MANTECH CEO Matt Tait Named 2026 Wash100 Awardee for Contract Wins, Strategic Growth
Executive Mosaic is honored to announce the addition of Matt Tait, president and CEO of defense contracting company MANTECH, to the 2026 class of the Wash100 Award. The accolade is presented annually to 100 company and government leaders who demonstrate influence and impact across the government contracting landscape.
This year marks Tait’s fourth consecutive Wash100 Award.
Vote for Matt Tait as your favorite GovCon industry leader by participating in the 2026 Wash100 Popular Vote Competition.
“Matt’s fourth consecutive Wash100 Award is a tremendous testament to the kind of steady, forward-looking leadership he brings to GovCon year after year. In 2025, under his guidance, ManTech captured major contract wins—including significant work supporting U.S. Southern Command and a landmark cybersecurity award with NOAA—showcasing both mission strength and innovative execution,” said Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the Wash100 Award.
“Matt has a clear ability to pair strategic growth with real impact for national security customers, and his continued success truly represents the Wash100 standard of influence, excellence and industry leadership,” Garrettson added.
This recognition underscores Tait’s role in steering MANTECH’S strategic growth, major government contract wins and technological leadership across national security and civilian markets.
What Contracts Did MANTECH Win in 2025 Under Tait’s Leadership?
Under Tait’s leadership, MANTECH secured multiple government contracts in 2025 that expanded the company’s work in cybersecurity, enterprise IT services and mission-critical support for federal agencies.
In September, MANTECH won a potential seven-year, $910 million task order from the General Services Administration to support U.S. Southern Command with enterprise-level cyber operations, network architecture and IT infrastructure services.
“Always advancing the capabilities of our warfighters and delivering the all-important edge in combat, MANTECH advances our clients’ missions and national security,” said Tait. “We are proud to support SOUTHCOM in meeting this essential objective.”
The company also secured a potential $199 million contract from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide support for the NOAA Cyber Security Center to improve its capability in providing security operations center as a service for its partners.
What Are MANTECH’s Recent Strategic Partnerships & Acquisitions?
Cloud & AI Enablement for Public Sector Missions
With Tait at the helm, MANTECH has advanced its technology strategy through partnerships with major cloud and AI providers to support secure public-sector use cases. The company adopted Google Cloud AI tools, including Vertex AI and Gemini models, within a controlled unclassified information environment to enable AI-driven data analysis and automation for government customers. MANTECH also partnered with Oracle to deliver AI and cloud offerings that support federal IT modernization efforts.
In December, MANTECH further expanded its cloud and AI footprint by listing its cloud engineering, data and AI services in the AWS Intelligence Community Marketplace, providing agencies with access to mission-critical capabilities designed for classified and sensitive environments.
In the defense sector, the company collaborated with Lockheed Martin to integrate AI-based sustainment platforms into the U.S. combat aircraft fleet, supporting predictive maintenance, performance monitoring and logistics operations.
Acquisition of Elder Research
As part of MANTECH’s broader growth strategy, the company also expanded its data science and artificial intelligence capabilities for government and commercial customers through the acquisition of Elder Research in December.
Tait said the two companies will advance their combined capabilities to drive return on investment and expand career opportunities for employees.
“MANTECH has been at the forefront of AI for more than a decade, and we are thrilled to add Elder Research’s world-class team, differentiated data and AI capabilities, 30 years of applied past performance and client-first culture to our own,” he added.
Who Is Matt Tait?
As president and CEO of MANTECH, Tait oversees a global workforce of 8,700 employees focused on delivering innovative platforms in support of homeland and national security missions.
In 2018, he joined MANTECH as chief operating officer and helped expand the company’s intelligence, defense and federal civilian portfolios.
The U.S. Navy veteran spent two decades at Accenture, where he led IT transformation initiatives across federal civilian, defense and intelligence sectors.
Tait also serves as vice chairman of the board for the Operation Renewed Hope Foundation, supporting efforts to end veteran homelessness.
Leadership Driving Sustained Impact Across GovCon
Tait’s selection as a 2026 Wash100 Award recipient highlights his leadership in securing major federal contracts, advancing strategic initiatives in cybersecurity and AI, and driving organizational excellence at MANTECH. Through expanded capabilities and a forward-leaning strategic agenda, the company continues to deepen its impact across defense, civilian and national security missions under his stewardship.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Matt Tait and the entire MANTECH organization for their fantastic year and fourth Wash100 win.
Show your support for Tait at Wash100.com!