GovExec announced on Thursday that the leading information services and insights company has acquired Professional Development Academy (PDA), a development and training platform for state, local and federal leaders.
The transaction marks the company’s tenth acquisition since its inception in March 2020. GovExec’s ninth and most recent previous deal was the acquisition of Market Connections earlier this month.
“GovExec believes in providing public sector leaders with the full suite of tools they need to advance their careers and fulfill their government mission,” said GovExec CEO Tim Hartman, noting that the strategic acquisition of PDA will enhance the company’s professional development offerings.
Hartman continued, explaining that PDA’s knowledge-based platform and deep enrollee engagement gives GovExec “additional insights that fuel our rich business intelligence tools, expand the opportunities to provide knowledge-based training to state and local, federal and defense leaders, and build custom content that helps the entire public sector ecosystem level up and operate more efficiently.”
Founded in 2014, PDA leverages their dynamic learning management platform to foster collaboration and engagement between frontline and mid-level leaders, resulting in improved performance and higher organizational value for their customers.
The academy’s digital platform has served over 7,000 users to date, and PDA will leverage the transaction with GovExec to scale its capabilities and expand into new public sector markets. PDA will serve as a companion offering to Government Marketing University, which GovExec acquired in July.
PDA co-founder, Dr. Tim Rahschulte will serve as PDA’s executive vice president, and co-founder Bob Dethlefs will serve as a senior advisor.
The transaction was completed with financial support from Growth Catalyst Partners, and financial terms have not been disclosed.