Toni Townes-Whitley, chief executive officer at technology services giant SAIC, said today that the government technology sector is now squarely positioned at an intersection that is critical to the future of the United States and its ability to meet threats and improve citizen services.
Speaking during a keynote session at today’s SAIC OutFront conference located in Arlington, Va. – produced by MeriTalk and themed around supercharging mission innovation – Townes-Whitley said, “we are living through these just amazing moments, and right now, the challenge is real,” including in a variety of major industry sectors such as finance, healthcare, utilities and energy, and education.
“As an industry, we sit at an intersection that’s critical to the planet,” the CEO said, adding that “many do not understand what we do every day and what we’re trying to drive.”
“When I think about the challenges facing our defense, civilian, and intelligence sectors right now, the threat challenges – even the challenges in citizen service in terms of citizens trusting their government and how low that bar is in some areas,” Townes-Whitley said that effectively dealing with those challenges hinges in part on boosting the pace of tech development and deployment to meet them.
“This is about moving from linear to exponential, and I will tell you it’s a pacing conversation that we just can’t keep moving at the pace we are,” she said.
“The adversaries that we are addressing are not moving at the pace we’re moving,” she said, adding, “in fact, they’re outpacing in some areas.”
“We’re facing adversaries like we have never faced before that are not only technological adversaries, and military adversaries, they’re economic and political adversaries,” Townes-Whitley continued.
“And I say this from having worked across almost every regulated industry over the last 30 years, that this time is unique, and this mission is critical, and we play a very critical role, and it’s a pretty somber moment to be fully open with you and transparent,” she said.
“The stakes couldn’t be higher,” Townes-Whitley said, adding, “innovation isn’t a choice at this point.”
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