Nazzic Keene, CEO and a member of the board of directors at Science Applications International Corp. (NYSE: SAIC), plans to retire after a decadelong career at SAIC.
Toni Townes-Whitley, a 35-year technology veteran, will succeed Keene in the chief executive role and on SAIC’s board, effective Oct. 2, but will join the company as CEO-elect on June 12 to facilitate a smooth transition, the Reston, Virginia-based systems integrator said Thursday.
Keene, a six-time Wash100 Award winner, will continue to serve as a special executive adviser to Townes-Whitley and the company through Feb. 2, 2024.
Since joining SAIC in 2012, Keene has held senior leadership roles, including chief operating officer and president of the global markets and missions sector. She took the helm and joined the company’s board in August 2019.
Before SAIC, she was with CGI (NYSE: GIB) as senior vice president and general manager for U.S. enterprise markets. She started her career in the information technology and communications industry.
“We thank Nazzic for her tremendous contributions and dedication to SAIC, which resulted in greater opportunities for our employees, improved outcomes for our customers and increased value for our shareholders,” said Donna Morea, board chair at SAIC.
Townes-Whitley previously served as president of U.S. Regulated Industries at Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) with oversight of U.S. sales strategy to advance digital transformation efforts within the public sector and regulated commercial industries. She was president at CGI’s federal arm and held management positions at Unisys (NYSE: UIS).
“Toni is an innovative and collaborative leader whose success in digital transformation and leading-edge technology integration makes her our clear choice to lead SAIC’s next chapter,” said Morea.
