Published by Gbaf News
Posted on May 19, 2018
5 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Federal contracting industry veteran, Jim Donnelly, joins national executive search firm to lead new practice in Washington, D.C.
Centerstone Executive Search and Consulting(Centerstone), a national, retained executive search firm, has expanded its business portfolio with a new vertical practice focused on the aerospace, defense and security industries. After a targeted local search, Centerstone appointed Jim Donnelly, a federal contracting industry veteran with more than 25 years of talent acquisition experience in this sector, as managing director of the firm’s new practice.
Kim Villeneuve, Ed.D., CEO of Centerstone Executive Search and Consulting, said, “Expanding our offerings to the D.C. region brings a unique and specialized search process to a highly competitive and thriving market—a process that underpinned our company’s impressive double-digit growth throughout the past three years. To spearhead the efforts for the new aerospace, defense and security practice, we knew it was imperative to have the right person on the ground and are pleased that Jim has accepted this endeavor to extend the firm’s portfolio.”
Villeneuve’s own executive search and development career had roots in the aerospace sector prior to her subsequent focus on the retail and services industries. This insight, combined with Donnelly’s extensive background, create a strong foundation to help federal contractors and corporations in aerospace, defense and security find and secure top-level leadership.
Donnelly, an active member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association(AFCEA) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), is a veteran search executive that has conducted senior-level, executive searches for a diverse portfolio of clients in the defense, intelligence and federal civilian markets. His career in talent acquisition has covered functional areas such as operations, business development, engineering and corporate leadership with an emphasis on the cyber, defense, intelligence and federal healthcare sectors.
Jim Donnelly, managing director, Centerstone, said, “I’m excited to help the Centerstone team bring its high-touch, boutique-style approach and philosophy to D.C. The fast-paced, competitive aerospace, defense and security markets demand top talent that immediately impacts the success of an organization. Applying Centerstone’s methodology to my portfolio of local clients will undoubtedly facilitate fast results and successful talent acquisition for market leaders across the region.”
While the D.C. practice will drive the focus on aerospace, defense and security, Centerstone’s national network of offices will continue to provide specialist attention and value to clients in the retail, wholesale, digital/e-commerce, hospitality and healthcare sectors, offering executive search at the C-suite level, leadership consulting and a range of board services.
SOURCE Centerstone Executive Search and Consulting
Federal contracting industry veteran, Jim Donnelly, joins national executive search firm to lead new practice in Washington, D.C.
Centerstone Executive Search and Consulting(Centerstone), a national, retained executive search firm, has expanded its business portfolio with a new vertical practice focused on the aerospace, defense and security industries. After a targeted local search, Centerstone appointed Jim Donnelly, a federal contracting industry veteran with more than 25 years of talent acquisition experience in this sector, as managing director of the firm’s new practice.
Kim Villeneuve, Ed.D., CEO of Centerstone Executive Search and Consulting, said, “Expanding our offerings to the D.C. region brings a unique and specialized search process to a highly competitive and thriving market—a process that underpinned our company’s impressive double-digit growth throughout the past three years. To spearhead the efforts for the new aerospace, defense and security practice, we knew it was imperative to have the right person on the ground and are pleased that Jim has accepted this endeavor to extend the firm’s portfolio.”
Villeneuve’s own executive search and development career had roots in the aerospace sector prior to her subsequent focus on the retail and services industries. This insight, combined with Donnelly’s extensive background, create a strong foundation to help federal contractors and corporations in aerospace, defense and security find and secure top-level leadership.
Donnelly, an active member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association(AFCEA) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), is a veteran search executive that has conducted senior-level, executive searches for a diverse portfolio of clients in the defense, intelligence and federal civilian markets. His career in talent acquisition has covered functional areas such as operations, business development, engineering and corporate leadership with an emphasis on the cyber, defense, intelligence and federal healthcare sectors.
Jim Donnelly, managing director, Centerstone, said, “I’m excited to help the Centerstone team bring its high-touch, boutique-style approach and philosophy to D.C. The fast-paced, competitive aerospace, defense and security markets demand top talent that immediately impacts the success of an organization. Applying Centerstone’s methodology to my portfolio of local clients will undoubtedly facilitate fast results and successful talent acquisition for market leaders across the region.”
While the D.C. practice will drive the focus on aerospace, defense and security, Centerstone’s national network of offices will continue to provide specialist attention and value to clients in the retail, wholesale, digital/e-commerce, hospitality and healthcare sectors, offering executive search at the C-suite level, leadership consulting and a range of board services.
SOURCE Centerstone Executive Search and Consulting
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