Charles Lyons-Burt 
In this Executive Spotlight interview, Rob Silverman reflects on the evolution of the government contracting market and how Oddball is positioning itself for its next phase of growth. A two-time Wash100 Award winner (and recently named to its 2026 list), Silverman became CEO of Oddball in November after a 23-year career at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he served as an executive vice president across defense, civilian and health markets.
Founded in 2015, Oddball has built a reputation as a digital services company focused on human-centered design and outcome-driven delivery for federal agencies. Silverman joined the company as it expands its footprint across health, civilian and defense missions and launches Oddball Labs, a new initiative aimed at developing products, solutions and partnerships that keep American veterans, warfighters, clinicians and beneficiaries who rely on government services at the center of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
At the (rescheduled) 2025 Healthcare Summit on Feb. 12, Silverman will moderate a panel of experts on how AI and cloud technologies are enabling federal healthcare services. It will feature speakers like Dr. Jesus Caban, CDAO at the Defense Health Agency and Dr. Evan Carey, acting director of the National AI Institute for the VA. Register now for insights!
ExecutiveBiz: You joined Oddball very recently. What stood out to you as you stepped into the CEO role?
Rob Silverman: It’s a heck of an honor, and it’s a terrific company backed by a terrific investor. Falfurrias Capital Partners is an esteemed name in the private equity space, and they’ve been a great partner for us. They have several companies in their U.S. government platform, with Oddball operating in the civil and defense world.
I had known about Oddball as an up-and-coming company with an unconventional name. What I’ve learned, though, is that we are not just ‘up and coming’; we are already ‘here’ in the market and looking to grow to even new heights. Further, we’re not just a neat, different name. We are an unconventional company with unconventional talent, approaches and culture—but we deliver consistent, quality outcomes.
That combination of mission focus, culture and backing really stood out to me, and it made this opportunity especially compelling.
EBiz: Tell me about the values the company was built on and the culture you’re trying to cultivate.
Silverman: Oddball was founded with a strong set of core values. As I stepped into the CEO role, I met with many of our leaders, and we had some really thoughtful, candid conversations about our values, our purpose, our strategy and our approach. One of the things we committed to was not only maintaining those values, but doubling down on them.
Those values made us successful in what we call our first curve, and they’re going to make us successful in our “Curve Two” strategy, where we recognize all of the great things our company has accomplished to get us to this point, but have also mapped out what we need to accomplish to be successful moving forward, in our second curve, when it comes to our capabilities, clients, corporate infrastructure and culture.
There are five core values. The first is “own it,” taking accountability for our actions, our work and our outcomes, individually and collectively, on behalf of our teams and our clients.
Another is being growth-oriented. That’s about helping the company grow, but just as importantly helping each Oddball grow in the way they want to, whether that’s learning new technologies, taking on new responsibilities or stepping into new missions. I learned a saying a long time ago from a football coach: you can’t stay the same. You either get better or you get worse.
We’re also very focused on clients first. That means our government clients, but also the end users—the Americans, the taxpayers, the warriors and the veterans. We expect our people to think about the bigger picture. It’s not just about completing a task or delivering a piece of technology. There’s a broader mission and outcome we’re working toward.
And finally, it’s about great teams. Everything I’ve ever been part of that was successful came down to strong teams. That means collaboration among our Oddballs, with our industry partners and with our clients. At the end of the day, we’re all on the same team serving government agencies and the people who depend on them.
EBiz: Out of curiosity, where does the name Oddball come from?
Silverman: The company was co-founded by Travis Sorensen, who now serves on our board, and Rob Wilkinson, our chief technology officer. The idea was to be different, mercurial and unconventional.
They believed that solving really tough government challenges requires different and unconventional approaches, always strangely human, but done in a way where you’re still a trusted partner to the federal government. It was always about doing things differently while continuing to deliver results. I was genuinely attracted to the name during my job search, and it felt like a great fit.
EBiz: What does the M&A outlook look like for Oddball?
Silverman: Earlier in my career, I spent more than two decades at Booz Allen Hamilton and retired as an EVP. My last role focused on post-merger integration, and I saw how new assets and new colleagues could expand capabilities, deepen client relationships and help us serve new missions.
With Falfurrias’ investment, we’re in a posture where we’re looking to acquire new assets. We’re evaluating opportunities across three dimensions. The first is additional client access, either deepening existing relationships or entering new spaces.
The second is adding capabilities. We have a strong niche in human-centered design and DevSecOps, and we’re expanding into artificial intelligence and further digital services. For example, we’re already supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs with an AI-powered chatbot, and we’re looking at how to do that in bigger and broader ways.
The third, and really the most important, is cultural alignment. Fit with our core values is a gating factor as we and our Falfurrias partners evaluate potential acquisitions.
EBiz: How has the GovCon market changed since you began your career?
Silverman: Going back to the early 1990s, professional services firms really began partnering closely with the federal government and applying consulting and technology expertise. Over time, the industry became heavily consulting-driven, which was valuable, but in many ways ran its course.
There was also a period where contractors were augmenting government talent, and I think that has matured as well. Now, with efforts like U.S. Digital Service and the Department of Government Efficiency, we’re seeing a strong, welcome acceleration toward outcomes.
It’s not just about tools or techniques anymore. It’s about outcomes for agencies and, more importantly, outcomes for their constituents. Speed and efficiency matter more than ever, and that shift aligns perfectly with who we are as a company and what taxpayers expect from government services.
EBiz: What is the most impactful trend you’re seeing in the GovCon market today?
Silverman: Technology is a big part of it. We’ve seen application development, the move to the cloud and now artificial intelligence. AI is revolutionary, but it raises important questions about how much we rely on AI versus people and how we keep humans at the center of digital services. As our society becomes more immersed in technology, it shines a light even more on what it means to be “strangely human.”
Another impactful trend, which sometimes gets less attention, is acquisition reform. AI and other technologies are powerful, but the government also needs new acquisition approaches to harness those tools effectively and efficiently for agencies and taxpayers. I’m encouraged by the government’s efforts on acquisition reform.
Who Is Rob Silverman?
Rob Silverman is the CEO of Oddball and a two-time Wash100 Award winner recognized for leadership in government technology and professional services. He joined Oddball in November 2025 after a 23-year career at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he served as an executive vice president across defense, civilian, health and national security markets. Silverman is also a faculty member at Johns Hopkins University’s Whiting School of Engineering.
What Is Oddball?
Founded in 2015, Oddball is a digital services company supporting federal health, civilian and defense agencies. The company specializes in human-centered design, DevSecOps and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and is backed by private equity firm Falfurrias Management Partners.
