We’re passionate about impact.

Who We Are

The Solarium Group is a boutique strategic advisory firm built for moments of consequence. We are not career consultants; we are former senior diplomats, military officers, foreign affairs specialists, and leadership practitioners whose careers were spent leading at the nexus of diplomacy, defense, and development.

Collectively, our advisors and affiliates have worked in more than 100 countries, guiding governments and institutions through complexity, crisis, and transformation. Our team is not composed of observers who analyze complexity from afar. We are practitioners who have spent the past several decades on the ground, implementing policy, leading missions, and navigating uncertainty where decisions carry real consequences. That experience—forged in embassies, field commands, multilateral institutions, and fragile states—is what sets us apart.

We have advised presidents and cabinet officials, counseled four-star generals, and stood alongside ambassadors, governors, and ministers when choices mattered most. Our personnel have led through some of the world’s defining challenges of the past three decades: from rebuilding institutions in post-conflict Balkans, to shaping stabilization efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, to mounting crisis responses during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. We have worked on the front lines of drought-driven humanitarian emergencies in the Horn of Africa, advised military commanders at CENTCOM during pivotal transitions, and led efforts to open doors to the future—advancing trade, investment, and energy initiatives across the world, forging partnerships that drive growth, resilience, and prosperity.

That perspective—practical, global, and hard-earned—is what we bring to every engagement. Through our two core practices—Strategic Advisory and Leadership & Organizational Development—we translate lived experience into clarity, resilience, and results that endure

Our Mission

The Solarium Group exists to bring clarity where it is most needed. We equip leaders, teams, and institutions to navigate complexity, make high-stakes decisions, and deliver results under pressure. Our mission is to ensure strategies succeed not just on paper, but in the real world

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Our Vision

Our vision is to redefine how institutions endure in a world defined by complexity — building strategies, leaders, and systems that thrive under pressure and shape outcomes that last. We aspire to be the firm that global decision-makers trust when navigating uncertainty, making bold choices, and building resilient futures.

Our Values

    • Positioning The Solarium Group as an industry thought leader requires unrivaled vision, persistence, and execution. We never settle — in everything we do, we challenge our ideas of what’s possible in order to be the best versions of ourselves.

    • We set and achieve ambitious goals, work constantly to improve, and are dedicated to helping our team (and our clients) realize success.

    • We believe in helping others, and take satisfaction in providing effective solutions that address your greatest challenges. 

    • Our drive and energy are contagious, inspiring our clients and those around us.

    • We meet our challenges with creativity and optimism, pushing ourselves beyond our limits. 

    • We step into the spaces others avoid — the uncertain, the volatile, the high-stakes — because that is where clarity is needed most.

    • We carry the weight of decisions that matter, standing firm when the cost of hesitation is too high.

    • We maintain high standards of quality and ethics, are confidential in discussions and decisions, and are honest about our own biases.

    • We preserve client confidences.

    • We keep our commitments, act consistently and fairly, and do what we say we will.

The Birth of Solarium

Project Solarium, launched by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953, was a bold yet clinical exercise i strategic planning. Faced with the complexities of the Cold War, Eisenhower convened three teams of top thinkers—military leaders, diplomats, and scholars—to rigorously debate and develop competing strategies for countering Soviet expansion. The process was not just an academic exercise; it was a masterclass in structured decision-making, forcing participants to challenge assumptions, pressure-test ideas, and align national policy with long-term strategic imperatives. The result? A pragmatic, sustainable doctrine—known as the New Look—that shaped U.S. foreign policy for decades.

Which brings us to the origins of our name – The Solarium Group – a nod to one of the most sophisticated strategic exercises in U.S. history. This branding isn’t just symbolic. It reflects our approach to solving complex challenges: rigorous scenario planning, structured debate, deep thinking, pragmatic execution, and the same spirit of intellectual rigor and strategic foresight born by President Eisenhower’s Project Solarium. But beyond the name, we built The Solarium Group because we believe in the power of ideas, the discipline of strategy, and the impact of clear-eyed leadership. We believe that the toughest problems demand discipline, creativity, and courage. And our team—a purpose-driven coalition of big thinkers, doers, and strategic misfits who are drawn to complexity and motivated by mission—exists to turn challenge into clarity, and vision into momentum.

Solving wicked problems is in our DNA. It’s more than what we do; it’s who we are

Meet the Team

Troy Tillis, Chief Executive Officer

  • Troy Tillis is the Founder and CEO of The Solarium Group, where he sets the firm’s strategic vision, leads its global advisory practice, and oversees a network of senior practitioners serving clients across government, industry, and international institutions.

    With nearly two decades of global experience, Troy has led high-stakes missions and managed multi-country operations in 19 countries across Southern Africa, Latin America, Central Asia, and South Asia. A former senior executive in the U.S. Foreign Service, he directed multi-disciplinary embassy teams, advised on foreign policy and national security, and delivered results in some of the world’s most dynamic and fragile environments.

    As CEO, Troy drives The Solarium Group’s mission to help leaders and institutions navigate complexity with clarity, strengthen organizational resilience, and deliver lasting impact when the stakes are highest.

Jeff Cohen, Senior Affiliate

  • Jeff Cohen is a retired career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service (nominated to the rank of Minister Counselor) bringing over 25 years of distinguished leadership in foreign policy, international development, and operational excellence.

    Most recently serving as USAID Mission Director in Indonesia, Jeff oversaw a six-year, $800 million strategy while managing 150 staff and more than 2,500 contractors. His leadership included spearheading a $45 million sustainable fisheries initiative that expanded marine protected areas by 8.6 million hectares and secured partnerships with global companies like Walmart and Bumble Bee Tuna. He also directed Indonesia’s $65 million COVID-19 response, training more than 840,000 frontline workers and reaching over 260 million people.

    Jeff’s senior assignments have spanned Afghanistan, Washington D.C., Peru, and the Dominican Republic, where he managed portfolios exceeding $5 billion and built groundbreaking partnerships ranging from countering illegal mining in the Amazon to youth development with Major League Baseball. He began his career in public service with the Peace Corps in Bolivia and Honduras, following early entrepreneurial and private sector experience in Spain and Detroit.

Greg Howell, Senior Affiliate

  • Greg Howell brings more than 20 years of senior leadership in foreign affairs, directing high-impact programs across Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.

    Most recently serving as Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator (SDAA) in USAID’s Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, he oversaw $1.2 billion in foreign assistance and soft power strategy across 16 Western Hemisphere countries. Greg has also held senior leadership posts in West Africa and Guatemala, and has advanced U.S. foreign policy through assignments in Iraq, Afghanistan, El Salvador, and beyond.

    At The Solarium Group, Greg will help clients shape policy, foster economic growth, and strengthen international partnerships—bringing strategic insight to organizations navigating complex global environments and new market frontiers.

Peter Natiello, Senior Affiliate

  • Peter Natiello is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Career Minister, bringing more than 35 years of distinguished leadership in foreign policy, international development, peace building, and organizational transformation.

    Most recently serving as USAID’s Senior Humanitarian and Development Counselor to the U.S. Mission to UN Agencies in Rome, Peter has also held some of the U.S. government’s most critical leadership posts—including Mission Director roles in Afghanistan, El Salvador, Colombia, and Bolivia, advancing civilian-military affairs as Senior Development Advisor to the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and senior assignments across Latin America, Africa, and multilateral institutions.

    A recipient of the Presidential Rank Award, Peter will bring unmatched expertise in strategy, leadership, and international partnerships—helping corporate and government clients navigate the complexities of geopolitics, organizational change, and leadership development.

Keisha Effiom, Senior Affiliate

  • Keisha is a retired executive of the U.S. Foreign Service, bringing more than 18 years of senior leadership in diplomacy, international development, and organizational transformation. She has directed U.S. foreign assistance portfolios exceeding $2 billion across Sub-Saharan Africa, combining operational excellence with international statecraft to advance U.S. foreign policy priorities across the African continent.

    Most recently serving as Mission Director for USAID/Rwanda and Burundi, Keisha informed and led U.S. priorities at the intersection of U.S., East African, and Central African affairs, leading a team of over 100 to advance health and education diplomacy, regional security and stability, and humanitarian assistance efforts. Earlier in her career, she held senior acquisition and assistance leadership roles across Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, and Tanzania—managing some of USAID’s largest platforms, negotiating landmark partnerships including a $780 million PEPFAR agreement in Nigeria. A long-time champion of small business, she was recognized three times throughout her career for the prestigious “Small Business Contracting Officer of the Year Award”.

    With her ability to lead large multicultural teams and deliver operational excellence under pressure, Keisha will bring unmatched expertise in strategic leadership, organizational transformation, and international partnerships—helping clients achieve impact across diverse and challenging operating environments.