Dovel Technologies executive chairman to retire

Paul Leslie to leave after a decade with McLean company

Published February 1, 2021 by Sydney Lake

Paul Leslie. Photo courtesy Dovel Technologies

McLean-based federal contractor Dovel Technologies announced Monday that Paul Leslie will retire as executive chairman and Sudhakar Kesavan will join the company as chairman of the board in March.

Leslie served as Dovel’s CEO for more than eight years, during which the company focused on the federal health and civilian markets. During his tenure, Leslie saw Dovel grow from fewer than 50 employees to more than 2,200 today. Despite his retirement, he will continue to serve as an adviser to the company.

“It has been an honor to have led Dovel through its entrepreneurial growth stage,” Leslie said in a statement. “I will forever be grateful to the management team and all our wonderful employees for their dedication to our customers’ success and their enduring support of our growth strategy. I remain optimistic and confident that the team will continue to see great success with the next phase of strategic growth and expansion.”

Leslie has worked in the Northern Virginia area for more than 30 years and has also served as chairman of the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia and currently serves as an adviser to the Children Science Center and George Mason University’s Innovation Advisory Council.

Kesavan previously served as chairman and CEO of ICF and currently serves as chairman of the board of directors at ABM and as a board of trustees member for Inova Health System.

“I am deeply grateful for Paul’s time at Dovel. He has been a great mentor and has had an enormous impact on the company’s success throughout the last decade,” Dovel CEO Damon Griggs said in a statement. “At the same time, I am excited to welcome Sudhakar to Dovel. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience leading and scaling a mission-driven business and I look forward to the ideas and value he will add to our team.”

Dovel provides tech services to support agency missions in health information technology, life sciences, public safety and grants management.