Boston Chapter Virtual Meeting
Decision-Making in Government: Why It’s So Hard — and What to Do About It
Featuring:
Jonathan Allen, Executive Vice President - Decision Lens
& John Saaty, Co-founder & CEO - Decision Lens
Location: Online via Zoom Meeting (Link will be sent after registration)
Date: January 20, 2026 | 6:00 PM ET
On January 20, 2025, as the new president took office, his administration launched an unprecedented overhaul of the executive branch — slashing some agency budgets by 50–70%, eliminating thousands of federal jobs, and offering many employees buyouts through the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP). Since then, we have seen a shutdown, sweeping reorganizations, and further cuts still unfolding. At the same time, rapid advances in artificial intelligence and other technologies are transforming the landscape, creating powerful new ways for leaders to harness data. These major forces have resulted in an environment unlike anything government has faced before. Amid this upheaval, government leaders must deliberately cultivate decision-making as a core competency — a capability with outsized impact on their ability to achieve their mission.
This session explores the external forces reshaping decisions in government, the internal systems and structures that enable (or constrain) them, and the human biases that subtly shape outcomes. With a particular focus on strategy and resource allocation, we’ll examine a practical model and guiding principles for strengthening decision-making capabilities — helping leaders navigate uncertainty, allocate resources more effectively, and make decisions that truly move the mission forward.
In addition to Jonathan Allen, we’ll be joined by John Saaty, Co-founder and CEO of Decision Lens. John brings a unique perspective on how decision science moves from theory into real-world planning and prioritization—especially at scale. His work has shaped how large organizations, including public-sector leaders, make trade-offs and allocate resources under uncertainty.
Having both perspectives in the same session—one grounded in decision practice and one in building decision systems that actually get used—will make this a richer, more dynamic conversation than originally planned.
Meet the Speakers
Jonathan Allen
Executive Vice President - Decision Lens
Jonathan Allen is a proactive executive dedicated to working directly with government leaders, managers, and analysts to transform their planning processes.
As EVP of Strategic Markets, Jonathan leverages his extensive public sector knowledge to identify key markets which can benefit from the modernization Decision Lens offers. The result has been engaging with a myriad of public sector agencies as they optimize how they prioritize, plan, and fund with Decision Lens. Beyond his technology acumen, Mr. Allen is an expert in change management, process improvement, and decision-making from his long career as a consultant advising a wide variety of customers. A principle-based leader, Jonathan cares deeply about people and helping them meet their objectives in ways that are long-lasting and sustainable.
John Saaty
Co-founder and CEO of Decision Lens
John Saaty is the co-founder and CEO of Decision Lens. Launched in 2002 with his brother Daniel, Decision Lens reflects their vision of transforming their father Dr. Thomas Saaty’s pioneering decision-science methodology into practical, intuitive software that empowers government organizations to plan and prioritize more effectively. He has since guided the company’s evolution from a small startup into a leading provider of continuous planning solutions adopted across the Department of Defense and major public agencies. Under John’s
leadership, Decision Lens has achieved FedRAMP authorization, earned industry awards, and become a trusted partner in modernizing how government allocates resources and delivers on mission outcomes.
Prior to Decision Lens, John held leadership positions at multiple growth-stage technology companies including Earth Networks and Cysive, Inc. where he co-led a $180M IPO and secondary offering. Previously, Saaty was brand manager with Intel Corporation where he was
responsible for brand management and marketing programs for microprocessors and chipsets.
Saaty has an MBA with dual majors in marketing and entrepreneurial management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in English Literature with a minor in computer studies from Northwestern University.