Over the past two months there have been a considerable number of female executive moves in the GovCon industry. These changes in leadership will stand to have a lasting and positive impact on the industry as a whole. Please join me in congratulating these outstanding individuals.

This past Wednesday, General Dynamics Information Technology business namedAmy Gilliland president, effective September 1. Gilliland had previously served as senior vice president and deputy for operations at GDIT. Gilliland will succeed Daniel Johnson, who will continue to serve as executive VP of the company™s information systems and technology group.

Ellen Lord, the former CEO of Textron Systems, was confirmed by the Senate as the Department of Defense undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics earlier this week. The confirmation took place this past Tuesday. Lord is the first woman to serve as undersecretary for AT&L and will also be the last person to hold that role. Amongst her duties will be overseeing the division of undersecretary of AT&L into two new roles: undersecretary of research and engineering (R&E) and undersecretary of acquisition and sustainment (A&S).

Lisa Atherton will be succeeding Ellen Lord as president and CEO of Textron Systems. Atherton formerly served as executive vice president of military business at Textron™s Bell Helicopter subsidiary. In her new role, Atherton will be responsible for executing current programs, generating future growth and next generation products and programs.

In mid-July, Booz Allen Hamilton announced that Mara Motherway was named head of government relations. Motherway had already been acting in that capacity since June 1. As head of government relations, Motherway is responsible for strengthening Booz Allen™s relationships across the federal government and will provide her expertise on public policy issues.

Jenette Ramos was announced as Pat Shanahan™s successor as Boeing supply and operations SVP in mid-June. Ramos had formerly served as vice president and general manager of fabrication at Boeing™s commercial airplanes business. In her new role, Ramos will report directly to CEO Dennis Muilenburg, manage Boeing™s supplier management and manufacturing operations and oversee the company™s environment, health and safety group.

At the beginning of June, it was announced the former secretary of the U.S. Air Force, Deborah Lee James, would be joining Bain & Company as a special advisor at the company™s Washington, D.C. office. James will advise aerospace, defense and government services customers and work to establish stronger relationships with œhigh-potential individuals and companies.

Nazzic Keene, president of global markets and missions sector at SAIC, will be taking on additional duties as chief operating officer for the company. Announced on June 8, Keene will be tasked with overseeing the firm™s services and solutions sector and will assume responsibilities related to procurement, contracts and pricing, communications and information technology operations as COO.

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