As chief technology officer at Peraton, Todd Borkey leads the company’s technology strategy and oversees its research and development portfolio. He heads Peraton’s Strategic Innovation Group — including Peraton Labs — and drives strategic campaigns to deliver new capabilities to customers.
WashingtonExec
June 3, 2025
With 40 years in the technical field spanning global communications and defense, Borkey is focused on building disruptive solutions that meet urgent mission needs.
He began his career in engineering and project management at AT&T and Bell Labs, and over the past two decades, has progressed from managing projects to leading entire technology portfolios.
“At the time, we faced the disruptive effects of IEDs and how to counter them. In retrospect, I think I have maintained the same pace – problem solving approaches, and cultivating a culture used during those times to plan and lead technology – ever since,” Borkey told WashingtonExec.
His role has been to build customer-savvy, agile, servant, idea-generating teams that are excellent at transition, he added. As a servant leader, Borkey aims to create a culture where the best minds want to work.
“I have always gravitated towards disruptive leaders who know the how and why behind their methods,” he said. “I joined Peraton because of its amazing body of work and the purity of our leadership’s focus.”
Below, he shares more about his career path, connection to Peraton’s mission, why mentorship matters in GovCon, preparing for the future and more.
How did you choose your path and how did it influence your career?
I knew that engineering and science was a path to endless creativity, but I had no definitive job target or industry in mind. Early on, I leaped at the opportunity to move out west and work in a government lab. After that experience, I found new opportunities about every five years through a growing set of connections.
Some combination of enthusiasm, curiosity, mentors, and “showing up” got me here. I’ve always gravitated towards disruptive thinkers who know why and how they want to change things up. At Peraton, I’ve found a wealth of passionate talent at Peraton Labs. They are brilliant and dedicated. I can’t wait to see what we can do together.
Do you have a personal connection to the current mission you support?
I think of myself as a patriot, and yes, I feel an urgency to play a role in our “nation’s keeping” so that my grandkids can enjoy the same peace and prosperity that my generation did. I think all those years traveling abroad while building undersea networks for AT&T taught me to appreciate our country and the unlimited possibilities it presents to all of us. That is my personal connection to the missions. It is the way I can contribute.
What are your current top priorities and responsibilities? How do these relate to your company’s overall mission/growth strategy?
The CTO’s job is to push the organization to its creative and technical edge. My role is to create the technology and operating capabilities which help our customers win continuously. There is a “time to market” and urgency about most things we develop. Doing this well will inevitably lead to customer trust and growth. Peraton has the ideal technology portfolio that our government customers urgently need for the coming decade. Peraton Labs alone is filled with immense potential. One of my top priorities is the operationalization of Generative AI. GenAI is revolutionizing AI. It is changing the way humans will interface with their enterprise and can disrupt the performance of the enterprise. The potential for automation and efficiency gains are mind boggling.
Where do you see growth opportunities for the markets you support, and what are some of your customers’ top pain points?
Almost every customer needs to do more with less while doing it faster and better. The world is changing at an unprecedented pace and the implications to national security are significant. Orchestration of global multi-domain operations is complex and the INDOPACIFIC region presents even more operating challenges.
Within Peraton’s portfolio, I see growth potential in every direction I look. But I can make it simple for you. Peraton is a powerhouse in data management and data exploitation. “The proliferation of AI and ubiquitous computing (cloud to edge) has us in a sweet spot. It’s all about data. 90% of the problem is getting the right data to the right place at the right time with the least noise. We are working hard to be the best at that delivery.”
How are you and your team planning to preparing to address these opportunities?
We have an excellent front end to our business driven by Peraton Labs. With its origin in Bell Labs, Peraton Labs has nearly 500 scientists and engineers who are developing groundbreaking capabilities in AI, data science, cyber, and electronic warfare. That team is a national asset and is strategic to all our current and future plans for customers. We have thousands of engineers across the Capital region and nation who are working on site with the customers to develop and prove solutions to pressing mission needs.
How important is mentorship & networking in GovCon? Were they influential to your career?
I cannot say enough about mentoring and networking for young people wanting to control their career destiny. The message applies to GovCon and commercial sectors alike. I was fortunate to grow up in companies that invested in the development of their people but, even as CTO, I have relationships deep down within the organization. People-centric companies still exist. Join them. I am pleased to see that many government agencies do an excellent job in developing and rotating their talent.
My guidelines to career planning are:
- Only work where you respect the leadership;
- Always have a mentor at every stage;
- Read the markets and don’t be afraid to move where the opportunities lie;
- Run at the tough assignments and challenges because few others will and it’s usually an incredible personal development opportunity. Five-year cycles of learning are more valuable than staying in one place.
What is something most people don’t know about you personally?
Perhaps, because I am endlessly curious, or quickly bored depending on your perspective, over the years I have accumulated far more hobbies than I have time for. In my early years, it was dirt bikes, ice hockey, rock climbing, hunting, fishing, painting, and guitars. Today, I have trimmed my hobby list down to skiing, guitars, golf, and mountain biking. Albeit, I have not given up on surfing. Retirement will be an exciting new phase to plan out!
