At the Pittsburgh-based management consulting firm, Johnson is named Vice President and will lead Organizational Effectiveness practice area, and Petruccelli is named Senior Principal Consultant and will head up Marketing and Sales practice.

Aspirant, a Pittsburgh-based global management consulting firm, made a significant move today with the hiring of two senior consulting executives, Judy Johnson, Ph.D., and Michele Petruccelli. Johnson will serve as Vice President and Director of the company’s Organizational Effectiveness practice. Petruccelli joins the company as Senior Principal Consultant and Director of Aspirant’s new Marketing & Innovation practice, which she will build and launch.

Aspirant President Mike McClaine said, “With our focus on values and our aggressive plans to deliver an industry-changing consulting model, we are creating excitement in the recruiting marketplace. Attracting two outstanding leaders with the qualities of Judy and Michele is a major win for Aspirant. Both have incredible passion to make an impact for their clients, provide extensive industry and functional expertise, and provide strong leadership for Aspirant’s Organizational Effectiveness and Marketing and Sales practices.”

Judy Johnson, Ph.D., was formerly a Senior Principal in Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) New York office. During her six years at BCG, Johnson’s areas of expertise included strategic execution, executive coaching, leadership development, change management, and behavior change. Her clients spanned a wide variety of industries, ranging from transportation and petrochemical to pharmaceuticals and finance.

Prior to joining BCG, Johnson was a Partner at Pittsburgh-based Continuous Learning Group (CLG). There, she focused on driving strategic change through the systematic alignment of leaders, work processes, and systems to support and inspire employees.

Johnson has provided pro-bono services for service organizations, including CARE, a global humanitarian organization, as well as Teach for All, a global network of 45 locally led and funded education organizations. For both organizations, she supported the senior team in developing and executing their strategies. She holds a doctorate from Western Michigan University in Applied Behavior Analysis, an MBA certificate from the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business, and a Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

"I am thrilled to be joining the Aspirant team and leading the Organizational Effectiveness practice, as helping leaders and organizations become more effective is my passion," added Johnson. “Through organizational effectiveness, we can help companies improve their environment, making work more enjoyable and productive while providing faster, more sustainable results. And with the incredibly talented and driven people at Aspirant, I can’t wait to see how we can make a difference for our clients."

Michele Petruccelli joined Aspirant from her role as President at her own consulting firm, Petruccelli Consulting, which she founded in 2010 with a focus on strategic marketing and innovation. While running Petruccelli Consulting, she worked with companies in the Fortune 100 and Global 1000 as well as mid-sized companies in a range of industries, with a focus on healthcare. She specializes in brand strategy development and execution, consumer insight, design thinking, competitive scenario planning, and capability development in these areas.

Prior to starting her company, Petruccelli’s roles included Director of Product Development at Polyconcept North America, Director of Ideation and Innovation and Director of Brand Management at GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, and AVP Marketing at PNC Financial Services. During her career, her work has spanned many organizations and ranges in size and industries, from financial services to consumer-packaged goods and healthcare.  

Petruccelli has been actively involved in service in her hometown of Pittsburgh, as well as abroad. She currently offers her branding expertise and mentoring to Chatham University’s Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship as well as the Attack Theatre and serves as a board member with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh. She earned her MBA from the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Miami University.

"I am excited to join Aspirant and build the Marketing and Sales practice,” said Petruccelli. “It is a perfect additional service that will provide great value to our clients to help them grow and develop their businesses. I see so many synergies with the other existing practices currently offered by Aspirant. I look forward to working with such a fantastic organization and group of people to help lead and grow the Aspirant business into the future."

McClaine commented, “To truly deliver on our promise of fundamentally changing how management consulting services are delivered, we simply must have the best and brightest in the industry. The hiring of Michele and Judy demonstrates that our unique vision is enabling us to continue to bring top talent into Aspirant to truly make an impact for our clients.”