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Jesse Salazar

Helps government leaders deliver better outcomes and citizen experiences for their people

Jesse works with US state and local governments to improve government operations, grow their economies, and modernize energy and sustainability systems. He originally joined McKinsey in 2017 and directed the McKinsey Center for Government, a dedicated center of excellence that helps government leaders deliver better outcomes and citizen experiences for their people.

Throughout his career, Jesse has developed knowledge leadership on sustainable, inclusive economic growth as part of senior teams in government, philanthropy, and the private sector. He has several years of public service, including leading the Pentagon’s defense industrial policy, supply chain resilience, and international defense industrial cooperation. He held advisory roles for a presidential transition team, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, and the U.S. Senate. As Pennsylvania Commissioner on Latino Affairs, he advised the governor on issues affecting the Latin community.

Previously, Jesse managed global external relations for the Advanced Industries Practice of McKinsey, where he led the development and dissemination of vital industrial research on the automotive, machinery, advanced electronics, semiconductors, aerospace, and defense sectors. He supported several industrial and manufacturing research partnerships with the World Economic Forum.

Jesse is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce in London and a Senior Fellow with the Truman National Security Project. He taught at the Carey School of Business at Johns Hopkins University.

Passionate about nonprofit service, Jesse supports food equity as Board Chair for Baltimore’s Public Markets and is a regular volunteer at a West Baltimore food bank. He also serves on the board of Baltimore Center Stage, the State Theater of Maryland.

Published work

Lessons for US deputy secretaries on effective federal management,” McKinsey & Company, May 2025

How multimodal AI could re-tool global crisis response,” Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, June 2024

Navigating the first 100 days: Lessons from former US cabinet members,” McKinsey & Company, January 2021

Machine tooling is vital to a robust US innovation pipeline,” Industry Week, December 2021

Past experience

U.S. Department of Defense
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy

Council on Foundations
Vice president, content design

U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Vice president, policy and government affairs

Education

Princeton University
MA, history

University of Pennsylvania
BA with honors, history and political science