Toni Townes-Whitley has been chosen CEO of Reston, Virginia-based Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC). This is an extraordinary appointment since she joins TIAA's Thasunda Brown Duckett as one of just two Black women currently overseeing Fortune 500 companies.
Townes-Whitley's nomination also symbolizes a rare instance of a female CEO transferring the baton to another female CEO at a publicly listed company of this size.
SAIC primarily provides technology and engineering services to several US government agencies, most notably the Department of Defense, intelligence agencies, and space organizations such as the Space Force.
Given her background, which includes serving as Microsoft's President of US Regulated Industries and her family's military ties, Townes-Whitley is well-suited to lead SAIC. She spoke about her previous experience, highlighting the need of scalability and following commercial best practices in regulated industries.
In her first 100 days, she intends to improve SAIC's market value, distinguish the business, instill an entrepreneurial mindset, and explain the corporate identity.
Townes-Whitley also praised the SAIC board, organizational culture, and the executives involved, emphasizing the rarity of a female-to-female CEO handoff.
She underlined the importance of diversity and building a pipeline of diverse talent in corporate America as a female CEO and an African American female striking new ground in national security leadership.
