Growth, legal and operations leadership moves across the market

Agile Defense

Benjamin “Ben” Shotzberger has joined the digital transformation company as vice president of business development for its Homeland Security Department unit, a role he brings two decades of public sector experience to.

Shotzberger will lead Agile Defense’s efforts to expand its DHS presence, which includes work on expanding partnerships.

His career includes BD leadership roles at CyKor, ASRC Federal and Digital Cloak. He also served in civilian positions at DHS for nine years, including within its science and technology directorate and as a special assistant to the undersecretary for science and technology.

Capital Technology Group

James Bench has moved up to chief operating officer at the provider of enterprise architecture and application integration support, which he first joined in the spring of 2025 as chief delivery officer.

CTG has tasked Bench with overseeing day-to-day operations and execution efforts as it pushes to scale its presence across the federal market.

The two-decade market veteran joined CTG after stints at Maximus and its Veterans Evaluation Services subsidiary.

CesiumAstro

Robert Myhill, formerly the CIA’s deputy chief technology officer, has joined the defense and space communication systems developer as vice president of business development and government relations.

Myhill served in leadership roles at the CIA for 20 years prior to CesiumAstro, where he will oversee growth efforts in national security and lead engagement with key stakeholders.

His career at the CIA also included positions such as deputy comptroller, deputy director of congressional affairs and lead representative to U.S. Cyber Command.

Constellis

The risk management and mission support services provider has made a pair of additions to its C-level executive team four months after CEO Dan Gelston joined.

Brent Pugh is now chief financial officer following separate CFO stints at Red River Technology and CAE’s defense and security segment. The two-decade GovCon finance veteran also worked in the chief operating officer role at Red River.

Tarun Sondhi is now chief growth and technology officer after 25 years in other tech-focused leadership roles. He most recently led profit-and-loss functions for an Accenture cyber business and the founder of Shadow Labs.

The next episode of our WT 360 podcast coming Monday will feature Gelston, who explains the company’s approach for blending technology into its core service lines.

CSG Defense North America

David Jacobs has joined this arm of The Czechoslovak Group, a industrial-technological holding company, as president to lead its push for broader relationships across the defense ecosystem.

Jacobs will also oversee the long-term direction of CSG’s defense activities in North America and lead merger-and-acquisition activity.

The 15-year defense industry veteran most recently worked as vice president, corporate strategy and M&A at Northrop Grumman. In that role, he advised the CEO and board of directors on portfolio and enterprise strategy.

DCS Corp.

Rick Castiglia has joined the employee-owned technology and professional services provider as executive vice president, general counsel, chief ethics officer and corporate secretary after two decades at Cubic Corp.

Castiglia will oversee all legal matters for DCS, including advice to other executives and the board of directors, and lead ethics and corporate governance initiatives.

He most recently worked as general counsel for Cubic’s defense group and in private practice roles related to GovCon law.

Divergent

Ben Nicholson has joined the maker of digital engineering platforms as chief commercial officer, a role he brings three decades of experience to.

Nicholson will lead Divergent’s market expansion efforts and work to build relationships with customers, partners and government stakeholders. Divergent designs its production system to help industry clients with rapid design, additive manufacturing and automated assembly.

He most recently worked as chief business officer at Ursa Major. His career before that includes leadership roles at L3 Technologies, Honeywell and CAE.

Endurion

Justin Janasakie has joined the defense technology integrator as president and chief operating officer following its rebranding after the combination of Quiet Professionals and Spathe Systems back in the fall.

Endurion centers its strategy around priorities in the U.S. special operations community, including technology efforts and mission support requirements.

Janasakie is an 18-year industry veteran whose career includes executive roles at MAG Aerospace and SpecTIR. Endurion describes his background as including unmanned aircraft systems and other technologies for ISR – intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Firefly Aerospace

Nathan O’Konek has joined the space company as general counsel, a role he brings two decades of experience to.

O’Konek most recently worked as chief operating officer at Star Catcher Industries, a venture-backed company pushing to develop a power grid in space.

His career also includes roles at Redwire Space, Made In Space and Masten Space Systems.

Hanwha Defense USA

Stephen Adams has joined this subsidiary of the South Korea-headquartered conglomerate as senior vice president of finance, a role he brings three decades of experience to.

Hanwha Defense USA focuses a bulk of its strategy on shipbuilding and other related maritime efforts.

Adams most recently worked as chief financial officer at Austal USA. His career also includes roles at L3Harris Technologies and Elbit Systems of America.

HawkEye 360

Cory Peichel has moved up to senior vice president and general manager for the commercial satellite operator’s Innovative Signal Analysis business unit, which was acquired in December.

Peichel has been with the ISA organization since 2022 and is also a 17-year Raytheon veteran.

Peichel will report to Todd Probert, chief operating officer of HawkEye 360. The company also promoted staff engineer Mark Volpi to vice president and deputy general manager.

Metaphase

Katy Phelps has moved up to chief financial officer at the technology and professional services provider, which she first joined in 2020.

The 10-year GovCon and financial leadership veteran most recently worked as vice president of finance and accounting at Metaphase.

Her career also includes roles at Chemring Sensors and Electronic Systems, Octo and BAE Systems’ U.S. subsidiary.

North Rock

Ramsay Hassan has joined the technology and professional services provider as chief artificial intelligence officer, a role he brings 20 years of experience to.

Hassan will lead North Rock’s work on developing AI solutions and expanding that practice across federal and state government markets, plus commercial clients.

He most recently worked as chief executive at AIOM and is a veteran of Accenture’s U.S. federal subsidiary, Phase One and Lockheed Martin.

Quantum Space

Adarsh Parekh has joined the spacecraft maker as chief financial officer to help lead it through its public listing, which is anticipated for this year’s fourth quarter.

The 25-year finance veteran most recently worked in the CFO roles at Sidus Space and Terran Orbital. He helped lead Terran Orbital through its sale in 2024 to major investor Lockheed Martin.

Parekh started his career in investment banking at Lehman Brothers and later joined RRG Capital Management as a principal.

Red River

The digital transformation company has made one hire and promotion to the C-level executive team for its government unit, which now goes by the name of Invictus.

Red River acquired Invictus the company in December to build out a portfolio of cybersecurity research and other technology services.

Grant Schneider, the former federal chief information security officer, has joined as chief operating and programs officer for the Invictus unit. He most recently worked as chief executive of FGS.

Sean Papso has moved up to president and chief growth officer for Invictus, where he worked as chief operating officer prior to the Red River transaction. He is a 16-year industry veteran.

Sagewind Capital

Dalia Khanafseh has joined the private equity firm as a principal to work with its portfolio companies on their growth initiatives and strategies.

The 15-year industry veteran most recently worked as senior vice president of transformation at Astrion, where she led two large-scale integration efforts. This included Astrion’s purchase of Axient, a Sagewind-owned company, in the summer of 2024.

Khanafseh’s also includes leadership roles at Appian and LMI. Sagewind currently owns By Light, Sabel Systems, Sigma Defense, Tria Federal and Voyatek.

Science Applications International Corp.

John Wagner has joined as senior vice president of enterprise growth for the Air Force, space and intelligence business group after three decades across the industry.

Wagner most recently worked as VP of strategy and business development at Sierra Space.

His career also includes roles at Raytheon and Sierra Nevada Corp., the parent company of Sierra Space.

Sierra Space

Jill Pomeroy has joined the defense- and national security-oriented tech company as senior vice president of government relations, a role she brings 25 years of experience to.

Sierra Space has tasked her with being its lead policy advocate and working with leaders at the federal, state and local levels of government. This includes dialogue with Congress, the Pentagon, intelligence community and NASA.

Pomeroy most recently worked as senior director of government relations at Northrop Grumman’s space sector. Her career also includes roles at Ball Aerospace, DigitalGlobe and Harris Corp.

Voyager Technologies

Johnathon has joined the space company as chief information officer after six years at Leidos, where he worked in tech leadership roles focused on health care and defense IT modernization.

“The opportunity to serve as CIO and help shape the technology strategy of a company at the forefront of space exploration, space infrastructure, and national security is incredibly compelling,” Brett wrote in a LinkedIn post on his new role.

His career prior to Leidos includes positions at NewWave Telecom & Technologies and Fidelity & Guaranty Life.

AeroVironment

William “Bill” Lynn, the former Leonardo DRS CEO, has joined the board of directors at this fellow defense technology company less than a year after his retirement from that chief executive post.

Lynn led Leonardo DRS from 2012 until early this year in a tenure that involved a major operational transformation and return to the U.S. public markets in 2022.

He served as deputy defense secretary from 2009 to 2011. AeroVironment’s board grows from nine members to 10 with its addition of Lynn.

BAE Systems Inc.

Derek Kilmer, formerly a six-term representative for Washington’s sixth congressional district, has joined the board of directors at this subsidiary of the U.K.-headquartered defense company.

Kilmer’s tenure in Congress includes service on the Appropriations, Armed Services and Science committees. He also chaired the Committee on the Modernization of Congress.

He currently is senior vice president of U.S. program and policy at The Rockefeller Foundation.

Fortinet

Derek Kan, a former deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, has joined the board of directors at this cybersecurity company.

Kan’s career in government also includes service as transportation undersecretary. He currently is vice chairman of the U.S. Postal Service’s board of governors.

He most recently worked as an executive to Shopify, which he joined in 2022 following its acquisition of his company Deliverr for $2.4 billion.

Qohash

George Hoyem, a former In-Q-Tel investment manager, has joined the board of directors at this cyber company that focuses on what it calls “zero copy data security.”

Qohash designs its software to continuously identify and enforce data risk controls without moving or copying data.

Hoyem led investment activity at the CIA’s venture arm In-Q-Tel for 15 years before his departure in June 2025. He is currently a growth partner at Intrepid Growth Partners, venture partner at Lavrock Ventures and a member of the investment committee for Kensington Capital Partners.