The Wash100 Award, a signature accolade awarded by Executive Mosaic, is the pinnacle of achievement in the GovCon community. It is more than a mere acknowledgment of success; it is a celebration of foresight, innovation and relentless dedication to driving transformation in a sector that serves as the backbone of national security and federal services.
Each year, this prestigious award highlights the leaders who not only excel in their respective fields but also redefine benchmarks, inspire strategic advancements and fuel the evolution of the GovCon landscape. Cybersecurity, an area of critical importance within GovCon, has never been more crucial than in 2025. The escalating frequency, sophistication and impact of cyber threats demand leaders who possess not just technical expertise, but also the vision to anticipate challenges and innovate beyond traditional defenses.
How We Assembled the List
The following profiles are of Wash100 Award winners in the government and military who have had professional achievement in cybersecurity or have worked for agencies where cybersecurity plays a large part in their mission. With cybersecurity at the forefront of national and global priorities, these honorees remind us of the critical role cybersecurity plays in fostering resilience, innovation and integrity in a dynamic and high-stakes environment.
In no particular order, let’s take an in-depth look at these extraordinary public sector cyber leaders, their pivotal contributions and the enduring impact of their efforts on shaping the future of cybersecurity and the GovCon ecosystem. (This is part one of an ongoing series.)
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David McKeown
Department of Defense
2023, 2025
McKeown stands as a trailblazer in cybersecurity innovation. His distinction as a two-time Wash100 Award winner highlights his pivotal role in advancing DOD’s cybersecurity architecture and paving the way for a more fortified defense landscape.
One of his notable achievements includes overseeing the ambitious 2027 Zero Trust mandate, ensuring that critical defense systems align with cutting-edge cybersecurity principles. He advocated having systems that support weapon platforms be part of the zero trust initiative because they are part of the non-classified Internet Protocol Router and Secret Internet Protocol Router landscape.
As senior information security officer and chief information officer at DOD, McKeown’s office led the department’s Cybersecurity Maturation Model Certification, or CMMC, initiative. It also evaluated ways to help companies tackle the majority of security controls in the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Special Publication 800-171, which provided federal agencies with recommended security requirements for protecting the confidentiality of controlled unclassified information, or CUI.
McKeown now performs the duties of the DOD deputy CIO for cybersecurity and DOD chief information security officer.
Gen. Timothy Haugh
NSA & U.S. Cyber Command
2024, 2025
Gen. Haugh tallied two consecutive Wash100 Awards for his leadership in helping the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command leverage the latest technologies in cyber operations and intelligence. He announced in August 2024 that the NSA had an autonomous penetration testing tool powered by AI that could enable companies helping the intelligence community bolster their cyber defenses.
Gen. Haugh increased collaboration with other combatant commands to fight growing cyber threats from near-peer adversaries. CYBERCOM, under his leadership, offered U.S. Indo-Pacific Command the cyber instruments necessary to defend its area of responsibility. CYBERCOM also worked with U.S. European Command to contribute to Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion.
Gen. Haugh advocated for the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. He said intelligence that came from Section 702 was foundational to cybersecurity, counterterrorism and counterintelligence work. He also pledged to integrate CYBERCOM training standards into the preparation of tactical and expeditionary IT defense units across all service branches.
Gregory Barbaccia
Federal CIO
2025
Babaccia made his debut among Wash100 Award winners in 2025 for his expected impact as federal CIO. Here, Barbaccia leads the government’s IT strategy, driving cybersecurity, innovation and digital transformation with a goal of enhancing public services and operational efficiency.
In the years prior to his White House post, he has maintained an excellent cyber track record. While CISO at Theorem, Barbaccia created and executed the company’s information security strategy, which included managing incident response and cyber risks. While leading Elementus, an institutional-grade crypto forensic solutions and blockchain search engine provider, Barbaccia supplied the company’s data analytics and compliance technology to federal agencies in support of important cyber investigations.
Leslie Beavers
Department of Defense
2024
Beavers earned her Wash100 award in 2024 for advancing cybersecurity initiatives throughout the DOD. She propelled the department’s zero trust initiative, which establishes a security framework that authenticates all users and devices prior to granting access to resources, irrespective of their location or network condition. The department’s Portfolio Management Office has evaluated 39 zero trust implementation plans from the entire enterprise and is currently focused on consolidating and harmonizing them by 2027.
Beavers led the effort to expand a critical cybersecurity effort called federated identity, credential and access management, or ICAM, to international partners. She also updated DOD policy and procedures for deploying and using Internet Protocol Version 6, or IPv6, in DOD information systems. IPv6, the most recent version of IP, is designed to supply IP addressing and additional security to support increased use of connected devices.
Beavers established policy managing access to DOD IT resources hosted by systems and system components to ensure the security of the department’s information systems. She provided guidance for DOD components to build and maintain requirements for ICAM platforms.
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John Ratcliffe
Central Intelligence Agency
2025
Ratcliffe joined the prestigious Wash100 Award club in 2025 for his expected contributions to bolstering national security as CIA leader. His career leading up to this post has been one of deep cybersecurity commitment. While representing Texas’ 4th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, Ratcliffe authored the United States-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act, which allows the two nations to work together on research and development of cybersecurity technologies for national security.
Ratcliffe also authored the Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act. This created the National Computer Forensics Institute, a national center for training law enforcement on the use of cyber technologies to secure and investigate digital evidence.
Ratcliffe, during his nomination hearing to be CIA director, advocated for developing better cyber offense tools and creating a cyber-specific deterrence strategy. He said he wanted to have the CIA work on cyber tools that would allow the U.S. to retaliate against cyber attackers.
