About Lou – Crenshaw Consulting Associates

Vice Admiral Lou Crenshaw, CDFM United States Navy (Retired)

Lou Crenshaw is the Founder and President of Crenshaw Consulting Associates LLC. Lou has a record of almost four decades of proven executive success in a broad range of leadership positions in the public and private sectors. Lou has extensive experience in reorganization and realignment of large organizations with emphasis on financial issues and cross-functional alignment.

Experience

Lou’s vision for CCA is to deliver C-Suite-level consulting services to commercial and government clients by providing advice and counsel in strategic planning, executive coaching and organizational restructuring. CCA also provides assistance in capture management, client relationships and market analysis for commercial clients. The firm additionally provides due diligence and pipeline/contract analysis services to private equity investors.

Lou retired from partnership at Grant Thornton, LLP in 2013, where he was the Principal with responsibility for the firm’s national Aerospace and Defense practice, coordinating the delivery of tax, audit and business advisory services to over 50 clients. Prior to this role, Lou served as the partner responsible for the Defense and Intelligence practice within the Global Public Sector of Grant Thornton, where he had experience managing and directing Defense/Intel teams throughout the Department of Defense (DoD) to include the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Defense Agencies, military services and national intelligence agencies. Significant engagements included U.S. Marine Corps Audit, Washington Headquarters Service advisory services, Defense Logistics Agency A76/MEO support, Missile Defense Agency accounting support, Navy BRAC support and numerous strategic sourcing efforts throughout DoD.

During his over 30 years of service in the United States Navy, he commanded a Medium Attack Squadron (VA-85), a Carrier Air Wing (CVW-1) and an Aircraft Carrier Battle Group (John F. Kennedy Strike Group/ Carrier Group SIX). Lou is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and an experienced test project engineer at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, MD. As a Flag Officer, he specialized in financial operations and budgeting, serving three tours of duty in the Navy’s N-8 Programming and Budgeting Directorate, culminating his career as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Requirements and Assessments (N8). Additionally he served as the Commander of U.S. Navy Activities, Europe where he commanded all Naval Bases located in Europe.

Lou was selected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) in 2011 and has participated in or lead several key studies of government agencies, including the Veterans Administration and the Maritime Administration. Established in 1967 and chartered by Congress, NAPA is a non-profit, independent coalition of top public management and organizational leaders who tackle the nation’s most critical and complex challenges.

Lou is involved in the leadership of several non-profit organizations. He serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Navy Safe Harbor Foundation, an organization providing support to the Navy and Coast Guard wounded warriors, and those who are seriously injured on active duty or seriously ill. He is on the Executive Advisory Board of Mission Readiness, an organization dedicated to improving pre-school education for America’s future leaders and serves on the National Security Advisory Council of the US Global Leadership Coalition, a non-partisan advocate for a strong international affairs budget as a matter of national security. Lou and Marilyn Crenshaw reside in Weems, VA. They have two adult children, Lew and Lauren and a host of grandchildren.

Professional qualifications and memberships