Federal Contractors/Technology: THEODORE ‘TED’ COLBERT III

Colbert has led Boeing’s defense division since April, after taking over from Leanne Caret, who is retiring this year. He’s worn several hats since joining the world’s third largest defense contractor in 2009, most recently serving as president and CEO of its global services, leading aerospace services development and delivery for commercial, government and industry clients. Before joining Boeing, Colbert was senior vice president of enterprise architecture at Citigroup.

In May, Boeing announced it was moving its global headquarters from Chicago to Arlington, developing a research and technology hub here.

A graduate of Georgia Tech and Morehouse College, Colbert’s list of accolades is long. In 2022, he was named Engineer of the Year by the Black Engineer of the Year Awards and in 2021 received a Capital CIO of the Year ORBIE leadership award. He’s also been named among the most influential Black corporate directors by Savoy magazine in 2021 and 2020. He is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, board chair for New Leaders, and serves on the advisory board of Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus. In 2021, he joined the board of food processing giant Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., or ADM.