The AFFIRM Leadership Awards honor individuals and teams who demonstrate exceptional leadership and make high‑impact contributions to government and industry mission‑driven organizations.
These awards recognize leaders who provide clear direction, inspire innovation, and deliver results—especially in times of change and uncertainty.
Honorees help government work more effectively, efficiently, and responsibly.
This Year’s Theme - Lead in the Breakthrough Era: From Uncertainty to Execution
Today’s leaders face rapid change, evolving missions, and rising expectations. This theme celebrates those who move confidently from ideas to action—turning challenges into progress and vision into results.
The AFFIRM Leadership Awards spotlight leaders who:
Lead with clarity in complex environments
Turn bold ideas into real outcomes
Inspire teams to take action
Create lasting, measurable impact
Keynote Speaker - Leslie Beaver
What happens when a Brigadier General, a Pentagon CIO, and a Fortune 500 turnaround executive are all the same person?
She's led intelligence and cyber forces of 100,000 people, overseen a $60 billion technology portfolio at the Department of Defense, and saved $800 million in revenue after a catastrophic business crisis — all before stepping into the boardroom.
Leslie Beavers has operated at the highest levels of government, military, and industry — and she's here to share what leading through complexity, uncertainty, and radical change actually looks like from the inside.
As Acting and Principal Deputy CIO of the U.S. Department of Defense, Leslie stewarded a $60billion IT and cyber ecosystem — one of the largest technology portfolios on the planet. She strengthened global cyber resilience and enabled the first multi-vendor, zero-trust architecture ever deployed at the Secret level with allied partners.
Before that, as a U.S. Air Force Brigadier General, she commanded intelligence, cyber, and information warfare forces of more than 100,000 personnel — advancing multinational cooperation across Five Eyes and NATO partners and architecting the Defense Intelligence
Enterprise's digital transformation.
In the private sector, including executive roles at GE Healthcare and NBCUniversal, she delivered more than $260 million in financial impact — including preserving $800 million in annual revenue following a catastrophic loss event.
Her keynote will challenge you to think differently about what resilience, readiness, and bold leadership really demand — and leave you with a sharper lens for the decisions that matter
most.
Featured Speaker - Jaclyn Rubino
What does it take to reopen a federal law enforcement academy in under 60 days, grow an industry organization by 60%, and become the first person ever appointed to lead a government-wide procurement category? All inside the same career.
She turned government procurement into a competitive strategy, rebuilt operations under crisis conditions, and was personally tapped by the White House to lead the first government-wide Security and Protection category. She has done it all with a bias for results over bureaucracy.
Jaclyn Rubino is a senior federal executive whose career inside the Department of Homeland Security spans border security, immigration operations, procurement strategy, and large-scale operational leadership. She joins us to speak in a personal capacity, sharing the real lessons from two decades of getting things done inside one of the most complex organizations in the world.
In February 2016, the Office of Management and Budget named her the first government-wide Security and Protection Category Manager. A recognition of her reputation as a leader who doesn't just manage strategy but builds it from scratch. Her approach to category management has been replicated across the federal government and she remains one of the most sought-after voices on driving smarter, more efficient buying at scale.
She has also proven herself under pressure. When the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers closed during the pandemic, Jaclyn led the effort to reopen them in under 60 days, keeping law enforcement training operational when it mattered most. As President of AFFIRM, she delivered a 60% increase in revenue while leading the government-industry IT association through one of its most consequential periods.
Her speech will take you behind the curtain on what real operational leadership looks like. Where urgency meets complexity and results are non-negotiable.
Winners
AFFIRM is thrilled to announce the first wave of our 2026 Leadership Awards honorees. These individuals have led with vision, delivered real impact, and helped move government technology forward. Please join us in celebrating them.
Titan Award - Mia Jordan, Regional Vice President (Federal), Salesforce
Emerging Visionary - Paula Osborn, Deputy Chief Data and AI Officer, U.S. Department of State
HealthTech Trendsetter (Industry) - Frederick Deese, CEO, Visual Connections (SDVOSB)
HealthTech Trendsetter (Government) - Patrick Newbold, FACHDM, Chief Information Officer and Director of Information Technology, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Cyber Innovator - Joel Waugh, VP of Cybersecurity & CISO, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
Disruption Engine - Eduardo F. O., CEO, Coforma
Fresh Force - Erin Fitzgibbons, Acting Division Director, Technology Solutions, Bureau of Industry and Security-U.S. Department of Commerce
MetaTech - Sree Rednam, Cloud Development Sr. Manager and Enterprise Architect, General Dynamics Information Technology
Luminary Award - Katie Baier, MBA, Director of Growth & Strategy, Snowbird Agility, Inc.
Apex Award - Dr. Ed Mays, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Customs and Border Protection, OIT
Procurement Pioneer - Paul Courtney, Chief Procurement Officer, Department of Homeland Security
Civic Visionary - Mangala Kuppa, Chief Information Officer, Department of Labor
Emerging Tech - Stephanie Muth, PMP, IT Program Manager, National Nuclear Security Administration
Project Vanguard - Shawn M. Watson, CGFM, MBA, IT Modernization and Innovation Division, U.S. General Services Administration, Office of Government-wide Policy / Office of Technology Policy
Crisis Navigator - Hillary Sheldon, Acting Director of Mission Support, Department of Energy / National Nuclear Security Administration
Legacy Leader - Maria Roat, CEO, MA Roat Consulting, LLC
Legacy Leader - Bill Rucker, President & CEO, Ruck.IT.cyber
Legacy Leader - Gary Washington, Chief Strategy Officer, American Council for Technology - Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC)
President's Award - Brian Epley, CIO and CAIO, U.S. Department of Commerce
President's Award - Jylinda Johnson, Senior Vice President, General Dynamics Information Technology
Tickets
Non-member: $200
Professional Member: $150
Sustaining Partner: $125
Government Member: $50
Attire
Please arrive in business casual attire.
Parking & Transportation
Street parking in front of STATION DC is limited. Two large garages are located within a block of the venue — at 4th St NE & Morse St NE, and behind the F1 Arcade — both offering 3 hours of free parking. Valet parking is available after 5 pm for $35+ through Pastis. The venue is a 10-minute walk from the NoMa–Gallaudet Metro Station on the Red Line.
4:00-4:30 p.m. VIP Reception4:30 p.m. Registration 5:00-5:30 p.m. Awards Reception5:30-7:00 p.m. Networking
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