Mark Peters, president and CEO of MITRE, has received the 2026 Wash100 Award in recognition of his leadership in driving artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and systems engineering innovation across federally funded research and development centers supporting national security missions.
Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the Wash100 Award, presented the honor to Peters during the Potomac Officers Club’s GovCon Executive Leadership Summit, where the MITRE executive served as a panelist.
Why Did Mark Peters Win the 2026 Wash100 Award?
Peters earned his second consecutive Wash100 Award for strengthening MITRE’s role in supporting government modernization initiatives and advancing the adoption of secure artificial intelligence, cyber defense capabilities and cross-domain systems engineering.
“Mark’s second-consecutive selection as a Wash100 Award winner is a wonderful reflection of the steady, mission-first leadership he brings to the GovCon community,” said Garrettson. “As president and CEO of MITRE, Mark has a rare ability to bring people together across government and industry to tackle some of the nation’s most complex challenges, as demonstrated in the company’s impressive sole-source contract to continue supporting the Air Force’s National Security Engineering Center.”
“MITRE, as a federally-funded research and development center, is one of GovCon’s largest firms focused on intellectual property, technology, and strategy with more than 60 sites worldwide and around 10,000 employees. Mark has also led an ambitious expansion of its Tysons facility,” he added. “MITRE is a significant role and Mark has navigated it through many industry changes with seasoned leadership. His guidance is both trusted and influential, and this recognition highlights the lasting difference he’s making across federal technology and national security.”
Commenting on the award, Peters emphasized MITRE’s mission-driven approach to innovation.
“The Wash100 represents the very best of leadership and mission impact, and it’s a privilege to be recognized alongside leaders whose work is shaping the future. At MITRE, our role is to translate innovation into trusted, scalable outcomes — through systems engineering, applied research, and advanced technology solutions — in service to our nation,” Peters said.
Under Peters’ leadership, MITRE continues to release several influential analyses aimed at accelerating innovation adoption across the Department of War and other federal agencies.
A report in August outlined strategies to help defense organizations speed technology integration by identifying mission gaps, leveraging flexible acquisition pathways and expanding the use of commercial capabilities. A separate analysis published in September highlighted the need for deeper warfighter participation in the acquisition process, recommending the development of uniformed technologists and broader use of agile practices to align technology development with operational needs.
MITRE also examined ways agencies can better use publicly available and commercially sourced data in an April 2025 study to address procurement barriers, privacy considerations and integration challenges that affect data-driven decision-making.
In addition to analyses, the organization provides cybersecurity guidance. In December, MITRE expanded its D3FEND framework to cover operational technology environments, extending its ontology to strengthen protections for industrial control systems and other cyber-physical infrastructure essential to national security.
MITRE also secured contracts, including a $584 million follow-on award from the U.S. Air Force to continue operating the National Security Engineering Center, and expanded collaboration with government and industry partners to advance emerging technologies in 2025.
The organization worked with NVIDIA and other technology companies to explore secure, interoperable AI-enabled 6G networks and deepen international cooperation on next-generation communications capabilities.
Who Is Mark Peters?
Peters is a veteran science and technology executive with more than two decades of experience leading major research institutions that support U.S. energy, defense and national security missions.
Prior to becoming president and CEO of MITRE in 2024, he held senior leadership roles at Battelle Memorial Institute, where he served as executive vice president for laboratory management and operations. In that role, he oversaw governance responsibilities for multiple national laboratories under the Departments of Energy and Homeland Security.
Earlier in his career, Peters led Idaho National Laboratory as director and served as president of Battelle Energy Alliance. He also spent several years at Argonne National Laboratory as associate laboratory director for Energy and Global Security and held research and leadership positions at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Peters’ contributions to science, engineering and national security have earned broad recognition across the research community. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Nuclear Society. He also previously served as chair of the National Laboratory Directors’ Council.
What Is the Wash100 Award?
Established in 2014, the Wash100 Award highlights 100 leaders each year who are driving progress across the government and government contracting community.
Recipients are chosen for their leadership, forward-looking strategies, measurable contributions to federal missions and expected influence on the GovCon landscape in the coming year.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Peters and the entire MITRE team on this recognition.
Vote for Mark Peters in the 2026 Wash100 popular vote competition by visiting Wash100.com.
