Meet Susan

Susan Penfield is Booz Allen’s chief technology officer and a member of our Leadership Team. Susan accelerates growth through mission-centric innovation and infrastructure through incubating and exploring technology innovation, driving adoption of reusable solutions and new business models, empowering our technical talent, and enabling enterprise technology.

Susan came to Booz Allen 28 years ago and has transformed numerous business units during her tenure. Prior to her current role, she led our strategic innovation initiatives. She also led the firm’s billion-dollar digital business spanning the defense, national security, and civilian sectors. And Susan led our health business, advancing it to become the firm’s largest and fastest growing account and providing transformational consulting and technology to public- and private-sector healthcare clients.  

She is a dedicated philanthropist and serves on the board of several nonprofits. She chairs the board of The Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health and serves on the boards of the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) and SEED SPOT, the globally recognized social good incubator. Susan is a passionate advocate for the recruitment, retention, and the advancement of women in technology and speaks routinely on STEM-related topics. 

Susan was recognized as a 2021 Woman Who Means Business by the Washington Business Journal. She received the 2020 WashingtonExec Lifetime Achievement Award for her pioneering work driving technology innovation in government and her commitment to cultivating the next generation of women in STEM. Susan is a four-time recipient of the Wash100 award that recognizes the most influential leaders in the government consulting sector. Additional honors include ELLE magazine’s 2020 Power List for Women in Tech, WashingtonExec’s 2019 Top 25 Executives to Watch, and the 2017 Girls Inc. Diamond Award for her contributions to the growth and empowerment of girls.

Susan holds a B.S. in technology management from Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania and a certificate in management from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business.

What excites you most about your role as chief technology officer? We’re living through an exciting moment right now in terms of technology. It’s both evolutionary and revolutionary. The accelerated pace of technology development and the near constant evolution of the tech stack is pushing us to innovate at a much more rapid pace. At the same time, our clients’ missions are getting more complex and require new, revolutionary ways of doing things. Every day, our team brings mission understanding, technology, partnerships, and integration to solve our clients’ toughest problems. It’s challenging and rewarding work. 

What emerging technologies are you the most passionate about? It’s so hard to pick just one—so I’ll pick a bundle. The confluence of 5G/6G, Internet of Things, and edge computing is hugely exciting. Add in augmented reality and virtual reality tech to transform the user experience on top of these technologies and we can truly reimagine how government services are provided to constituents. We’re still in the infancy of determining what these technologies can do not only for the government, but for the world—and how we can harness data and power for good. I’m psyched to see what we can collectively do over the next few years.

Describe your leadership ethos. I grew up going to Catholic school. One lesson I learned was to always put yourself in the other person’s shoes. My other mantra is to get the best out of every individual person, and that’s not a one-size-fits-all formula. I like to empower my team by lifting each person up as an individual, nurturing them, giving them the tools and resources they need, and then letting them do their thing!

Any words of advice for young professionals early in their careers? Half the battle in life is to stay passionate about the things you love. Being a lifelong learner is something that ultimately has pushed me to the position that I am in today. When I started at Booz Allen, I was an associate. Now I'm on the Leadership Team. That didn't come from taking a back seat in my work. I ask questions, am always learning, and am constantly reinventing myself and seeking knowledge and support from others. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there and see where your career will take you!

Are there any experiences that shaped who you are as a leader today? I came from humble beginnings and had to rely on others for support when my dad got sick in his early 40s. This taught me about how much kindness and empathy can mean to someone who needs help, which has influenced my desire to always give back to those less fortunate. Philanthropy has always been a cornerstone to who I am as a person, and one that has served me well as a leader throughout my professional career.