AFFIRM 2026 Leadership Awards

Description

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.

Tickets

Non-member: $200

Professional Member: $150

Sustaining Partner: $125

Government Member: $50

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.