Toni Townes-Whitley breaks her silence on sudden departure from SAIC
Toni Townes-Whitley, SAIC's former CEO, speaking at the Semafor World Economy Summit Fall Edition on Oct. 15 in Washington, D.C. Gettyimages.com/ Paul Morigi / Stringer
By
Nick Wakeman
Science Applications International Corp.'s board wanted a new direction as the former CEO cites several accomplishments from her two-year stint leading the company.
Toni Townes-Whitley, the former CEO of Science Applications international Corp., has given her take in a LinkedIn post on her sudden departure from SAIC.
In essence, SAIC's board of directors told her they wanted the company to move in a different direction than the one she was leading it in for the past two years. She left the company on Oct. 23.
Not surprisingly for the people who know her, Townes-Whitley takes the high road.
“Bold enterprise-scale transformations are generally not linear, shifts happen. What we can control is how we respond to them,” she wrote.
Her post describes several accomplishments she is proud of:
- Differentiating SAIC’s portfolio
- Building a business development engine
- Increased operating tempo
- Improved recompete win rates
She also praised the SAIC team.
“While executing through one of the most challenging market environments in the last two decades, our SAIC team redefined resilience. Not only did we endure, we adapted to new acquisition, budget, customer and tech realities,” she wrote.
Townes-Whitley urged SAIC personnel to fully support interim CEO Jim Reagan.
As for what’s next, she has no definitive plans.
“As a woman of faith, I’m convinced that God is sovereign over all seasons,” she wrote. “I am thankful for my service at SAIC and open to His next assignment.”
She said she will remain active in the national security arena.
Her LinkedIn post also conveys her deep gratitude. Thousands have reached out to her to offer support and encouragement, she said.
“Six words have been my direction to SAIC leaders over the last year, and they are appropriate now… Heads Down, Heads Up, Hearts Open!” she wrote.