An Evening with the Air Force CIO
We hosted an evening with the outgoing Air Force CIO, Lauren Knausenberger ahead of her final day at the Air Force to honor and celebrate the impact she has made on defense IT, from championing software factories to implementing zero trust. We held a live podcast recording with Ms. Knausenberger which shares unique insights from her six years at the Air Force and advice for young women professionals interested in national security and defense tech careers. Listen on our GovCast.
Lauren Knausenberger
CIO, Department of the Air Force
Lauren Knausenberger is CIO for the Department of the Air Force. Knausenberger leads three directorates: Enterprise Information Technology, Data and Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. She supports 20,000 cyber operations and support personnel around the globe with a portfolio valued at $17 billion and provides oversight of the Air Force’s IT investment strategy. She also integrates warfighting and mission support capabilities by networking and securing air, space and terrestrial assets.
Knausenberger joined the Air Force in 2017 as chief transformation officer and director of cyberspace innovation to drive innovation across the Defense Department, speed adoption of emerging technologies, and create stronger partnerships between DOD, startups and the venture community. Prior to that, she held a number of roles in the private sector including at American Management Systems, CACI and most recently as founder and president of Accellint Inc., a consulting firm and venture partner with NextGen Angels. Accellint specialized in solving national security problems and investing in commercial technologies that could be applied to a government mission.
Woman Tech Leader of the Year
The Flywheel Award recognizes individuals in federal government who, just like the flywheel in an engine, keep the momentum going in doing great innovation and work. These awards embody what it means to be a transformer in government technology.
The Woman Tech Leader of the Year goes above and beyond to deliver on big-picture initiatives, either by launching new government programs or services, improving existing programs, or transforming internal work culture to improve internal processes or foster new leaders. This leader is considered a role model for up-and-coming women tech leaders and carrying this honor brings no surprises to anyone.
Knausenberger has been instrumental in much of the innovations seen out of the Air Force over the past year alone. Her efforts have been key to more cloud computing and improving UX for a $17 billion tech portfolio. Her influence has been felt outside of the Air Force’s barrier and across the entire government landscape to influence areas such as zero trust, DevSecOps and processing data in theater.
