Former Cubic Chairman Mac Curtis Lands 9th Wash100, Lifetime Achievement Award
Executive Mosaic is honored to acknowledge Mac Curtis, most recently chairman of the board at defense and transportation company Cubic, as a recipient of the 2025 Wash100 Award and Lifetime Achievement Award.
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This marks the ninth time that Mac Curtis has been selected to Executive Mosaic’s annual list of the top 100 leaders from the government and industry, recognizing his leadership in driving strategic growth and innovation in mission-critical technologies in support of government customers’ missions.
“Few leaders have left as lasting a mark on GovCon as Mac Curtis. A nine-time Wash100 winner and now a lifetime achievement honoree, Mac has been a C-suite and boardroom fixture for 25 years, guiding companies through transformational growth, high-stakes acquisitions and industry-defining deals,” said Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the Wash100 Award.
“Most recently chairman of the board at Cubic Corporation, he previously held the same role at Perspecta and has been a trusted senior advisor to many of the sector’s most critical organizations. Mac’s leadership, strategic foresight and deep industry expertise have shaped GovCon in immeasurable ways—and while he may be taking a deserved step back (for now), his impact will be felt for years to come,” Garrettson added.
Leadership Transition at Cubic
In mid-March, Cubic President and CEO Stevan Slijepcevic assumed additional responsibilities as chairman of the board following Curtis’s retirement.
“I want to sincerely thank Mac for his guidance and dedication to Cubic. His leadership and foresight have been instrumental in positioning the company for long-term success,” said Slijepcevic, a two-time Wash100 awardee.
Curtis said he was honored to serve as Cubic’s chairman and work with the company’s talented team.
“I have full confidence in Steve’s ability to lead Cubic into its next chapter. His vision, experience, and commitment to innovation make him the right leader to continue driving the company forward,” he added.
Cubic’s Notable Contract Wins
With Curtis as chairman, Cubic won several U.S. military and federal government contracts in the past year.
In early 2024, Cubic’s defense arm secured a contract from Naval Air Systems Command, or NAVAIR, to maintain, upgrade and support the deployment of a full motion video system, called KnightLink, for the service branch’s MH-60 Sierra helicopter fleet.
NAVAIR also awarded Cubic Defense a contract modification to support a demonstration in Guam by providing the force with the company’s Secure Live Virtual and Constructive Advanced Training Environment, or SLATE, technology.
In addition to the Navy, the U.S. Air Force selected Cubic for an initial production order for the encrypted Air Combat Maneuvering system to help improve the service’s operational readiness.
Cubic also supports the F-35 program. The company kicked off 2025 with a contract from Lockheed to provide P5 Internal Subsystems, or P5 IS, for the fighter aircraft.
P5 is designed to deliver encrypted, real-time data to facilitate realistic adversary threat replication and training scenario augmentation.
The company is also working with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on the Air Combat Evolution program, which uses a modified F-16 equipped with autonomous artificial intelligence control known as the X-62A or Variable In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft.
Recent Accolades
In November 2024, the Professional Services Council and NVC inducted Curtis into the 2024 LaFleur-Chason Hall of Fame.
When asked about his views on the future of GovCon, he said there is a partnership between government clients and industry “that is critical to drive mission success.”
“From delivering student financial aid, building systems for more efficient Medicare and Medicaid delivery, to protecting the homeland. We are inextricably linked to serve our citizens. It’s a very competitive and regulated market that should award contracts based on innovation, efficiency and ensuring the best value to the customer. And that is a recipe that drives innovation leading to growth,” Curtis stated.
His efforts to drive innovation and commitment to veteran service were also highlighted at the 22nd Annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards.
A Visionary Leader With Growth-Oriented Mindset
Curtis has over three decades of senior leadership experience in federal government contracting.
In January 2022, Curtis was announced board chairman at Cubic, a San Diego-based manufacturer of defense systems and public transportation equipment. He joined the privately held company following its acquisition by Veritas Capital and Evergreen Coast Capital in May 2021.
This visionary leader is known for his eye for mergers and acquisitions as well as his business development, management and strategic planning skills. He acknowledges the key role of employees in advancing the missions of government clients.
During his more than a decade career as CEO, Curtis led over 25 acquisitions worth more than $8.5 billion combined.
From June 2018 through May 2021, Curtis was chairman and CEO of Perspecta, a company he helped transform into a $7.1 billion publicly traded government IT services entity. He helped establish Perspecta, now part of Peraton, through a merger involving DXC Technology’s public sector business, KeyPoint Government Solutions and Vencore.
In 2021, Veritas Capital acquired Perspecta and merged it with Peraton to establish a new organization focused on delivering enterprise IT and mission capability integration support services to federal, state and local government agencies.
His earlier executive positions include CEO of Vencore, senior adviser at Veritas Capital and president and chief executive of Vangent. The results-oriented executive also held senior leadership roles at Pearson Government Solutions and DynCorp International.
The Virginia Military Institute civil engineering graduate serves on several boards. In September 2024, the 2025 Wash100 awardee was appointed by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin to serve a four-year term on the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority’s board of directors.
Venture Fellow at Blue Delta Capital Partners
Curtis has been a venture fellow at venture capital firm Blue Delta Capital Partners since October 2021.
In this capacity, he explores new investment opportunities, assimilates talent and helps portfolio companies scale up through organic growth and tuck-in acquisitions.
“Mac is a well-established market leading CEO in Government Services, including managing two of the most transformative deals in the industry in the past decade, and we are thrilled to have him on our team,” Phil Nolan, a general partner at Blue Delta, said at a time of Curtis’ appointment.
Curtis’ career reflects his commitment to driving financial growth while forging key relationships and trust with customers and industry partners and focusing on the mission. His visionary mindset and hands-on leadership approach in the GovCon industry continue to advance innovation meant to address complex challenges facing customers.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Mac Curtis for his selection as a Lifetime Achievement Awardee and for his addition to the 2025 class of the Wash100 Award.
Show your support for Mac Curtis at Wash100.com!