CACI’s DeEtte Gray Earns 10th Wash100 Award for Championing Growth & Workforce Development
For the 10th time, DeEtte Gray has been named a 2026 Wash100 Award winner by Executive Mosaic, a milestone that places her among the most enduring and influential leaders in the GovCon industry. As president of U.S. operations at CACI International, Gray has become synonymous with disciplined execution at scale, technology-forward modernization and a leadership brand that blends operational rigor with advocacy for talent.
Her latest Wash100 recognition underscores not only a year of notable achievements, but also a career-long record of impact across defense, intelligence and federal civilian missions.
Support DeEtte Gray by taking part in the 2026 Wash100 Award’s Popular Vote Competition and selecting her as one of your favorites.
“DeEtte’s selection as a 2026 Wash100 Award winner is a wonderful reflection of the vision, drive and steady leadership she brings to GovCon every day. Over the past year, DeEtte and CEO and fellow Wash100 awardee John Mengucci have guided CACI to major contract wins supporting some of the nation’s most important defense, intelligence and civilian missions, including a significant DHS IT services award,” said Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the Wash100 Award.
“DeEtte in 2025 also advanced strategic mergers and acquisitions, including the acquisition of ARKA Group, that expanded the company’s technical depth and market reach. Her steady focus on innovation, operational excellence and customer mission success continues to elevate CACI’s role across the federal landscape and sets a powerful standard for the industry,” added Garrettson.
Who Is DeEtte Gray?
Transitioning to Technology
Gray’s leadership journey is often described as unconventional—and that narrative has become central to her professional identity. She began her career as a math and science teacher, but took an interest in coding. From education, she transitioned into information technology, becoming a software developer.
Before joining CACI, Gray held senior leadership roles at major defense contractors including Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems, where she gained deep experience managing complex national security portfolios and large technical workforces. Those roles prepared her for the scope and scale of responsibility she would assume at CACI, a company with a strong footprint across defense, intelligence and federal IT missions.
Gray joined CACI in 2017, initially serving as president of U.S. operations. In 2019, she was named president of the company’s Business & IT Solutions sector, further expanding her influence over growth strategy and technology investment. In July 2024, she returned to the role of president of U.S. operations.
Leading CACI’s Operational Engine
In her current role, Gray oversees more than 20,000 employees and is responsible for strategic planning, customer execution, market expansion and investment in emerging technologies across CACI’s U.S. business. Her leadership emphasizes how CACI delivers mission-critical capabilities to federal customers, translating strategy into operational performance.
Gray is a technology-forward operating leader—someone who ensures that innovation is not confined to research labs, but deployed at speed in real-world mission environments. That positioning aligns with CACI’s broader emphasis on rapid modernization, digital engineering and data-driven decision-making across defense and intelligence domains.
Advancing Government & Industry Priorities
Gray’s influence extends beyond internal operations to shaping how industry partners with government customers. She has been closely associated with initiatives that support defense technology modernization, particularly in areas such as electronic warfare, space communications and resilient architectures. These focus areas reflect broader Department of War priorities and underscore CACI’s role as a trusted mission partner.
At the same time, Gray is widely recognized for her advocacy around workforce development. She has also demonstrated her commitment to advancing women in technology and building inclusive talent pipelines—an emphasis rooted in her early career as an educator and reinforced through her executive platform.
This dual focus on mission outcomes and people development has become a defining element of Gray’s leadership brand, one that resonates strongly within both government and industry circles.
What Recent Contracts Did CACI Secure Under DeEtte Gray’s Leadership?
2025 was marked by major contract wins for CACI’s U.S. operations led by Gray. One such win was a $143 million Navy delivery order awarded under the $1.2 billion Spectral indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract. The order supports spectral enabling kits tied to the Navy’s Shipboard Information Warfare Exploit system, enhancing electronic warfare capabilities across the fleet.
The company also secured a significant deal in the space domain, in which it was selected alongside General Atomics and Viasat to develop Enterprise Space Terminal Phase 2 prototype laser communications terminals. The awards, issued by Space Systems Command under a Space Enterprise Consortium other transaction agreement, are designed to advance resilient, interoperable on-orbit communications architectures. The program is a critical step in enabling crosslink compatibility and operational resilience for future Space Force missions.
Strategic Growth Through Acquisition
Late 2025 also brought one of the most consequential strategic moves in CACI’s history: the announcement of an all-cash, $2.6 billion acquisition of ARKA Group. The deal is intended to expand CACI’s capabilities in space-based sensing and actionable intelligence, with the deal expected to close in fiscal year 2026 pending regulatory approvals.
The integration of ARKA’s workforce, programs and technology portfolio squarely aligns with Gray’s responsibilities over U.S. operations. Since growth, customer execution and technology investment fall directly within her operational scope, her role is critical to realizing the acquisition’s strategic value.
The ARKA transaction falls within a broader acquisition throughline that includes the earlier purchase of Azure Summit Technology and the Applied Insight acquisition, signaling a sustained portfolio shift toward high-end national security technology.
What Recognitions Has DeEtte Gray Earned?
Gray’s 2025 Wash100 Award marks her 10th time receiving the honor, a distinction that reflects both longevity and sustained relevance in the GovCon market. She is part of only a handful of government and industry leaders who have been named to the prestigious list 10 times or more.
Beyond Wash100, Gray’s leadership has earned her numerous other accolades, including the AFCEA Women’s Appreciation Award 2022. The award celebrates AFCEA members of all genders who demonstrate exceptional commitment to advancing women’s careers and supporting the association.
AFCEA recognized Gray as a respected businesswoman and strategic leader with a strong track record of cultivating customer relationships and promoting a culture rooted in inclusion, teamwork and innovation. She is the executive champion of CACI’s Black employee resource group, an active member of the Women employee resource group and a dedicated mentor within the company.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Gray and the CACI team on receiving the 2026 Wash100 Award and looks forward to the continued impact of her leadership on the company’s future.
Click here to cast your vote for Gray in the 2026 Wash100 Popular Vote Competition.