WashingtonExec on June 2 unveiled the winners of the 2026 Chief Officer Awards, its premier recognition of the executives shaping the future of government contracting. This annual can’t-miss event celebrates bold, innovative leaders across government and industry.
The event took place at The Hilton in McLean, Virginia, where over 500 attendees came together for a memorable in-person luncheon.
Along with the government and industry winners, John G. Edwards, president of the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes Edwards for his decades of exceptional service to the nation, marked by transformative leadership at the CIA and an enduring commitment to its people and mission.
WashingtonExec extends its gratitude to its silver sponsors, KippsDeSanto & Co. and Morgan Stanley; to its award sponsor, M&T Bank; and to its many table sponsors for their generous support.
This year’s awards received a record level of interest and excitement. We look forward to next year!
Below are all the winners and the categories:
Private & Public Company
Artificial Intelligence Executive of the Year
- Rod Fontecilla, Revolutional
Private Company
CEO of the Year
Annual Revenue Less than $100M
- Shawn Gundrum, CATHEXIS
CEO of the Year
Annual Revenue Greater than $100M and Less than $500M
- David Popelier, Acclaim Technical Services
Private & Public Company
CEO of the Year
Annual Revenue Greater than $500M
- Adel Al-Saleh, SES
Private Company
CFO of the Year
Annual Revenue Less than $100M
- Alvin Church, Chartis Federal
CFO of the Year
Annual Revenue Greater than $100M and Less than $500M
- Sarah Otchet, GRVTY
Private & Public Company
CFO of the Year
Annual Revenue Greater than $500M
- Jeffrey MacLauchlan, CACI
CGO or BD Executive of the Year
Annual Revenue Less than $100M
- Brian Westhoff, Gunnison
CGO or BD Executive of the Year
Annual Revenue Greater than $100M and Less than $500M
- Oliver Sadorra, Dark Wolf
CGO or BD Executive of the Year
Annual Revenue Greater than $500M
- Kent Wilcher, KBR
CHRO or HR Executive of the Year
- Christina Payne, Precise Systems, Inc.
CIO of the Year
- Srinivas Rautwar, AMERICAN SYSTEMS
CISO Executive of the Year
- Jennifer Roberts, FGS-LLC
Public Company
CMO or Marketing Executive of the Year
- Eliot Hamlisch, Amtrak
Private Company
CMO or Marketing Executive of the Year
- Amanda Rudolph, Ultra I&C
Private & Public Company
CSO Executive of the Year
- Isaiah Rivers, Astranis
Public Company
CTO of the Year
- Marshall Thames, Everforth ECS
Private Company
CTO of the Year
- Peter O’Donoghue, Tyto Athene
Private & Public Company
Cybersecurity Executive of the Year
- Curtis Arnold, Core4ce
DOW Executive of the Year
- Terry Benedict, Systems Planning & Analysis
Executive Assistant of the Year
- Nancy Edwards, AMERICAN SYSTEMS
General Counsel and / or Compliance Executive of the Year
- Hilary Hageman, SAIC
Healthcare Executive of the Year
- Eugene Sayan, Softheon
Space Executive of the Year
- Audrey Schaffer, Slingshot Aerospace
Government
CIO of the Year
- Keith Hardiman, Air Force
CTO of the Year
- Justin Fanelli, Navy
Government TEAM Project of the Year – IT
- Jaspreet (Jas) Dhillon, OUSW
- Caleb Judy, OPM
Space Executive of the Year
- Peter Atkinson, Army
