Former CACI exec Tom Ragland joins Ambit Group

Tom Ragland, who was CACI International’s senior vice president for homeland security, has left the company to join the Ambit Group.

While his exact title at Ambit is still to be determined, Ragland and Ambit co-founder and CEO Kim Hayes said a large part of his responsibilities will be to drive business through the company’s new Eagle II contract with the Homeland Security Department.

Ambit was named one of the winners in the small business category of the IT program support services portion of the large multiple award contract.

“We see Tom as a thought leader in the homeland space and we think he can help shape the solutions our customers need,” Hayes said.

His responsibilities will include operations, business development and client relations, she said.

“We also want him to help drive solutions across our portfolio of customers beyond homeland,” she said. “Tom is someone who always looks at the whole, so he’ll look across the full spectrum of our business.”

Ragland said the decision to leave CACI was driven in part by a reorganization under new CEO Ken Asbury that would likely eliminate the role he was playing as client executive for the homeland security business.

He had been at CACI for five and half years and came there from QinetiQ. He’s also worked at Science Applications International Corp.

Ragland said that he was drawn to working for a small business because of changes in the market as the government shifts more contracts to small businesses. The role of large systems integrators is changing and many of those companies are struggling with that change, he said.

“Ambit has a quick, vibrant leadership and they can really express their vision,” he said.

His first official day on the job at Ambit is Aug. 12.