diff --git a/config/package-solution.json b/config/package-solution.json
index 4c5f918..fb51557 100644
--- a/config/package-solution.json
+++ b/config/package-solution.json
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
     "name": "organization-chart-webpart",
     "title": "organization-chart-webpart",
     "id": "b2f88ea8-f7da-4d0e-a945-6973bf1acd1e",
-    "version": "1.0.1.0",
+    "version": "1.0.2.0",
     "includeClientSideAssets": true,
     "skipFeatureDeployment": true
   },
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 43f3cfc..e3aa960 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "organization-chart-webpart",
-  "version": "1.0.1",
+  "version": "1.0.2",
   "private": true,
   "main": "lib/index.js",
   "engines": { "node": ">=6.9.0 <9.0.0" },
diff --git a/src/webparts/organizationChart/OrganizationChartDataService.ts b/src/webparts/organizationChart/OrganizationChartDataService.ts
index 874a212..d8762ab 100644
--- a/src/webparts/organizationChart/OrganizationChartDataService.ts
+++ b/src/webparts/organizationChart/OrganizationChartDataService.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,17 @@ interface ITreeLoadState {
   visited: { [account: string]: boolean };
 }
 
+interface IPeoplePickerEntityData {
+  AccountName?: string;
+  Email?: string;
+}
+
+interface IPeoplePickerEntity {
+  EntityData?: IPeoplePickerEntityData;
+  IsResolved?: boolean;
+  Key?: string;
+}
+
 export class OrganizationChartDataService {
   private static cache: { [account: string]: IProfileCacheEntry } = {};
 
@@ -49,7 +60,7 @@ export class OrganizationChartDataService {
       visited: {}
     };
     const rootRequest: Promise<IUserProfile> = account
-      ? this.getProfile(account, cacheMinutes)
+      ? this.getConfiguredProfile(account, cacheMinutes)
       : this.getMyProfile(cacheMinutes);
     return rootRequest
       .then((profile: IUserProfile): Promise<IOrganizationNode> =>
@@ -83,6 +94,79 @@ export class OrganizationChartDataService {
     return this.requestProfile(url, key, cacheMinutes);
   }
 
+  private getConfiguredProfile(accountName: string, cacheMinutes: number): Promise<IUserProfile> {
+    return this.resolveAccountNames(accountName)
+      .catch((): string[] => [accountName])
+      .then((accounts: string[]): Promise<IUserProfile> =>
+        this.getFirstAvailableProfile(accounts, cacheMinutes, 0));
+  }
+
+  private getFirstAvailableProfile(
+    accounts: string[],
+    cacheMinutes: number,
+    index: number,
+    previousError?: Error
+  ): Promise<IUserProfile> {
+    if (index >= accounts.length) {
+      return Promise.reject(previousError || new Error('The configured user could not be resolved.'));
+    }
+    return this.getProfile(accounts[index], cacheMinutes)
+      .catch((error: Error): Promise<IUserProfile> =>
+        this.getFirstAvailableProfile(accounts, cacheMinutes, index + 1, error));
+  }
+
+  private resolveAccountNames(accountName: string): Promise<string[]> {
+    const url: string = this.webUrl +
+      '/_api/SP.UI.ApplicationPages.ClientPeoplePickerWebServiceInterface.clientPeoplePickerSearchUser';
+    const body: string = JSON.stringify({
+      queryParams: {
+        __metadata: { type: 'SP.UI.ApplicationPages.ClientPeoplePickerQueryParameters' },
+        AllowEmailAddresses: true,
+        AllowMultipleEntities: false,
+        AllUrlZones: false,
+        MaximumEntitySuggestions: 10,
+        PrincipalSource: 15,
+        PrincipalType: 1,
+        QueryString: accountName
+      }
+    });
+    const headers: any = { // tslint:disable-line:no-any
+      'Accept': 'application/json;odata=verbose',
+      'Content-Type': 'application/json;odata=verbose',
+      'OData-Version': '3.0'
+    };
+    return this.context.spHttpClient.post(url, SPHttpClient.configurations.v1, { headers: headers, body: body })
+      .then((response: SPHttpClientResponse): Promise<any> => { // tslint:disable-line:no-any
+        if (response.ok) { return response.json(); }
+        return response.text().then((text: string): Promise<any> => // tslint:disable-line:no-any
+          Promise.reject(new Error('People Picker request failed (' + response.status + '): ' + text)));
+      }).then((payload: any): string[] => { // tslint:disable-line:no-any
+        const data: any = payload && payload.d !== undefined ? payload.d : payload; // tslint:disable-line:no-any
+        const serialized: string = String(
+          data && data.ClientPeoplePickerSearchUser !== undefined
+            ? data.ClientPeoplePickerSearchUser
+            : (data && data.value !== undefined ? data.value : '[]')
+        );
+        let entities: IPeoplePickerEntity[] = [];
+        try { entities = JSON.parse(serialized) as IPeoplePickerEntity[]; } catch (error) { entities = []; }
+        const input: string = normalizeAccount(accountName).toLowerCase();
+        const matching: IPeoplePickerEntity[] = entities.filter((entity: IPeoplePickerEntity): boolean => {
+          const account: string = normalizeAccount(entity.EntityData && entity.EntityData.AccountName).toLowerCase();
+          const email: string = normalizeAccount(entity.EntityData && entity.EntityData.Email).toLowerCase();
+          const key: string = normalizeAccount(entity.Key).toLowerCase();
+          return entity.IsResolved !== false && (account === input || email === input || key === input);
+        });
+        const selected: IPeoplePickerEntity[] = matching.length ? matching : (entities.length === 1 ? entities : []);
+        const candidates: string[] = [];
+        selected.forEach((entity: IPeoplePickerEntity): void => {
+          candidates.push(normalizeAccount(entity.Key));
+          candidates.push(normalizeAccount(entity.EntityData && entity.EntityData.AccountName));
+        });
+        candidates.push(normalizeAccount(accountName));
+        return uniqueAccounts(candidates, '', candidates.length || 1);
+      });
+  }
+
   private requestProfile(url: string, cacheKey: string, cacheMinutes: number): Promise<IUserProfile> {
     return this.context.spHttpClient.get(url, SPHttpClient.configurations.v1, { headers: this.headers })
       .then((response: SPHttpClientResponse): Promise<any> => { // tslint:disable-line:no-any
diff --git a/tests/validate-project.js b/tests/validate-project.js
index c5ce4a3..62bd099 100644
--- a/tests/validate-project.js
+++ b/tests/validate-project.js
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ assert(manifest.componentType === 'WebPart' && manifest.alias === 'OrganizationC
 assert(service.indexOf('/_api/SP.UserProfiles.PeopleManager/GetPropertiesFor') >= 0, 'User Profile REST access is missing.');
 assert(service.indexOf('/_api/SP.UserProfiles.PeopleManager/GetMyProperties') >= 0,
   'Reliable current-user profile access is missing.');
+assert(service.indexOf('ClientPeoplePickerWebServiceInterface.clientPeoplePickerSearchUser') >= 0,
+  'Configured-account resolution through the SharePoint People Picker is missing.');
 assert(service.indexOf('profile.directReports') >= 0 && service.indexOf('this.buildNode(childAccount, depth + 1') >= 0,
   'Recursive downward organization loading is missing.');
 assert(webPart.indexOf("PropertyPaneTextField('startUser'") >= 0, 'Starting-person configuration is missing.');