Northern Virginia Technology Council chooses acting CEO

Brad Schwartz to take interim position following Bobbie Kilberg's June 30 retirement

Published June 24, 2020 by Sydney Lake

The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) announced Wednesday that Brad Schwartz will serve as its acting president and CEO starting July 1. He succeeds Bobbie Kilberg, who announced her June 30 retirement in October 2019 after 22 years at the helm of the membership and trade association for the region’s tech industry.

An NVTC board member, Schwartz is the former president and CEO of Blue Canopy, a Reston-based big data analytics and cybersecurity company. He also worked with other major tech firms, including BearingPoint, as group executive vice president and chief operating officer, and as regional vice president at Oracle Corp. 

During Kilberg’s leadership at NVTC, the association grew to represent approximately 1,000 Northern Virginia tech firms, representing more than 350,000 employees.

After Schwartz takes the reins, Kilberg will assist NVTC as president and CEO emeritus, as well as strategic adviser during the leadership transition. A longtime Republican White House appointee, she worked in the Nixon and Ford administrations and served as director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs under President George H.W. Bush. She also was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

“I have full confidence in Brad Schwartz’s leadership, experience, and ability to serve as acting president and CEO,” Kilberg said in a statement. “As an active board and executive committee member, Brad is already well-versed in NVTC’s strategic and operational goals and is very knowledgeable about the community that we serve.”  

“As one of the largest technology councils in the nation, there is a tremendous opportunity for NVTC to continue to advance its mission, supporting our ever-growing community and embracing emerging and new technologies,” Schwartz said in a statement. “In this interim period, I plan to focus our resources on driving growth and stability, while building a strategy that will take NVTC into its next phase. I’m excited about my new role and look forward to working closely with the chairman’s council in the search for NVTC’s permanent successor.”

Los Angeles-based management consulting firm Korn Ferry continues to search for a permanent president and CEO to run the organization. A chairman’s council has also formed to assist leadership during the transition. The chairman’s council includes:

• Richard Montoni, current chairman of the board, will become chair emeritus
• Greg Baroni, current vice chairman of the board, will become chairman of the board
• Bobbie Kilberg, current president and CEO, will become president and CEO emeritus and strategic adviser
• Brad Schwartz, current board and executive committee member, will become acting president and CEO
• Christine Kallivokas, will remain as NVTC chief operating officer

“On behalf of the board of directors, we thank Bobbie for her outstanding leadership and commitment to NVTC and to the broader business community,” Baroni said in a statement. “A tireless and innovative leader, Bobbie has been one of the pioneers in growing the Northern Virginia technology community and has been instrumental in leading the region through many important milestones, including, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.”

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