Tech, growth and sales leadership moves across the market. Stay Connected Find opportunities - and win them. September 18, 2026 03:04 PM ET One of the military's primary engine providers is also undertaking a transition at the very top, among other key promotions and hires to note. Aerospace Corp. Debra Emmons has moved up to senior vice president of the civil systems group following four years as chief technology officer at the nonprofit organization, which she first joined in 2003. Emmons succeeds Jim Myers, who retired from Aerospace in August after five years there. Emmons' career in space includes satellite-focused roles at Hughes Space and Communications. Aerospace also promoted Kristin St. Peter to senior vice president, general counsel and secretary in a move to take effect Jan. 2. Aerospace operates a federally-funded research-and-development center focused on national security space. Peta Leonard has joined the software application development provider as vice president of artificial intelligence, a role she brings two decades of experience to. "Peta will help shape and advance our AI vision and strategy, working closely with our teams, customers, and leadership to identify where AI can create real, measurable impact," AttainX said in a LinkedIn post on the hire. Leonard most recently worked as a vice president at TSPi. Bob Jurenko has joined the space- and missile defense-focused company as vice president of business development, a role he brings two decades of experience to. Jurenko will oversee Aurex's efforts to expand its opportunity set, add new customers and shape other initiatives around products and capabilities. He most recently worked as director of hypersonic and strategic defense programs at Firefly Aerospace. Bharat Soni has joined the technology solutions provider as vice president and general manager for its federal services unit, a role he brings three decades of experience to. Soni will oversee DMI's push for growth across the federal mission space, a strategy that includes generative artificial intelligence. He most recently worked as senior director of strategic solutions at C3 AI. His career also includes roles at Guidehouse and Accenture Federal Services. Brooke Pierce has joined the technology solutions provider as president of its health segment, a role she brings two decades of experience to. DLH's health business includes work in technology, scientific research, data analytics, artificial intelligence and mission support services. Pierce most recently worked as a vice president at Leidos, where she spent seven years altogether. Her career also includes roles at Cotiviti and ARDX. Draganfly Defense USA AJ Pasagian has joined the drone systems and solution provider's U.S. defense subsidiary as president, a role he brings 35 years of Marine Corps service experience to. Pasagian's career includes an assignment as commanding general for Marine Corps Systems Command, where he led a team of 2,400 personnel and was its acquisition decision authority. "AJ joins Draganfly at an important time as we continue to expand our U.S. defense operations and respond to growing demand for trusted, North American-developed unmanned systems," Draganfly said in a LinkedIn post on his new role. Herrick Technology Laboratories Tom Cece has moved up to vice president of engineering at this maker of software-defined radios, which he first joined in 2016. "Tom will lead our engineering department, where he will accelerate innovation and spearhead the development of advanced hardware and software architectures designed to protect our warfighters and give our defense and government partners a definitive edge in contested spectrum environments," HTL said in a LinkedIn post on his new role. HTL credits Cece with helping advance its product lines that include the radios, as well as direction-finding antennas and other communication solutions. Chad Keefer has joined the cybersecurity company as vice president of federal sales, a role he brings 24 years of industry experience to. Keefer will lead Horizon3's go-to-market strategy centered around its autonomous penetration testing platform, which is designed to help operators find security issues and close attack paths. He most recently worked as head of U.S. federal at Infoblox. His career also includes roles at Appian and Forescout Technologies. Ryan Rohr has joined the employee-owned contractor as chief growth officer, a role he brings 19 years of experience to. Rohr will oversee Lentech's overall efforts to advance its market position, expand customer relationships and increase partnerships. Lentech announced the hire of Rohr six months after Rose Allen joined the company as CEO. He most recently worked as chief strategy officer at Thomson Reuters Special Services, the global tech company's subsidiary for the U.S. government market. Gary Noel has joined the mobile surveillance solutions provider as vice president of federal and international sales after eight years at Lockheed Martin. "Gary will drive Reconview's growth across federal government initiatives and lead our international sales strategy, bringing our advanced AI-powered security and surveillance solutions to global partners and public-sector clients," Reconview said in a LinkedIn post on his new role. Noel's tenure at Lockheed included separate stints as manager of international government affairs and business development, plus chief of staff for international business development. Jill Albertelli will move up to president of the company's Pratt & Whitney engine manufacturing segment on Jan. 1, when she will succeed the retiring Shane Eddy. Albertelli has been with Pratt & Whitney for three decades and currently works as president of the military engine business. Her career has included roles involving engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, commercial programs, sales and strategy. Eddy has worked at Pratt & Whitney for four decades and will support the company as an adviser between Jan. 1 and March, when he will retire. Sabel Systems Mini Polaski has joined this provider of engineering services as senior vice president and general manager for its aerospace digital acceleration business unit, a role she brings two decades of experience to. Polaski will lead Sabel's efforts to scale across the Air Force market and build on its portfolio of product lifecycle management support. Polaski most recently spent five years at Leidos as chief engineer. Her career also includes roles at Northrop Grumman and Boeing. Sabel has also hired Alexis Wenzel as vice president of business development for the Air Force account. She most recently was a BD director at BAE Systems Inc. and before that held a similar role at ICF. Scope Infotech Kathryn Wetherby has joined the software engineering services provider as chief strategy officer, a role she brings 25 years of health technology experience to. Wetherby will work with Scope Infotech CEO Riyaz Momin on efforts related to the company's market position, operational maturity and growth planning. Wetherby most recently spent 10 years at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, including as acting director of its marketplace IT group. Significance Inc. Brad Zwirschitz has joined the professional services provider as chief growth officer, a role involving revenue growth and market expansion initiatives. Zwirschitz will oversee Significance's functions in business development, capture strategy, partnerships and go-to-market efforts. He most recently worked as president of Main Sail. Mary Ahern Snyder started Significance in 2014 and has led it ever since as president and CEO. Stacy Schwartz has joined the wireless carrier as vice president of its government business, a role she brings three decades of experience. Schwartz's career includes 25 years at AT&T, where she was a vice president in its public sector unit. She has also led the public sector unit at RingCentral. George Fischer, an executive vice president at T-Mobile's business group, announced the hire of Schwartz in a LinkedIn post. American Systems Christopher "Chris" Carson has joined the board of directors as an independent member at the employee-owned contractor, where he will also chair its audit and finance committee. Carson moves into the seat formerly held by Barry Broadus, who was a member for nine years. Broadus is the former ICF chief financial officer who retired in the spring after four years in that role. Carson is a four-decade market veteran helped found the government practices at Argy and then at BDO, which acquired Argy in 2012. He is also a former chief financial officer for Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. Riverside Research David Deptula and Stacey Dixon have joined the board of trustees at the nonprofit science firm, which announced its hire of new CEO Tom Lash earlier this month. Deptula is a retired Air Force lieutenant general who retired in 2010 after a 34-year career in service that culminated with four years as deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Dixon is a former principal deputy director of national intelligence, the second-highest ranking official in the intelligence community. She also served in leadership roles at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Encora has acquired a business capabilities portfolio from DMI, enhancing its digital engineering capabilities and expanding its global presence with new centers in India, Europe, and the Americas. This acquisition, finalized on February 4, 2025, adds 750 professionals across six offices to Encora, strengthening its cloud, data, and AI services. The move aligns with both companies' commitment to workplace excellence and aims to accelerate innovation in digital transformation solutions.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. & MCLEAN, Va., May 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Appvance and DMI have formed a strategic partnership to revolutionize the software quality landscape for enterprises in the public and private sectors. This partnership marks a commitment to accelerate digital transformation by harnessing the power of generative AI to empower organizations to elevate competitiveness and operational agility."We are excited to bring transformational artificial intelligence solutions to our customers in a strategic partnership with Appvance," said Gary Wang, Chief Technology Officer at DMI, Inc. "This partnership provides the technologies and services for autonomous and continuous software testing to achieve faster application delivery with lower cost and higher quality for our customers. It enables our customers to embark on the journey of digital modernization with confidence and efficiency.""DMI delivers mission-critical technology solutions to some of the most prominent enterprises, brands, and government agencies globally," added Appvance CEO Andre Liao. "The adoption of AIQ as the foundational capability in an AI-first quality software delivery platform underlines our joint commitment to transformative digital initiatives that accelerate the success of these high-performing digital customers."AIQ detects 10 times more application defects and does it 1,000 times faster than any other currently available technologies