Growth, human capital and operations leadership moves across the market

Acentra Health

Mihriban Brickner has joined this technology solutions provider as senior vice president of operations, a role she brings two decades of experience to.

Brickner will help lead certain initiatives in Acentra’s integrated health solutions organization, including efforts to facilitate collaborations between teams and advance client-facing services.

She most recently worked as senior vice president of quality and clinical operations at VNS Health in New York.

Anthropic

Austin Adams has joined this frontier artificial intelligence company as global head for public sector partner growth, a role he brings 26 years of experience to.

Anthropic’s hire of Adams follows its appointment of notable tech veteran Teresa Carlson to lead the global public sector team.

Adams most recently worked as head of partners at Google’s public sector arm and announced his new position in a LinkedIn post.

Dexian Government Solutions

Doug Kumbalek has joined the federal-facing arm of this technology and workforce solutions provider as chief growth officer, a role he brings nearly four decades of military and industry experience to.

Kumbalek will lead Dexian Government Solutions’ growth strategy, customer and partner engagement, market positioning, business development, and capture efforts.

The 14-year Marine Corps veteran most recently founded and led CardinalEdge Partners as CEO. His industry career following military service also includes senior roles at System High Corp. and Leidos.

Forterra

Mark Gist has joined this venture-backed maker of autonomous mission systems as executive vice president of growth and strategy, a role he brings two decades of experience to.

Gist most recently worked as vice president of international business development and government relations at BAE Systems Inc. He joined BAE in 2021 after 17 years at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, that corporation’s drone manufacturing subsidiary.

Forterra announced its hire of Gist in a LinkedIn post.

GovCIO

Josh Quill has joined the federal IT services and solutions company as a senior vice president, a role he brings two decades of government and industry experience to.

Quill most recently served as deputy chief of staff at the Veterans Affairs Department for one year. He is also a former senior adviser to the VA secretary and worked as a senior manager at Ernst & Young before joining the department.

Quill announced his new role in a LinkedIn post.

HII

Renee Swan will join this shipbuilding and technology integration company on Dec. 7 as chief human resources officer, a role she brings two decades of experience to.

Swan currently works as chief people officer at Atmus Filtration Technologies, where she also holds a senior VP title. Her career also includes a stint as VP of HR at L3Harris Technologies.

She will hold an executive VP title at HII. Edmond Hughes, HII’s CHRO since 2022, will support the transition before he retires in April after 21 years with the company.

Ignyte Group

Marco Leung has joined this digital experience and transformation consultancy as head of its federal consulting practice, a role he brings 14 years of experience to.

“Marco will oversee federal client outcomes, solution offerings, delivery excellence, and strategic growth,” Ignyte wrote in a LinkedIn post on his new role. He will work alongside our clients and teams to help agencies apply [artificial intelligence] effectively, modernize essential systems, and build solutions that adapt as public needs evolve.

Leung most recently led a portfolio of generative efforts at Deloitte’s federal practice, including migration of large-scale systems to cloud computing environments.

Integral Federal

Greg Carper is now vice president of growth at this digital transformation and systems engineering specialist, which he first joined in April as VP of business development.

Carper will lead efforts to drive and shape Integral Federal’s growth strategy, identify new business opportunities, and expand its market presence.

His career includes roles at V2X, SOS International and Engility Corp.

Mantis Space

David “Dave” Goulet has joined this builder of orbital power infrastructure as chief of operations, a role he brings 25 years of combined naval and industry experience to.

For 22 years, Goulet served in the Navy with most of that time involving special warfare areas such as tactical communications. He then spent three years as head of operations at Modern Intelligence.

Mantis announced Goulet’s new role in a LinkedIn post.

Merlin

Mark Brunner has moved up to president at this developer of artificial technologies for autonomous flight, which he first joined in April as chief revenue officer.

“In his new role, Mark will continue to build strong customer relationships and represent Merlin’s commitment to delivering operational autonomy to government and commercial customers,” Merlin wrote in a LinkedIn post on the promotion.

Merlin entered the public markets in March via a merger with blank check company Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. IV, which fetched $200 million in capital from investors.

Oddball

Jay Tansing has joined this digital services specialist as chief strategy officer, a role he brings three decades of experience to.

“Jay will lead our strategy, including acquisitions and technology partnerships, as we expand our impact across the federal government,” Oddball said in a LinkedIn post on his new role.

Tansing most recently led the public sector arm at IBM’s Hakkoda subsidiary. His career also includes senior roles at Salesforce, Acumen Solutions and PwC.

Paragon Space Development Corp.

David Romero has moved up to chief operating officer at this provider of life support and thermal support systems, which he first joined in 2025 as chief of staff

Prior to Paragon, he was executive vice president and program manager for the Axom Station program at Axiom Space.

He spent 24 years at Collins Aerospace, where he directed NASA's EVA Systems Contract for shuttle and space station spacewalks and led the business development team that won the Boeing Starliner life support award and Orion continuation contract with Lockheed Martin.

PCI Federal

Tina Kang has joined this government services provider as vice president of growth for its technology and mission solutions sector, a role she brings two decades of experience to.

“Tina will lead our TMS growth organization, overseeing business development, capture, proposals, and strategic partnerships as we build the next chapter of the sector,” Nick Dunn, president of the TMS sector, wrote in a LinkedIn post on her new role.

Kang most recently worked as senior vice president of business development at Seneca Holdings. Her career also includes 12 years at Maximus.

Peraton

John Pyzdrowski has joined this technology integrator as vice president of capture for its federal civilian sector, a role he brings 25 years of experience to.

Pyzdrowski most recently worked as a VP of business capture at Science Applications International Corp. His career also includes senior roles at CACI International and General Dynamics.

Peraton announced the hire in a LinkedIn post that cited Pyzdrowski background in business development, capture management and proposal operations.

RTI International

Bennet Waters has joined this nonprofit scientific research firm as senior vice president of growth, a role he brings 25 years of public sector experience to.

Waters will be responsible for translating RTI’s strategy, market intelligence and differentiated capabilities into sustainable growth via key partnerships, alliances, joint ventures, and mergers and acquisitions.

Waters founded and led NCInnovation as CEO prior to RTI. He is a former counselor to the secretary, deputy secretary and chief of staff at the Homeland Security Department’s health affairs office. His career in industry includes senior leadership roles at Labcorp, Chertoff Group, VIGILINT, LifePoint Health and Piedmont Healthcare Management Group.

Sayari

Jenal Embry has moved up to chief revenue officer at this supply chain management software provider, which she first joined in 2022 as senior vice president of global sales.

Embry will lead a unified go-to-market organization across Sayari’s commercial and government business units. The areas of responsibility include pipeline development, sales, customer success and retention.

She most recently worked as general manager of the commercial unit at Sayari, which has been majority-owned by TPG since 2024.

Science Applications International Corp.

Steven Rush has joined this technology integrator as a vice president and client executive after 18 years at the Defense Intelligence Agency and four decades in federal service overall.

Rush concluded his government career with two years as director of DIA’s Missile & Space Intelligence Center. Prior to that, he was the agency’s chief financial officer for four years.

SAIC announced its hire of Rush in a LinkedIn post.

SES Space & Defense

Frederick Kuhnert has joined the U.S. government subsidiary of this satellite network operator as senior vice president of business development, a role he brings 25 years of experience to.

Kuhnert most recently worked as a senior vice president in Science Applications International Corp.’s space and intelligence business group. He joined SAIC in 2021 after stops at Northrop Grumman and Raytheon.

SES announced its hire of Kuhnert in a LinkedIn post. SES Space & Defense was stood up in 2025 following its parent company’s acquisition of Intelsat.

Sierra Management and Technologies

Malyna Geiger has joined this Navy-focused provider of technology and professional services as president, a role she brings three decades of federal service experience to.

Her career in government concluded in 2022 after three years as deputy program executive officer for tactical aircraft programs. She also spent 12 years at the Naval Air Systems Command.

Geiger will work with Sierra CEO Larisa Funk on the company’s strategy and vision, according to a LinkedIn post on the hire.

Sierra Space

Daniel Gittsovich has joined this defense tech company as chief financial officer, a role he brings two decades of experience to.

He most recently worked as vice president and CFO for the missile solutions segment at L3Harris Technologies.

Gittsovich joins Sierra Space in an active year for the company that included its $550 million Series C capital raise and hire of Dan Jablonsky as chief executive.

Trilogy Innovations

Yvette Rogers has joined this federal IT solutions provider as executive vice president of program management, a role she brings four decades of combined military and industry experience to.

Rogers most recently spent nine years at the Copper River family of companies in senior leadership roles. She is also a former acting chief of deployment technologies for the Defense Health Agency.

Prior to DHA, she served in the Navy for 20 years in senior roles across areas such as operations and training.

Washington Harbour Partners

Timothy Morrison has joined this government market-focused investment firm as a managing director, a role he brings two decades of experience to.

Morrison most recently spent six years at Boeing as a vice president. He is also a former deputy assistant to the president for national security, plus a former policy director for the House Armed Services Committee.

Morrison announced his new role at WHP in an article with his background and views on the market’s current landscape.

Armadin

Paul Nakasone, the former leader of Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, has joined the board of directors at this developer of artificial intelligence agents for use in cybersecurity efforts.

The retired Army general and four-decade military veteran served in those roles from 2018 to 2024. His career also includes service as commander of the Cyber National Mission Force and head of Army Cyber Command.

Armadin’s LinkedIn post on the appointment cites Nakasone’s experience in offensive operations, agentic AI and national security infrastructure.

Intuitive Machines

Christopher Scolese, the former National Reconnaissance Office director, has joined the board of directors at this space company.

Scolese led NRO from 2019 to 2026 and before that served as director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center for seven years. His career at NASA also included service as associate administrator, acting administrator and chief engineer.

Intuitive Machines also announced the resignation of Michael Blitzer from the board, which took effect Oct. 21.