Dawn Zimmer, chief information officer at the Department of Energy, has accepted the 2026 Wash100 Award, recognizing her leadership in advancing enterprise IT modernization, strengthening cybersecurity governance and driving secure artificial intelligence adoption across the DOE enterprise.
Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the Wash100 Award, presented the honor to Zimmer during a visit to the DOE office, where members of her team were in attendance.
“I am honored to accept the Wash100 Award and to be recognized alongside leaders driving innovation across government and industry,” Zimmer said. “The Department of Energy mission touches everything from national security to scientific discovery and the energy that powers our economy. Energy enables everything – and increasingly that mission runs on technology. Our job as CIOs is to make sure that digital foundation is secure, resilient, and ready for whatever the mission demands.”
Now that the Wash100 class of 2026 has been announced, the popular vote is underway. Support Zimmer and your other GovCon favorites before voting wraps up on April 30!
Why Did Dawn Zimmer Win the 2026 Wash100 Award?
Zimmer earned the 2026 Wash100 Award for providing strategic leadership during a pivotal period for DOE as it advances enterprise IT modernization, cybersecurity coordination and the responsible adoption of AI tools.
Zimmer highlighted several technology milestones achieved during fiscal year 2025, including the rollout of Joulix, DOE’s enterprise AI platform. The deployment expanded access to more than 16,000 users across over 80 organizations and delivered measurable efficiencies through cost savings and reduced workforce hours. DOE also launched Quanta, a data integration platform designed to accelerate grid analytics and facilitate real-time data analysis.
Her leadership also comes as the department accelerates broader AI and high-performance computing initiatives. DOE released its AI Strategy and Compliance Plan and published a departmentwide AI Use Case Inventory cataloging applications across program offices and national laboratories. The department is also advancing the Genesis Mission, a national initiative aimed at using AI to accelerate scientific discovery and strengthen U.S. leadership in research and innovation.
“CIO Zimmer’s first Wash100 Award is an exciting and well-deserved recognition of the leadership and energy she brings to the Department of Energy. From day one, Dawn has stood out for her work providing essential technological services to critical federal agencies in dynamic work environments,” Garrettson said.
“CIO Zimmer has demonstrated a collaborative spirit and delivering meaningful mission results during her long federal career. She combines strategic insight with a genuine focus on people and progress,” the Executive Mosaic CEO added.
Who Is Dawn Zimmer?
Dawn Zimmer is a government technology leader with more than 25 years of experience advancing enterprise IT, cybersecurity and digital modernization across federal agencies, academia and the private sector.
She currently serves as CIO at DOE, a role she assumed in November 2025.
Prior to DOE, Zimmer was the executive director of IT engagement and experience at Virginia Tech. She also held senior leadership positions at the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Justice, where she helped drive cyber resilience and enterprise IT modernization initiatives.
What Is the Wash100 Award?
Launched in 2014, the Wash100 Award recognizes executives and officials who are making a significant impact across the government contracting sector. Honorees are chosen through a competitive evaluation that considers their leadership, strategic influence and contributions to innovation within government and industry.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Dawn Zimmer and the entire DOE Office of the CIO on this Wash100 recognition.
Vote for Zimmer in the 2026 Wash100 Popular Vote Contest!
