Arlington government contractor names chairman

Former Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work will chair Govini's board

Published June 2, 2020 by Sydney Lake

Hon. Robert O. Work. Photo courtesy Govini

Arlington-based federal contractor Govini announced Monday that former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work has been elected as chairman of its board of directors.

Work served as the 32nd deputy defense secretary from 2014 to 2017. He was under secretary of the Navy, the service’s second-highest ranking civilian position, from 2009 to 2013 and was also an adjunct professor at George Washington University, where he taught defense analysis and roles and missions of the armed forces. Work is a retired Marine veteran with 27 years of service, from 1974 to 2001.

He also serves on the board of directors at Raytheon Technologies Corp. and as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Work earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a master’s degree in systems management from the University of Southern California, a master’s degree in systems technology from the Naval Postgraduate School and a master’s degree in international public policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Founded in 2011, Govini specializes in machine learning and data science for national security clients. The company also has offices in San Francisco and Pittsburgh.