In the competitive, evolving world of government contracting, companies must stay ahead by keeping up with technology trends that drive customer solutions. It’s crucial for companies to adapt their solutions and capabilities to align with customer mission needs, ensuring they provide efficient, compliant tools to the government. As technology reshapes both industry and government, the importance of chief technology officers has surged.
These professionals are key in modernizing IT infrastructure, advancing critical technologies, directing technology investments, recruiting and nurturing a top-tier technical workforce, and forecasting future technology focuses. Their technology strategies and solution development plans are vital in enhancing customer capabilities and distinguishing their organizations.
While not all hold the title of CTO, many serve as the chief architects behind their companies’ technology and innovation efforts. WashingtonExec’s “Top Chief Technology Officers to Watch in 2025” invites you to meet the CTOs who have the management and IT expertise to drive change from within.
Jill Bruning
CTO, Amentum
As the first CTO of Amentum, a $13.9 billion recently launched global public company with roughly 53,000 employees, Jill Bruning’s initial focus has been architecting an enterprise technology strategy and creating a connected technology framework to drive innovation, growth and competitive advantage.
In the first 100 days, the company launched its enterprisewide offerings with a focus on the company technology priorities: digital engineering, AI, cybersecurity and smart infrastructure.
“Launching Amentum as a public company was a defining moment—one that provided the opportunity for a new technology strategy and technical alignment across 53,000 employees,” Bruning said. “Our priority now is embedding advanced engineering and technology solutions into the core of how we grow, compete, and deliver value. I’m incredibly proud of the team driving this transformation—turning innovation into enterprise-wide impact at scale.”
Why Watch
In 2025, Bruning and her team are instantiating dynamic expert networks to accelerate technical knowledge transfer, innovation velocity and competitive technical solutioning. They’re accelerating artificial intelligence transformation, enablement and adoption for their customers and across the enterprise. Amentum has world-class research and development facilities, and the team is expanding virtual access to these technical capabilities.
Fun Fact: Bruning leads a charitable foundation dedicated to expanding education and community betterment initiatives in rural Missouri. Her passion is her family; she has five children and eight grandchildren.
Michael Cole
CTO, Federal Civilian, GDIT
Michael Cole leads a team of technology experts focused on developing solutions for large-scale federal agencies. His team partners with agencies to meet them where they are with their IT systems, navigate evolving requirements and implement advanced technology solutions — all while maintaining a high level of execution. Through these efforts, the team enables customers to improve the quality of citizen services, reduce costs and increase efficiency.
For example, Cole’s team is developing a repeatable agentic AI solution for an agencywide consolidated help desk. The initiative is projected to save thousands of agent hours and millions of dollars annually for the federal government.
Why Watch
Looking ahead, Cole’s team is focused on building mission-driven technology. These practical, deployable solutions maximize the value of customers’ existing technology investments while integrating modern commercial technologies. His team collaborates with agencies to identify, configure, and implement commercial solutions that accelerate mission success and deliver faster time to value.
“When looking for the right people to be on the team, don’t let the search for a unicorn cause you to miss the horse with wings,” Cole said.
Fun Fact: Cole didn’t follow a traditional path to becoming a CTO. The son of a career military and government service employee, he always valued supporting others. After earning a degree in art and business, he planned to run galleries and museums — then took a sharp turn and became a professional bowler. As the public internet took off, he taught himself web design and app development, seeing how technology was transforming retail and industry. That pivot led him to government contracting, where he could apply and expand his skills while making a real impact. His unconventional background gives him a unique perspective and the versatility to lead technical teams and serve government clients effectively.
Randy Fields
CTO, Ultra I&C
Randy Fields’ biggest recent achievement is revitalizing Ultra I&C’s experimentation culture and leading the integration of AI-driven innovation into product development, accelerating delivery of transformative solutions to commercial and defense markets. A one-day experiment can save weeks or even months of work by uncovering critical insights earlier in the process, he said.
“Randy’s exceptional talent for innovative product development combined with his strategic approach to AI-enabled solutions has transformed our technical capabilities,” said Mladen Brkic, president of Ultra I&C’s C2IE. “His deep technical expertise, coupled with a remarkable ability to anticipate market needs, have positioned Randy as an invaluable leader driving our most ambitious initiatives forward.”
Why Watch
In 2025, Fields’ team is focused on building scalable, interoperable systems that use AI and advanced processing to improve decision-making at the edge. They’re applying an AI-enabled approach to trusted systems to help customers achieve faster, smarter outcomes in dynamic and disconnected environments. The team is also connecting the global fielded architecture with emerging high-end capabilities to enable seamless dataflow and interoperability across domains.
Fun Fact: Fields is an avid home chef who loves experimenting with new recipes, especially anything that involves smoking meats, picking up produce from the Leesburg farmers market or crafting savory homemade breads from scratch.
Charles Onstott
CTO, CALIBRE Systems
Over the past year, Charles Onstott led CALIBRE Systems’ efforts to strengthen partnerships with advanced technology companies including AWS, RegScale, Spectro Cloud and Vast. Under his leadership, CALIBRE earned AWS Advanced Services Tier status through the coordinated work of the Innovation Center and operating divisions.
These partnerships are leading to new paths to revenue for CALIBRE and creating a lot of excitement about the company’s future, he said.
Onstott also led efforts to help the company’s front-line leaders understand CALIBRE’s evolving technology capabilities so they can better help their clients navigate the changing government environment.
“Charles has done more than drive innovation — he’s built a culture around it,” said Richard Pineda, president and CEO of CALIBRE Systems. “Charles is the rare kind of CTO who blends strategic foresight with flawless execution. In the past year, his focus on delivering value through emerging tech, strong partnerships and mission-first thinking has propelled CALIBRE forward. He has created real momentum that is reshaping how we engage with our partners, solve client missions and lead in the federal market.”
Why Watch
In the coming year, Onstott and his team will focus on helping clients solve their mission challenges using the CALIBRE Innovation Center and technology partners. They plan to build practices around specific partners leading the way in application modernization and management, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
“I remain humbled to lead such an extraordinary team of innovators,” Onstott said. “Over the past year, we’ve built real momentum at the CALIBRE Innovation Center — developing impactful solutions by leveraging the strengths of our world-class technology partners. From AI to application modernization, we’re focused on helping our government clients harness emerging technologies effectively to drive mission success.”
Fun Fact: Before starting his doctoral research, Onstott completed a 100-mile and several 100K mountain bike races. Today, he is trading trail time for dissertation writing as he pursues a doctorate in business at Virginia Tech, focusing on the dilemmas AI creates for entrepreneurs and technology executives.
David Egts
Field CTO, MuleSoft at Salesforce
David Egts is focused on connecting government leaders to share success strategies and help them plan for innovations like agentic AI, integration, automation and API-led connectivity. As agencies expand into agentic AI, Egts has been linking government leaders with each other and industry experts worldwide to accelerate results.
“David’s leadership in the public sector is unparalleled,” said Lisa DeMille, senior vice president of solution engineering at Salesforce. “He has an innate ability to understand the complex challenges governments face and translate them into actionable, technology-driven solutions. His vision and expertise are instrumental in driving digital transformation and innovation in the public sector.”
Why Watch
Egts continuously scans the technology horizon for emerging technologies that positively impact public sector agencies and the people they serve. His recent work on agentic AI — for example, with Salesforce’s Agentforce and MuleSoft — makes technology that may seem out of reach to governments approachable by developing a phased roadmap that transforms data readiness into agentic AI success.
“The future of government is not just about technology; it’s about using technology to empower people and improve lives,” he said. “Customer success is what drives me every day.”
Fun Fact: Egts uses Salesforce’s give-back culture and Volunteer Time Off benefits to mentor students from his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh. He sees mentoring as key to helping students turn AI advances from potential career disruptions into competitive advantages.
John Bell
CTO, HII Mission Technologies
John Bell is responsible for technical excellence and innovation across growth, product and service delivery, and internal research and development.
His career spans decades in advanced technology solutions supporting modeling and simulation, networking, information systems, communications and cybersecurity.
He started as a software engineer at NASA and later at the Defense Department, developing modeling and simulation software for DARPA’s Synthetic Theater of War, which laid the foundation for his work on the Navy Continuous Training Environment’s live, virtual and constructive technologies.
“John has had an impressive career in technology and defense innovation,” said Andy Green, president of HII Mission Technologies. “His leadership and contributions to the modeling and simulation community for military training and operations are remarkable. This same dedication will continue to advance technologies critical to national security.”
Why Watch
Bell manages the investments and expert teams that keep HII a thought leader during today’s industrial and operational revolution.
His years of supporting the Navy and Air Force position him as a key innovator in defense technology, helping HII deliver integrated solutions for the connected, all-domain force.
Under his leadership, HII applies cutting-edge technologies to mission readiness, including C5ISR, digital engineering, AI and machine learning, cyber and electronic warfare, uncrewed autonomous systems, advanced weapons modeling and simulation, and critical nuclear operations.
Matt Teschke
CTO, Redhorse
Matt Teschke’s biggest recent achievement was leading the company beyond early AI applications like ChatGPT to applying cutting-edge AI tools for research and coding.
By staying ahead of the curve and embracing experimentation, Redhorse drove a step change in productivity and learned how to maximize these tools. This improved internal operations and strengthened the company’s ability to deliver better solutions for customers.
“What sets Matt apart is his rare ability to sift through the noise of emerging technologies and identify the few innovations that actually have the potential to transform our customers’ missions,” said Noah Klemm, Redhorse president.
Why Watch
Teschke and his team’s priority over the next year is to ensure Redhorse’s partners are ready to adopt AI responsibly and effectively. That starts with getting the fundamentals right, including a solid data infrastructure, robust evaluation processes and clear policy guidance. With those in place, they’ll be positioned to benefit from the next wave of transformative AI innovation.
“With great freedom comes great expectations,” he said. “I trust my team to take ownership of their work, including when they work and how they choose to solve problems. That trust is built through careful hiring of smart, mission-focused individuals and by having clear lines of communication.”
Fun Fact: Teschke’s uncle worked in the Steelers organization for decades, so Teschke himself got to try on Steelers Super Bowl rings at many family events.
Matt Webster
CTO, Epoch Concepts
Matt Webster recently collaborated with the Epoch Concepts Business Technology team to lead a secure companywide rollout of generative AI, ensuring better preparedness to meet the evolving needs of government customers.
Externally with the company’s sales teams, Webster serves in thought leadership roles with federal government clients advising on zero trust, generative AI and migrating from cloud-only workflows to hybrid environments.
Marcus Smiley, founder and CEO of Epoch Concepts, said Webster has combined visionary leadership and technical mastery to drive Epoch’s transformation from a value-added reseller to a true solutions provider.
“From launching edge-centric innovations like the Conversational Query Architecture (CQA) to forging deep partnerships and guiding our technology roadmap, Matt brings clarity, momentum and purpose to everything he touches,” Smiley said. “He doesn’t just watch the future unfold — he builds it.”
Why Watch
In 2025, Webster and his team are helping government rapidly and securely do more with less by applying emerging technologies. They are turning innovation into practical advantage through zero trust architecture, SaaS-to-hybrid cloud migration, and natural language queries across structured and unstructured data to support missions that demand speed, precision and adaptability.
“Epoch Concepts is the rare place where velocity and integrity coexist,” he said. “We’re not just experimenting with emerging technologies; we’re delivering solutions with an urgency and accountability that matches our customers’ diverse missions.”
Fun Fact: Webster spent six months in Tokyo translating hardware code from Japanese to English, learning firsthand how different cultures could use a common language — in this case, Very High-Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language — so differently that translation was necessary. The experience taught him context and shared understanding are as critical to mission success as the final deliverable, a lesson he still applies when developing solutions and communicating with both humans and machines.
Mike Raker
CTO, Maximus
Mike Raker joined Maximus as its new CTO in 2024, and his impact was felt almost immediately across the company. In particular, one of his first initiatives was to launch two capability accelerators — one for artificial intelligence and machine learning and one for customer experience — that developed technology roadmaps to impact all business segments.
In alignment with the new presidential administration, Raker focused in 2025 on unique applications and implementations of AI to help agencies deliver services more efficiently and more effectively.
“It is clear agencies are being tasked with finding ways to deliver services to the right person at the right time, which aligns perfectly with what Maximus has been doing for years,” he said. “We know agency leaders are excited about implementing new technologies, like AI, to unlock their full potential.”
Maximus has been constantly recognized and honored for its work helping agencies use technologies in better ways, including several Service to the Citizen Awards for its excellence in service delivery. Notably, Maximus was named to Fortune’s 100 Most Innovative Companies of 2025 list, alongside companies such as Apple, Amazon and Nike.
One way Raker’s team helped agencies implement AI solutions to meet the mission has been document processing and managing forms. The company’s Intelligent Document Processing work helped several agencies meet missions created by a surge in the need for government services.
An example is the work Maximus has done with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the use of AI to accelerate application processing for veterans. Through its Veterans Evaluation Services company, Maximus is helping the VA manage a surge of more than 5 million applications to ensure service members receive well-deserved benefits faster. The company’s proprietary AI-powered system processes up to 15 million pages per day, which led to a nine-fold increase in efficiency.
“We’ve reached a pivotal time of technological transformation for government agencies, and Maximus is leading the way when it comes to driving more efficiency through AI,” Raker said. “We’ve enjoyed great success by combining our unique strategies and experience with best-in-class AI technology to better support our agency partners.”
Why Watch
Looking at 2025 and beyond, Raker said he is focused on what he terms the “next generation of CX” for federal agencies that will more closely resemble interactions with consumer-focused companies, like airlines or online retailers.
“The next generation of CX is inherently about what we don’t do today,” he said. “The foundation of this future for agencies is harnessing the power of their data, understanding how the public is seeking services, and developing a strategy to meet them where they are.”
Raker said data is critical because it provides the building blocks for a CX strategy as agencies can use AI and ML technologies to maximize their data to find trends and patterns from interactions and use those advanced analytics to better serve the public.
“Modern AI-based solutions change the game because they analyze data and provide answers much faster,” he said. “The speed is what sets AI and ML apart, and agencies can take advantage of the fact these technologies are always learning based on data.”
Peter O’Donoghue
CTO, Tyto Athene
Peter O’Donoghue’s biggest accomplishment since joining Tyto Athene has been building a CTO organization aligned with the company’s strategic goals, with a focus on M&A and team development. He helped lead the acquisition of MindPoint Group, adding top cyber and automation capabilities, rebuilt the New Business Solutions team, and launched an innovation lab, creating a deep bench strong enough to compete with any firm around the Beltway.
“It’s truly a privilege to lead Tyto’s CTO team during this time of extraordinary innovation and transformation,” he said. “I’m grateful to work alongside such exceptional engineering talent, capable of rapidly integrating and applying modern AI, cloud, networking, cyber and post-quantum technologies with a relentless focus on delivering secure mission outcomes for our warfighting and national security customers.”
Why Watch
In 2025, O’Donoghue and his team are focused on driving sustainable growth by building compelling solution accelerators and partnering with the growth team to outpace the competition. The company’s innovation lab is advancing networking, cyber, mission data and digital solutions under the guiding principle of AI-driven intelligent automation. They’re deploying preeminent engineering talent to co-develop mission-aligned solutions that maximize government efficiency, drive mission success and enable decision superiority through secure, resilient and automated technologies.
Fun Fact: O’Donoghue has been competing relentlessly since his days as a swimmer in Ireland, where he represented the national team, set multiple records and earned an athletic scholarship to the U.S. His experience taught him how to win, adapt to setbacks, stay accountable and build strong team culture — lessons that still shape him today. It’s also how he met his wife.
Todd Harbour
Managing Partner & Chief Technology Officer, Core4ce
Todd Harbour’s biggest recent achievement was leading the development of a data engineering solution that streamlines the data lifecycle for federal customers. Knowing analysts spend 80% of their time on prep and only 20% on insights, he and his team set out to reverse that. The result: a scalable, secure and customizable tool that quickly turns raw data into a strategic asset — and forms the core of a soon-to-be-announced commercial product.
“Todd’s ability to conceptualize and build solutions that support warfighting outcomes have positioned Core4ce to serve as a forward-leaning partner to our customers in an environment where federal modernization, efficiency and productivity are of utmost importance,” said Core4ce CEO Mike Morehouse, who co-founded the company in partnership with Harbour.
Why Watch
In 2025, Harbour’s team at The Forge, Core4ce’s innovation incubator, is building AI-powered business apps to streamline corporate workflows and support federal missions. Their work improves efficiency across proposal development, automates capability matching to government opportunities and uses an AI agent to align talent with the right customer contracts.
“At The Forge, we’re not just building tools, we’re shaping ideas into solutions that directly support national security missions,” Harbour said. “We’re focused on eliminating the hidden costs of data, so analysts can focus on what truly matters — turning data into actionable intelligence. We like to equate The Forge to the vigor of a blacksmith’s workshop, where we heat, hammer and harden promising ideas into scalable capabilities that deliver rapid, secure and lasting value to help solve national security challenges.”
Fun Fact: Harbour has written four books on strategic data leadership and spent his career helping the government understand the true value of data. He also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.
Anthony Vultaggio
CTO, SMX
Anthony Vultaggio led the development of the SMX Elevate Intelligent Automation Platform, now central to how the company delivers secure, scalable tech in highly regulated environments. The multi-tenant platform has powered thousands of cloud migrations and helped achieve hundreds of ATOs under FedRAMP and DOD frameworks — making compliance a driver of innovation.
Elevate IAP also underpins SMX’s product offerings across space operations, ISR and enterprise financial management, enabling faster deployment of mission-critical solutions.
“Anthony’s vision for Elevate IAP has been a game-changer for SMX and our clients,” said Peter LaMontagne, CEO of SMX. “His leadership is accelerating how we bring secure, innovative solutions to market—reducing time to value, simplifying compliance, and creating lasting impact across cloud, AI, and mission systems.”
Why Watch
In 2025, Vultaggio’s team is building on the Elevate IAP foundation to deliver new AI and automation capabilities even faster. By supporting internal teams and ISV partners and moving toward fixed-price, outcome-based delivery, SMX is positioning itself as a mission-first tech partner focused on results — not effort.
“We’ve turned security compliance into our launchpad—not our limiter,” he said. “By automating the hard parts, we’ve cleared the runway for real innovation, bringing AI and mission-ready solutions to life faster and with less risk. The next wave of federal modernization won’t be stalled by red tape—it will be enabled through automated product-oriented delivery.”
Fun Fact: Vultaggio collects rare sneakers, plays retro ‘90s video games and keeps a baseball card collection. He still watches WWE and runs a weekly online D&D campaign with fellow pros who never outgrew imagination mode.
Kyle Tuberson
CTO, ICF
Kyle Tuberson recently led an initiative to establish an AI operating platform across the ICF enterprise. He brought together business leaders, technologists and domain experts around a shared vision, reshaped the operating model and aligned the right people and resources.
The result: a companywide environment where teams can rapidly experiment, innovate and deliver AI-driven solutions — from boosting efficiency to unlocking entirely new market opportunities.
Why Watch
In 2025, Tuberson and his team are focused on scaling AI across the organization, for clients and through ecosystem partners. They see AI’s transformative potential as still in its early stages. The road ahead involves continuous experimentation, embedding AI into daily workflows and ensuring solutions are both impactful and trustworthy. Following their progress offers a window into how ICF is pushing the boundaries of AI to deliver real, measurable value across industries.
“I thrive on change, and the rise of AI is one of the most transformative shifts I’ve witnessed,” he said. “While I’ve seen technological fads come and go, the momentum and potential of AI feel truly different. It’s both exciting and challenging — requiring us to rethink how people work, trust new models, and deliver meaningful outcomes for customers and society alike.”
Fun Fact: Tuberson spent much of his childhood overseas, moving to a new country every few years. That early global exposure shaped his adaptability — a trait that now helps him navigate the fast-changing world of AI with agility and perspective.
Eric Velte
CTO, ASRC Federal
Leveraging three decades of experience in the government contracting space, Eric Velte leads a team of engineers and developers in designing and implementing groundbreaking technology solutions for ASRC Federal’s government customers.
Velte’s forward-thinking approach puts ASRC Federal, his team and his customers at the forefront of innovation. For instance, last year Velte’s team provided one of the few active artificial intelligence/machine learning applications for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES)-R program. GOES-R satellites provide critical data needed to detect and monitor environmental conditions that can potentially threaten the well-being of everyone in the Western Hemisphere.
Velte and his team continue to explore solutions for trustable artificial intelligence, and the team is focused on the development of ASRC Federal’s HemingwAI generative AI solution that provides a framework scaffolding around commercial large language models to achieve high confidence outputs from traditionally low-confidence systems.
Why Watch
In the coming year, Velte will focus on encouraging knowledge sharing and career development, including oversight of the company’s STRIDE technology internship program that led to ASRC Federal being named a top Virginia employer for interns for 2025 by the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership.
He will also continue tracking developments in the evolution of AI and its responsible use in government as well as other technology areas like zero trust cybersecurity, quantum computing and the continuing adoption of cloud computing in government agencies. In all of these areas, Velte sees an exponential increase in the future rate of technological change and is dedicated to ensuring ASRC Federal takes a dynamic approach to meeting the needs of government agencies that are evolving at the speed of citizen demand.
“On the engineering side, we’re going to also see a lot more integration of things like digital twins,” he said. “If you’re going to have to succeed or fail fast in an engineering world, we’re going to have to do it in a digital way.”
Fun Fact: In his spare time, Velte is an avid mechanic and recently completed two ground-up restorations of classic vehicles. Working under the hood of a classic car offers a true appreciation for the convergence of innovation and world-class engineering.
Ricardo Lorenzo
CTO, Parsons Corp.
Ricardo Lorenzo’s most significant recent achievement was driving company growth through technological differentiation. He works closely with business partners and commercial providers to develop emerging technologies, lead an enterprisewide AI strategy and run an internal R&D program that consistently delivers high ROI. He also oversees major strategic initiatives, including commercializing technology offerings to align with shifting government priorities and leading a complex digital transformation impacting 20,000 employees across the globe.
“Technology and agile solutions are the cornerstones of success in today’s rapidly evolving operating environment,” said Carey Smith, CEO of Parsons Corp. “At Parsons, we are committed to leveraging cutting-edge innovations and applying advanced technology solutions across our portfolio to address complex challenges, drive efficiency, and deliver impactful results for our clients and communities.”
Why Watch
In 2025, Parsons is undergoing a major transformation and Lorenzo and his team are at the forefront. They’re leading the development of agile, scalable software and hardware solutions that support critical national security missions. At the same time, they’re driving innovation in environmental remediation and reshaping how large, complex infrastructure projects are designed and engineered around the world. Their approach tightly aligns business strategy with technological innovation to deliver enterprise value, while also automating internal systems to increase efficiency, reduce costs and strengthen cybersecurity across the organization.
“In 2025, as we lead the charge in technological transformation, our commitment to innovation and security is unwavering,” Lorenzo said. “By aligning business strategy with cutting-edge solutions, we are driving business growth, enhancing efficiency and reducing costs, all while ensuring a secure future for our enterprise and the world.”
Fun Fact: Lorenzo is an avid SCUBA spearfisherman who’s had more than a few close encounters with sharks — so he jokes this might be his last submission to WashingtonExec.
Jason Bales
SVP & CTO, CACI
Jason Bales is a forward-thinking leader actively shaping CACI’s technological roadmap for success. With more than two decades of experience in product engineering, Bales possesses a deep understanding of mission-critical software-defined capabilities that help CACI’s customers pivot to a more flexible software-centric future.
Since stepping into his current roles in January, Bales hit the ground running to continue CACI’s advancement of key technology initiatives. Specifically, he supports President and CEO John Mengucci’s strategy to invest ahead of need and reinforces CACI’s position as a company that leverages software as the enabler of greater speed, agility, efficiency and even lethality.
In his new role, Bales is focused on the expansion of CACI’s Open Software Architecture and Open Hosting Platform, providing U.S. government agencies with flexible, scalable solutions and paving the way for broader adoption across national security. He is also sponsoring AI-magine, a next-generation AI initiative created in partnership with AWS. This tool aims to deliver groundbreaking AI-driven solutions that directly impact mission outcomes in a positive way.
“We continue to invest ahead of our customers’ needs and remain a trusted government partner because we anticipate and address the nation’s dynamic demands,” he said. “This is one of the many reasons we employ a software-based approach in everything we do. I’m committed to advancing leading technologies, building our strategic partnerships, and fostering a strong technical workforce that will drive impactful solutions and position us for ongoing success.”
Why Watch
In 2025, Bales is focused on accelerating adoption of technologies that deliver unique value to CACI’s customers. He’s expanding the company’s software development capabilities, advancing its commercial processes and strengthening its software-defined approach. As CACI’s corporate technology lead, Bales is also driving strategic partnerships and growing the company’s technical workforce to fuel innovation and growth across all seven of its markets.
“Jason’s strategic vision and expertise are pivotal to advancing our technical acumen,” Mengucci said. “As CTO, Jason is a strategic partner to CACI’s business leaders, and he will ensure continued success on key programs that support enduring national security priorities. His abilities to drive innovation, identify cutting-edge solutions, and build on CACI’s core strengths underpin our continued growth trajectory and reinforce our position as a technology leader.”
Fun Fact: Outside of work, Bales enjoys time with his wife and six children and has a longtime passion for tabletop gaming. He’s co-hosted multiple podcasts, play tested games for publishers, designed his own game and hosted national tournaments. He’s a regular at gaming conventions and deeply involved in the tabletop community.
Aaron Jackson
Senior Managing Director – Technology Lead, Accenture Federal Services
Aaron Jackson recently led Accenture Federal Services’ effort to bring its commercially proven assets into the federal space to help agencies reduce costs and boost innovation. The company invests heavily in assets and accelerators that deliver AI-driven speed and agility to its largest commercial clients — and now, that same innovation is being extended to the federal government.
Recognizing the need for heightened security in the public sector, Jackson helped develop a scalable process to securitize these assets. For the first time, this allows federal clients to access and benefit from them.
Why Watch
This year, Jackson’s team is focused on further expanding its use of AI-augmented development to automate and accelerate the delivery lifecycle. They’re upskilling employees and using new tools to provide improved reliability and accelerate the pace of what the company can securely deliver to its clients.
“During my more than 25 years with Accenture Federal Services our objective has always been to bring modern commercially proven solutions to our federal clients, and with the new administration’s renewed focus on driving efficiency and modernizing federal technology, these securitized assets position us to do just that,” Jackson said.
Fun Fact: Jackson grew up in Lansing, Michigan, and played high school basketball at the same school as Magic Johnson. Jackson didn’t quite reach his level of success though — and he and Magic took very different career paths from there!
Razwan Raja
Chief Innovation Officer, Agile Defense
Razwan Raja’s biggest recent achievement was launching and maturing Agile Labs, a core innovation hub within Agile Defense. This project helps to leverage AI, data and cloud technology to deliver tailored solutions that drive innovation, efficiency, cost savings, and competitive advantage, to help the company stay at the forefront of technological advancements. This ensures Agile Defense remains adaptable to the rapidly evolving needs of clients in both AI and cybersecurity.
“Razwan’s relentless drive for technical innovation is charting a bold new path for Agile Defense, unlocking unprecedented growth and paving the way for groundbreaking opportunities in innovation while achieving operational efficiencies for our customers,” said Agile Defense CEO Rick Wagner.
Why Watch
In 2025, Raja’s team is focused on adaptive innovation that drives mission outcomes. Following the company’s acquisition of IntelliBridge earlier this year, the team has enhanced its technical landscape, now offering a five-layer technology stack and a broad array of solutions.
“This year, my journey at Agile Defense has been transformative, driven by our strategic acquisition of IntelliBridge, the dynamic expansion of Durosuite, and the rapid expansion of Agile Labs,” Raja said. “These milestones have fueled my passion to ensure Agile Defense delivers unparalleled, robust solutions across the Federal Civilian and Defense sectors.”
Fun Fact: Raja can recite NIST SP 800-53 from memory as bedtime stories for his kids. He finds national IT security standards riveting, but they put his kids to sleep every time.
Jason Payne
CTO, US Federal, Microsoft
In the past year, Jason Payne helped strengthen Microsoft’s federal AI strategy by co-leading the development of a platform that spans all classification levels. As the main voice for federal customer needs, he drove work on the Azure AI Foundry service, which gives agencies access to OpenAI’s top foundation models and tools for translation, transcription, classification, object detection and search. The platform enables agencies to embed AI into mission-critical systems and scale its use across operations.
Candice Ling, senior vice president of US federal at Microsoft, credited Jason Payne’s leadership and deep understanding of federal needs as key to driving meaningful AI innovation for government customers.
“Jason’s ability to collaborate with agencies and industry partners, while emphasizing responsible AI adoption, has set a new standard for excellence,” she said. “His dedication to integrating AI into mission-critical systems has not only enhanced efficiency but also ensured compliance with stringent security requirements. We are fortunate to have Jason leading the way, and his contributions continue to inspire us all.”
Why Watch
In 2025, Payne and his team are leading AI-driven modernization across the federal government, helping agencies understand the impact of analytics, artificial intelligence and agents to streamline operations, cut inefficiencies and improve data-driven decision-making. Using the Microsoft AI platform, they assess each agency’s starting point and develop tailored plans aligned to mission goals.
Fun Fact: Payne isn’t just a technology executive; he stays actively involved with AI technology and speaks from hands-on experience. He generously volunteers his expertise to support the long-term care community in Virginia. By leveraging advanced analytics and AI agents, he implements technology that helps shape and enhance care at nursing centers and assisted living facilities throughout the state.
Mike Uster
CIO, CTO & SVP, ManTech
Mike Uster’s biggest recent achievement was operationalizing generative AI across ManTech—launching Ask ManTech, the company’s agentic AI copilot, and deploying Google Gemini to equip thousands of employees with secure, intelligent support.
This bold move is transforming ManTech’s culture, driving innovation at scale and streamlining operations. In less than six months, Ask ManTech completed nearly 100,000 interactions with a 96% satisfaction rate.
“AI isn’t a tool—it’s a catalyst,” Uster said. “At ManTech, we’re not just using AI to improve IT. We’re using it to transform how our entire enterprise works and delivers.”
Why Watch
In 2025, Uster’s team is focused on embedding AI deeply into the fabric of ManTech—equipping processes, platforms and people with AI-empowered capabilities. They’re advancing secure, compliant AI solutions for mission-critical environments while scaling enterprisewide adoption through badging, co-pilots and agentic automation. The goal: accelerate delivery, elevate decisions and empower every employee.
“Mike’s ‘proven-here first’ approach to tech innovation serves as the foundation for advanced solutions that elevate mission performance for our clients across the Defense, Intelligence and Federal Civilian sectors while equipping our employees with the same high-tech, high-end capabilities,” said Matt Tait, ManTech CEO and president.
Fun Fact: “People don’t know that I will never be an HOA President………..again,” Uster said.
Chris Jones
CTO, Nightwing
Chris Jones’ recent biggest achievement was working with the Nightwing team to purchase and integrate the company’s first corporate acquisition as Nightwing, and the first one for the business in over seven years (Roka Security).
“Helping to transform the corporate culture from a somewhat static environment to one actively hunting and pursuing opportunities to bring mission solutions to our customers while growing the business,” Jones said.
Bob Coleman, CEO of Nightwing, said:
“Chris Jones brings a rare blend of technical expertise and national security insight to his role as CTO of Nightwing. He understands the mission challenges our customers face and is building the technology and teams to meet them with precision and purpose. Chris doesn’t just anticipate what’s next — he architects the infrastructure to meet it head-on.”
Why Watch
Looking ahead, Jones and his team are heavily focused on building/buying/partnering to bring AI solutions and capabilities as core enablers to the business areas: Cyber Offense, Cybersecurity, Technical Collection, Secure Communications and Global Mission Enablement.
Whether these are internal IRAD investments, strategic partnerships, or the previously cited M&A efforts, they are laser focused on differentiating Nightwing’s technical excellence and tradecraft expertise with advanced compute/AI solutions.
“We’re absolutely fortunate to work for a nearly $2B startup with the opportunity to shape its culture, priorities, and investments – yet, at the same time, we have decades of experience, a track-record of delivery for our customers, and outstanding national security work to offer our employees,” Jones said.
“Being part of the stand-up of the team here at Nightwing is a phenomenal opportunity, and we’re laser focused on seizing the day!”
Fun fact:Jones was disqualified from taking an ROTC scholarship his senior year in high school given a failed vision test (legally blind in one eye). He mistakenly thought this ended his path to serving his country and many of my aspirations. “Ironically, this brought me to the IC as a civilian where I was able to serve alongside my military colleagues for the past 30 years!” he said.
Todd Borkey
CTO, Peraton
Peraton Labs continues to develop exciting new technologies in critical areas of national interest. The company has matured technologies critical to secure communications, resilient networking, cyber defense and generative AI applications.
Todd Borkey asserts an exciting period is ahead for Peraton – particularly the Labs – where these technologies will provide meaningful operational gains.
“With a remarkable track record of leading strategic initiatives for some of the world’s most innovative disruptors, Borkey’s leadership will enhance our technological capabilities and inspire our team as we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible for our customers,” said Steve Schorer, chairman, president and CEO of Peraton.
Why Watch
In 2025, Borkey’s team is increasing their efforts to operationalize generative AI. “The efficiency and efficacy gains made possible with GenAI are mind boggling,” said Borkey. Peraton will continue applying the right technology to deliver high performance automation and machine teaming, where humans cannot scale, to support its customers and nation.
“You lead by example every hour. Leadership means putting yourself at risk, learning out loud, idea prompting, cultivation, and growing a culture where the best minds want to work,” Borkey said. “It’s about getting the right people and moving them forward.”
Jennifer Sample
CTO, Empower AI
Jennifer Sample’s biggest achievement has been building the team at Empower AI that has developed the company’s AI services framework.
This foundational capability includes use cases for AI in federal agencies, pre-built accelerators, models, and customized solutions that allow them to adopt and expand their use of AI.
“In a short time, Jennifer has made a remarkable impact on our company,” said Jeff Bohling, CEO of Empower AI.
“She has spearheaded critical technology initiatives that position us strongly for long-term success, delivered measurable value to our customers, and built a high-performing, results-driven team of technologists. Much of our success this year can be attributed to her strategic vision, exceptional execution, and collaborative leadership style.”
Why Watch
Sample’s team of AI/ML engineers, data scientists, analysts and designers have delivered AI solutions to the federal government. These customers are experiencing an immediate, positive and sustainable impact in providing their services with measurable results.
Fun fact: Sample holds 10 patents from her experience at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, and she has run more than 50 marathons!
Eric Moore
Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Digital Modernization, Leidos
Eric Moore’s biggest recent achievement includes establishing the Digital Modernization Practices across Leidos. These customer-obsessed, technology-oriented organizations focused on cloud, cybersecurity, end user experience, application modernization, networks and information advantage (data and AI) are dramatically accelerating customer adoption of modern technology.
This is also happening at a time when speeding the secure adoption of commercial technology has never been more important, Moore noted.
“As a technologist, I always remind people that there is nothing more satisfying than seeing advanced capability go live in a customer’s hands, providing solutions that weren’t previously possible. Every hire we make, investment we pursue or partnership we explore is singularly focused on continuously improving the capability of our customers,” Moore said.
Why Watch
In 2025, Moore and his team are heavily focused on maximizing government’s ability to exploit commercial investment. The nation’s greatest competitive advantage is its innovation ecosystem, but to realize that advantage, commercial technology needs to be securely deployed and scaled, Moore said.
Leidos has the experience and relationships across government and industry to rapidly build government-focused solutions on commercial technology. This is critical the meeting the capability and cost demands of 2025 and beyond, and Moore finds it an exciting time to be in the government tech space.
“Eric is a transformative leader driving digital modernization across Leidos,” said Steve Hull, digital modernization dector president at Leidos. “His vision and execution in establishing our digital modernization practices have not only accelerated customer adoption of modern technology, but have also set a new standard for innovation. Eric has a rare mix of exceptional technology understanding and sharp business acumen that results in an ability to deliver unparalleled customer value.”
Fun fact: As a passionate alumnus of the University of Michigan and the proud father of two, Moore said it is his personal objective to convince as many of his children’s friends to attend Michigan as possible. “I am disliked for this by many parents living in Northern Virginia,” he joked.
