Toni Townes-Whitley

Toni Townes-Whitley is a global technology professional, known for being one of two Black female Fortune 500 CEOs. She has received various awards throughout her tenure to include "Woman of the Year" for her impact on the community. She is currently the CEO of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC).

## Early life and education

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Townes-Whitley was born in Fort Moore, Georgia. Her father, a retired three star Army General, worked as comptroller.[1] Townes-Whitley earned her bachelor’s degree in public policy and economics from Princeton University. She continues to serve as Director and Trustee for organizations including, Nasdaq, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Princeton University Faith and Work Initiative and Partnership for Public Service.[2]

## Career

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Townes-Whitley is the CEO of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a technology company based in Reston, Virginia.[3] SAIC specializes in providing engineering, digital, and artificial intelligence solutions primarily for government agencies, including national defense and space entities such as the United States Army, Navy, and Space Force, as well as various branches of the federal government.[4]

Before becoming CEO at SAIC, Townes-Whitley was the president of U.S. regulated industries at Microsoft.[1] During her time at Microsoft, she led initiatives focused on corporate responsibility. Her goal was to reduce the company's carbon footprint and establish an ethics framework for artificial intelligence. She also worked to promote gender diversity and support women seeking corporate board roles within the company.[4] One of her notable contributions during this time includes successfully securing a $10 billion cloud-computing contract with the Pentagon in late 2019.[5] Before joining Microsoft, she briefly served as president of CGI Federal, a government IT consulting firm.[5]

## References

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1. ^ a b Mehta, Stephanie (October 2, 2023). "An exclusive conversation with Toni Townes-Whitley, one of only two Black women running a Fortune 500 company". Fast Company. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
2. ^ "SAIC Announces CEO Transition". www.businesswire.com. 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
3. ^ Hinchliffe, Emma; Abrams, Joseph (2023-10-03). "The Fortune 500 adds a second Black woman CEO in SAIC's Toni Townes-Whitley". Fortune. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
4. ^ a b Camero, Katie (2024-02-29). "Toni Townes-Whitley says don't celebrate that she is one of two Black female Fortune 500 CEOs". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
5. ^ a b Stewart, Ashley. "Meet the exec behind Microsoft's $10 billion JEDI Pentagon cloud contract win and its efforts to woo industries like healthcare, finance, and government". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-04-12.