Naomi Cooper
Nazzic Keene, CEO and a board member of Science Applications International Corp., is retiring on Oct. 2 after a decade of service at the Reston, Virginia-headquartered company.
Toni Townes-Whitley, a 35-year global technology veteran, has been selected to succeed Keene, who will transition to the role of special executive adviser to the company through Feb. 2, 2024, SAIC said Thursday.
Townes-Whitley will join the company as CEO-elect on June 12 to help ensure a smooth transition.
Keene, a six-time Wash100 awardee, joined SAIC in 2012 and held various roles of increasing responsibility, including chief operating officer and president of the global markets and missions sector and senior vice president for corporate strategy. She took the company helm in August 2019.
“We thank Nazzic for her tremendous contributions and dedication to SAIC, which resulted in greater opportunities for our employees, improved outcomes for our customers and increased value for our shareholders,” said Donna Morea, chair of the board at SAIC.
Townes-Whitley’s career includes time serving as president of U.S. Regulated Industries at Microsoft, where she oversaw sales strategy to spur digital transformation across the public sector and regulated commercial industries.
“Toni is an innovative and collaborative leader whose success in digital transformation and leading-edge technology integration makes her our clear choice to lead SAIC’s next chapter,” Morea said.
