Christy Wilder
Chief Security Officer, Peraton
When Christy Wilder joined Peraton in April 2025, she gained an all-encompassing team responsible for safeguarding Peraton’s assets — its infrastructure, information and people — across personnel clearances, risk mitigation, physical security, facility upgrades, classified programs, insider threats and more.
Building upon the existing strong foundation, Wilder has since carved a path of her own and redefined what it means to be a CSO in this ever-changing threat landscape. Her biggest achievement has been transforming the way security is viewed — both internally and externally — from a reactive necessity into a strategic business enabler and reducing the team’s operating budget while continuing to provide white-glove, customer-first service to the customer.
Security plays an early, proactive role in shaping proposals, contracting decisions and program execution, enabling one program to fast-track the delivery of a secure facility and IT infrastructure — a direct result of her team’s foresight and efficiency.
Wilder’s security approach directly supports the administration’s emphasis on national security resilience, efficiency and proactive risk mitigation. Her team ensures Peraton remains compliant with evolving federal regulations while also engaging with government counterparts to go beyond the checkbox — anticipating threats and adapting security postures accordingly. By accelerating program timelines and reducing cost without sacrificing security, Wilder is helping Peraton be a model partner to government and customers.
“As a leader, what sets Christy apart is her ability to strategically lead missions and organizations and moreover to reach the people,” said former Director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency Charles S. Phalen. “Being a connector is a social skill, but in Christy’s case it was also – and still is – a key ingredient to our collective success in working issues across the executive and legislative branches of government and across the related business community. During some very challenging times at DCSA and NBIB, she dove (almost literally) into the melee, making the connections and introductions, articulating the case for our strategies, and effectively set up the foundation for our success.”
Why Watch
Throughout the year and into 2026, Wilder’s team is focused on operational innovation and agility — finding smarter, faster ways to meet evolving mission needs without compromising existing resources or Peraton’s security posture. With national security demands shifting, her team will continue to be a strategic lever for programs by informing contract decisions early, leaning in, anticipating challenges, and building contingency plans and security infrastructure that ultimately support the successful execution of the mission.
Wilder is also committed to expanding her team’s role as concierge-level security advisors — positioned not just to protect but to propel the business. As new threats emerge and budgets tighten, Wilder sees constraints as catalysts for innovation and efficiency, not barriers. Her approach is helping position Peraton as a security-forward organization, one step ahead of adversaries and industry expectations.
“I’m a connector, often serving as the bridge between programs that support the government’s missions and the teams that support the programs,” she said. “I love coming to the table with information and using it to be a catalyst for change, not for the sake of change, but to meet the evolutions of tomorrow. Moving a project from problem to solution by connecting the right resources and people is part of my fearlessness – I haven’t met a challenge I couldn’t conquer.”
Fun fact: While calculated in her work, Wilder has historically been and continues to be (to some degree) a daredevil in her personal life who enjoys the thrill of a calculated risk — from riding in hot air balloons to jet skiing. There’s a spirit of fearlessness within her to pursue life with a vigor and curiosity that both inspires and challenges those around her.