Rocio Bauer’s profile over at WashingtonExec is worth your time if you’re thinking about what mission-first leadership looks like when technology and uniformed service intersect. She’s spent her career translating operational requirements into capability—first in uniform, now as a senior technologist supporting the Army. That arc matters more than most résumés suggest.
When I map the market for clients hiring at the VP and C-suite level, I’m often asked to surface candidates who understand both the mission and the technology stack. That’s harder than it sounds. You can teach someone AWS or zero trust architecture, but you can’t teach them what it feels like to serve or why speed to capability isn’t the same thing as speed to contract. Bauer’s background is a reminder that the best hires often come from outside the usual channels—people who’ve done the job, not just sold to it.
If you’re building or rebuilding a team that needs to operate at the intersection of defense mission and commercial technology, don’t default to the same search every time. The talent is out there, but it won’t always look like the last person who held the role.