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Black History Month
Visionary Leaders Driving Innovation and Inclusivity at SAIC
In celebration of Black History Month this February, we proudly spotlight three exemplary leaders at SAIC who have demonstrated exceptional talent and made significant contributions to our collective success. From breaking barriers to paving the way for future leaders, the individuals featured here exemplify strength, resilience and innovation. Join us in acknowledging and celebrating the impactful journeys of these outstanding leaders who play pivotal roles in shaping the present and future of SAIC and our industry.
Toni Townes-Whitley
Chief Executive Officer
David Ray
Executive Vice President, Space and Intelligence Business Group
Vice President, Business Development Transformation and Sales Enablement
Bridget Chatman
Toni Townes-Whitley
Chief Executive Officer
David Ray
Bridget Chatman
Executive Vice President, Space and Intelligence Business Group
Vice President, Business Development Transformation and Sales Excellence
Toni Townes-Whitley
Chief Executive Officer
Bridget Chatman
Vice President, Business Development Transformation and Sales Excellence
David Ray
Executive Vice President, Space and Intelligence Business Group
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In the dynamic landscape of technology and innovation, Toni Townes-Whitley stands out as a distinguished and inspirational leader. In October 2023, she became SAIC’s CEO and was elected to our board of directors. She is currently one of only two black women leading a Fortune 500 company.
Townes-Whitley’s leadership is characterized by fostering an inclusive culture centered around entrepreneurial spirit and high performance. During a recent interview, she noted, “I come from a family of trailblazers. Their achievements inspired me to break down barriers and walk with open arms, creating opportunity for others along the way. As CEO, I'm excited by the opportunity to build on SAIC's legacy and influence our culture, creating an environment that enables us to deliver diverse tech, with diverse talent.” Her commitment to ensuring an inclusive culture is a core element of the evolving SAIC strategy.
She has a track record of driving strong enterprise financial results in leadership roles at Microsoft, CGI Federal and Unisys Corp., adding significant value to the public sector and regulated commercial industries and to the U.S. government's civilian, defense and intelligence sectors.
Townes-Whitley is a recognized global tech leader with numerous awards, including Fortune's Most Powerful Women: Ones to Watch, Women in Technology Leadership, Black Enterprise Top Executive, FedScoop Top 50 for Industry Leadership, the 2020 Institute for Excellence in Sales Lifetime Achievement Award, Northern Virginia Technology Council Tech 100 Executive, and Federal 100 Industry Eagle Award, and was named Woman of the Year by the Washington, D.C.-based organization STEM for Her. She serves as an independent director and trustee on four prestigious boards: Nasdaq, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the Partnership for Public Service and the Princeton University Faith & Work Initiative.
In addition to her remarkable achievements in the corporate world, Townes-Whitley remains deeply committed to community service. She has been a long-time advisor and fundraiser for the Women's Center of Northern Virginia, served as a past president and board chair of Women in Technology and continues to support the U.S. Peace Corps, where she volunteered for three years as a village teacher in the central African country of Gabon.
View Townes-Whitley's full bio.
David Ray was recently named Executive Vice President of the newly integrated SAIC Space and Intelligence Business Group, with responsibility for strategy, business development and service delivery for space and intelligence customers in defense and civilian agencies.
Ray joined SAIC in 2021, bringing with him a wealth of experience in managing and growing large technology businesses that serve government customers around the world. His previous work includes posts at FLIR Systems Inc., Raytheon and Booz Allen Hamilton.
Ray is making positive waves for SAIC in the industry. Under his leadership, SAIC earned a spot on GovCon Wire’s Top 10 NASA Contractors to Watch in 2022. As a WashingtonExec 2023 Pinnacle Awards finalist, he was featured in a showcase of government and industry executives leading innovation for federal clients. He serves as the president of the SAIC Foundation, providing grants to employees and their families needing financial assistance due to environmental disasters, civil unrest or other hardships.
He is a strong advocate of STEM, helping to foster the next generation of industry professionals. During last year’s Astronaut Scholarship Foundation Innovators Week, Ray was on hand to encourage students, foster career development and drive mentorship within the STEM disciplines.
“Inspiring young people, particularly underrepresented communities and women, to pursue education and careers in STEM is integral to the future of our space and intelligence business,” Ray said. “A pipeline of passionate talent is a requirement for ensuring our continued dominance in these mission-critical environments.”
Bridget Chatman is a transformational and inclusive leader, who has positively impacted how we serve our customers in her 12 years at SAIC. Her contributions have garnered numerous industry and company awards. Notably, Chatman received the prestigious SAIC CEO Award for Continued Customer Excellence, recognizing her exceptional mission focus and significant contributions to revenue growth. Chatman has also received Washington Business Journal’s Diversity Leader and Person on the Move awards.
With over 30 years of business development experience and prior to her current position as Vice President of Business Development Transformation and Sales Excellence, Chatman served as SAIC's Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I). In this role, she strategically laid the foundation for a lasting DE&I culture and developed impactful policies and programs to accelerate the company's DE&I goals and initiatives and making great strides in our commitment to women and people of color in leadership roles. Chatman continues to lead complex execution of enterprise initiatives at SAIC.
Throughout her career, Chatman’s unwavering focus on advancing women in the workplace has resulted in the establishment of several influential programs and initiatives. She helped launched our Women's Employee Resource Group, developing all programming, drove membership and served in chair and co-chair roles. She collaborated on the development of policies aimed at fostering gender parity and ensuring pay equity across our organization. Notably, Chatman pioneered the AccelerātHER Women's Leadership Academy to help nurture SAIC's next generation of women leaders. Chatman co-created and formally chaired WashingtonExec’s DE&I Council with over 20 industry DE&I leaders as members.
Expressing her profound commitment, Chatman remarked, “Advocating and championing for the rights of others has always been one of my passions.” Inspired by her parents’ legacy as civil rights activists, she draws upon their example as a guiding light in her relentless dedication to advancing the causes of women and people of color within SAIC, our industry and the broader community as well as inspiring allies to support key initiatives.
Chatman currently serves as the first African American chair of the board of directors for Women in Aerospace, to increase the visibility and advancement of women through mentoring, professional development and scholarships. Endorsed by esteemed senior government and industry leaders, Chatman was appointed to serve in a pivotal role on subcommittees for the National Space Council’s Users’ Advisory Group, specifically providing strategic recommendations on shaping policies and programs across key domains including STEM education and DE&I outreach, emerging data and technology. Chatman is also a co-Lead to a national collaborative approach to space STEM awareness by integrating space exploration into everyday life, to serve as a catalyst for inspiring future generations into STEM and fostering a more inclusive space community.
Executive Vice President, Space and Intelligence Business Group
David Ray
Vice President, Business Development Transformation and Sales Enablement
Bridget Chatman
Executive Vice President, Space and Intelligence Business Group
David Ray
Chief Executive Officer
Toni Townes-Whitley
Chief Executive Officer
Toni Townes-Whitley
Executive Vice President, Space and Intelligence Business Group
David Ray
Vice President, Business Development Transformation and Sales Enablement
Bridget Chatman