Laine Klein has spent over two decades supporting some of the federal government’s most complex defense and intelligence missions, building a career rooted in service, leadership and execution.
As president of Chugach Government Solutions, Klein leads a global workforce of more than 4,000 employees delivering facilities, IT and infrastructure support across Defense Department and civilian agencies. Her path to the role spans operational leadership on mission-critical programs around the world, from Europe and Africa to the Middle East and Australia, as well as senior business roles focused on growth, performance and team development.
In this Q&A, Klein reflects on her career progression, her deep connection to the missions CGS supports and how the company’s “Profits with a Purpose” model shapes its approach to growth, leadership and impact for Chugach Alaska Native shareholders.
Can you provide a brief overview of your professional background and career progression?
I started my career in government contracting back in 1998 and spent more than 20 years in this space—primarily supporting the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community missions. From the very beginning, I was drawn to this mission-focused work. Government contracting gave me a way to serve the country I love, even as a civilian, and that sense of purpose has stayed with me throughout my career.
Over the years, my work has taken me all over the world, supporting U.S. missions across Europe, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, and throughout the United States. Some of the most meaningful moments in my career was working shoulder to shoulder with the servicemen and women of the U.S. armed forces—seeing firsthand what they are asked to do and knowing that the work we deliver helps them succeed and stay safe. That is my motivator: the mission, and the people carrying it out.
In 2008 I chose to take the next step and combine my mission focus with business acumen by getting my Master of Business Administration (MBA). This allowed me to lean into roles that required me to solve bigger problems, lead teams, and help organizations deliver more efficiently and effectively. I learned that mission success does not happen in a vacuum—it is built by strong teams who feel connected to what they are doing and why they are doing it. This is how I lead my teams to success. I focus on communication, breaking down silos, supporting innovative ideas, connecting with customers and making sure all people in my organization feel we are moving forward together, not individually, but as a team with the same goal in mind.
What ultimately brought me to Chugach Government Solutions—and to my current role—was that CGS combines everything I value. Every challenging role I took on over the years was to prepare me to lead a company with like goals and values. To keep doing work in government contracting that I know and love, supporting important missions and delivering value to the Customer and the Company is a must. What really stood out to me at CGS was the deeper purpose behind the business. From my first conversations with CGS leadership, the theme “Profits with a Purpose” stuck with me. The idea that the work we do supports critical missions—but also directly supports Chugach Alaska Native shareholders—was incredibly meaningful to me. It is very meaningful to me to keep serving mission needs while also giving back to the Alaskan Native Community in a very real way.
I also believe strongly in the importance of Leading with a positive approach and building an environment that employees want to be a part of. The mission matters, the business matters, but none of this can happen without the employees who go to work every day representing CGS. I am proud to be leading an organization where we are also focused on taking care of each other, making decisions that support employee success, staying connected across teams and sites, and sharing our stories so everyone can see the difference they are making. When we remember that we are all here to deliver on contracts, support missions, and create value for shareholders, the work feels even more aligned—and we move forward more effectively together.
When I look at my path, it has really been a steady progression of service, leadership, and mission support—leading me to a role where I get to lead a team with a focus on growth, strengthen our leadership and program teams, and ensure we are delivering meaningful impact for our customers and shareholders. These important aspects are what got me to CGS, and I am committed to moving forward.
What are your current top priorities and responsibilities? How do these relate to your company’s overall mission/growth strategy?
As CGS President my top priorities center around: mission delivery, people, culture, and strategic growth.
First and foremost, we are focused on ensuring we continue delivering excellent performance on our contracts. Everything we do starts with supporting our customers’ missions. It is often our role to ensure their facility infrastructure and IT systems are functioning and available so the customer can focus on executing their mission. I want to make sure our teams have what they need to execute smoothly and that we stay tightly aligned with what our customers need today and where they’re going next.
I am also prioritizing connection across the organization in order to ensure scalability as we focus on growth. With more than 4,000 employees worldwide, I see it as essential that we break down silos between program teams and corporate functions so everyone understands their role in making CGS successful. This means traveling to program and support sites, listening to teams across payroll, HR, procurement, and operations, and making sure communication flows throughout the organization. When people understand each other’s challenges and successes, we operate better as “we,” not “I.”
Third, I’m focused on CGS’s growth strategy in a way that stays true to who we are. We’re here to deliver on government contracts, but we’re also here to create meaningful impact for Chugach Alaska Native shareholders. That “Profits with a Purpose” mission is not a tagline to me—it’s a strategic filter. Growth matters because it expands our ability to support federal missions and increases the value we return to shareholders and their communities. I’m excited to help tell our stories better across CGS so employees everywhere feel connected to that purpose and proud of the difference they make.
So overall, my responsibilities and priorities directly support CGS’s mission: deliver for our customers, strengthen the team that delivers, and grow in a way that increases impact for shareholders.
Where do you and your team see growth opportunities in your current field or portfolio you support, or what do you anticipate to be your customers’ top pain points?
The Government is increasingly outsourcing installation support, facilities management and utilities and infrastructure services so they can focus on critical mission activities. CGS’s strong past performance and competitive bid posture positions us well for future BOS opportunities across the Air Force, Army and Navy.
DoD installations face aging infrastructure and deferred maintenance. CGS’s construction, facilities and IT capabilities align directly with these needs.
How are you and your team planning to address/prepare for these opportunities?
We are focusing on growth through multiple avenues. First, our new VP of Growth, Tom Fortunato, and I are closely aligned in transforming our growth team with an eye on customer relationships and adjacent markets while building off our core capabilities.
In coordination with these activities, we are also targeting key acquisitions to strengthen our capabilities and past performance while moving up the value chain and providing complex solutions to our customers.
How important is mentorship & networking in GovCon? Were they influential to your career?
Mentorship and networking are incredibly important in government contracting—honestly at every stage, but especially as you grow into larger leadership roles. Supporting critical government missions requires relationships built on trust, mission understanding, performance and most importantly honest and ethical business practices. I built some great relationships throughout my career with customers, peers, leaders and partners.
Throughout my 25 years supporting missions around the world, one of the most important things I learned is that success comes from listening to experienced people, asking questions, and staying connected. Some of the most meaningful professional growth I had came from leaders and teammates who were willing to share what they knew—whether that was on a program site overseas, or in a corporate support function back home. One of my best experiences was working for a leader who allowed me to grow and take on new challenges. I learned from this leader that to keep your best team members you must allow them to advance and cultivate new experiences even if it would be easier to leave them in a single role. I will always support my team with what they want to do next.
WashingtonExec has been a part of my life throughout my career. These networking opportunities have been so important in my ability to advance. I have learned valuable lessons from speakers that were made available to us. I have also built relationships and partnerships with others in the community through some of these events as well. These networking opportunities are valuable, not in a transactional way, but because it keeps you grounded in how the mission is evolving and what customers need. When you are working across time zones, agencies, and environments—from Europe to the Middle East to programs across the U.S.—your network becomes a way to stay aligned, solve problems faster, and support teams better. It also gives you a broader perspective beyond your own lane, which is critical in this industry.
I also think mentorship and networking are more than “career tools.” These events are a part of how we build a good place to work. People want to feel supported, seen, and connected—and that happens when we take time to invest in each other. This is very important to me and how I lead at CGS. If we are going to deliver strong mission outcomes and live out our “Profits with a Purpose” promise for shareholders, then we need to be an organization where people develop, grow, and feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves.
So yes—mentorship and networking have influenced my career, and I see them as essential to building strong teams and a strong future for CGS.
What is something most people don’t know about you personally?
I absolutely love to travel. It is important to me to visit other countries and learn about other cultures around the world. I have traveled for work and vacation from Alaska to Africa to experience how others live. I have been on buses, cruise ships, small boats, massive airliners and five-seater planes, all to learn more about the world. These experiences have made me a better leader and a better person. To this day I still get excited when boarding a plane. Looking forward to what is next!