Reston, Virginia-based Science Applications International Corp., one of the 10 largest government IT contractors, has named a new chief executive officer to replace retiring CEO Nazzic Keene.
Toni Townes-Whitley, who was recently president of U.S. Regulated Industries at Microsoft, will join SAIC as CEO-elect June 12 and assume the CEO role full-time upon Keene’s retirement Oct. 1.
Keene will remain with the company as special executive advisor to the CEO through Feb. 2, 2024.
Keene joined SAIC in 2012, the same year the company announced an eventual split that created two independent companies, SAIC and Reston-based Leidos Holdings Corp. She was named CEO in August 2019. As CEO, she also oversaw the $1.2 billion acquisition of Unisys Federal in 2020.
She has also been a champion of corporate diversity. In the past year and ahead of SAIC’s own goal, the company achieved parity in the women leadership ranks as compared to its workforce, and increased the company’s leadership in people of color by 21% over the last three years.
Townes-Whitley led Microsoft’s regulated industries division, and its 5,200 employees with $16 billion in annual revenue. She also has local ties, serving as president of Reston-based IT consulting firm CGI Federal from 2010 to 2015, and held several management roles at Unisys Corporation.
“I am honored to bring my passion for driving our nation’s digital transformation to this extraordinary company that is positioned at the intersection of mission critical government programs at a time of evolving, multi-dimensional global threats,” Townes-Whitley said in a statement.
“SAIC is on a solid growth trajectory with an expanding solutions portfolio, positive financial trends and a culture of serving its customers with integrity, and I look forward to building on the company’s momentum.”
SAIC has about 5,800 D.C.-area employees and 24,000 employees worldwide. The company had $7.7 billion in fiscal 2023 revenue. Earlier this month, the company completed the sale of its logistics and supply chain management division to ASRC Federal Holdings Co. for $350 million.
