For incarcerated individuals, a phone call, a message or a virtual class can carry enormous weight. As president and CEO of ViaPath Technologies, Deb Alderson oversees the systems that make those connections possible inside correctional facilities across the country.
It’s a role that intersects with her longstanding personal mission to make things better for those in need — a value her mother and grandmother first impressed on her decades ago.
Alderson’s drive to work hard and help others led to a career that blends aspects of social services, technology and leadership. Since coming into her role in April 2018, Alderson has focused on providing services that support incarcerated individuals and their families.
The company began as a secure telephone service provider for prisons and jails. It has since expanded into other communication and operational systems with a bent toward strategically increasing safety for everyone at correctional facilities — and for helping individuals transition successfully after incarceration.
Formerly GTL, ViaPath today provides reentry services, including job training and education. During the pandemic, the company provided basic calls for free. In 2026, ViaPath will continue offering secure phone calls, video calls, messaging, financial services and in-facility technology.
Providing communications access to incarcerated individuals is no small feat. Services must be affordable, secure and reliable. And there are broader ramifications to how services are delivered.
“This communication helps create safer environments within correctional facilities — keeping both the incarcerated population and officers calmer and more connected,” Alderson said. “In addition, our technology provides free access to education, job training and health and wellness courses designed to better prepare individuals for successful reintegration into society upon their release.”
‘Take care of your people’
While Alderson currently works in a niche field, her career blossomed in the larger GovCon industry, taking her from a clerk typist position to eventually leading organizations from executive offices. Before ViaPath, she held high-level positions at some of the most recognizable names in GovCon — SAIC, SRA International and Sotera Defense Solutions.
And her entire family has built careers within it, giving each of them a deep appreciation for being mission focused.
“I brought that same purpose with me to ViaPath,” she said.
But her career hasn’t taken shape in a vacuum. Her entire family has career touchpoints in GovCon, including her husband Dick, now retired, who channels his energy into nonprofits focused on affordable housing and foster care. Their oldest son, Bill, works in the federal space with an emphasis on strategic growth and mission support. And their youngest son, Jonathan, built a career in asset management within the hospitality sector after starting in GovCon.
“Both Bill and Jon are married to strong, smart and driven women — Bill to Dana and Jon to Becca,” Alderson said. “I’m incredibly proud of the families they’ve built and the people they’ve become. Watching them grow into such loving parents has been one of my greatest joys. Our grandchildren — Olivia, Max and little Ellis — bring so much happiness to our lives.”
Alderson said having a family familiar with the industry helps them grow closer in other ways, too. The family culture is centered on transparency, commitment and a shared mission to be the best they can be while always giving back.
“Our family — both immediate and extended — is always there for one another,” she added. “We regularly share experiences and lessons learned to help navigate professional challenges.”
Family has deeply influenced Alderson’s career, going back to when she was raised by a single mother who knew firsthand the importance of working hard, giving back and taking responsibility for herself. Her grandmother was also a strong person who instilled values that Alderson continues to carry today. Among them: Take care of your people.
Providing ‘every possible tool’
Alderson’s commitment to caring for others extends beyond the office. Outside of work, she has served on the Professional Services Council executive committee, been a board member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and Boulder Crest Retreat and is active in the Association of the U.S. Army, the Air Force Association and the National Defense Industrial Association. She was recognized with a Federal 100 Award in 2011 and has also been named a Top 25 Female Executive by The Washington Post.
In the coming year, Alderson will continue to go beyond simply providing technology.
“I want to continue changing the narrative around individuals impacted by incarceration,” she said. “Our goal is to leverage technology to provide every possible tool to help them prepare for successful reintegration. As one of the largest providers of communication and education solutions in the corrections space, ViaPath has both the mission and the capability to lead this change — and I’m deeply committed to advancing that vision in the years to come.”