
Yohanna: he's just so casual. He is like, I don't know if I know all of them.
Yohanna: Okay. All right. All right. All right. Here's the third one. OPM. 
Dom Palumbo: Office of Personnel Management. 
Yohanna: Okay. Yeah. Good job. Ding, ding, ding. Um, do you want [00:18:00] another one? 
Dom Palumbo: Sure. Throw out a 
Yohanna: bonus. Why not? Weird. These are kind of, here's a bonus one, here's a bonus one. Here's a tough one, I think. I think these are tough.
Dom Palumbo: Okay. 
Yohanna: NLRB. 
Dom Palumbo: NLRB. Oh boy. Um, I have to go into my bag for this one. National Labor Relations Board. 
Yohanna: Yeah, there you go. Nice. 
Dom Palumbo: Pretty slow. 
Yohanna: Good job. That's a tough one. Yeah, 
Dom Palumbo: that one is, that one was tough. I, like I said, I had to go into my bag for it. That was, uh. Definitely challenging. I don't do much work with the NLRB.
Yohanna: Oh, no. Oh, okay. Yeah. 
Dom Palumbo: No, certainly 
Yohanna: not. It happens. All right. Thank you so much for playing along. You're a good sport. 
Dom Palumbo: A hundred percent. Thank you. Appreciate it. 
Yohanna: So that was time. I, I really appreciate your, um, your insight on the 2025 Associates program. If there are folks out there that are interested in, in contacting you.
Yohanna: Where should they look? 
Dom Palumbo: So if you are interested in reaching out to me, um, I'll [00:19:00] pull myself out here a little bit so you can reach out to me through LinkedIn. Uh, Dominic Palumbo on LinkedIn, that's A-D-O-M-I-N-I-C-P-A-L-U-M-B-O on LinkedIn. Actually, I'll give you my work email. My work email is same thing.
Dom Palumbo: First name. Middle initial R, last name@maximus.com. 
Yohanna: All right, great. 
Speaker 3: Thank you so much. 
Dom Palumbo: You got it 
Yohanna 3: for your time. This has been such an insightful conversation. Thank you for sharing your journey and experiences with us and to our listeners. If you are interested in learning more about ACT IAC Professional Development Program, be sure to check out ACT IAC.
Yohanna 3: Dot org slash professional DASH development. Until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and we will see you in the next episode.