Chris Smith, vice president and general manager of North America Public Sector at Red Hat, has been presented with the 2025 Wash100 Award during a recent visit by Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson.
Smith won his first Wash100 Award in recognition of his efforts in promoting the use of open-source software in the public sector.
“Chris captured the Wash100 voting committee’s attention by bringing Red Hat’s open-source expertise deeper into government operations. With Red Hat securing FedRAMP High authorization and forging partnerships with the Army on open-source API development, Chris is helping drive innovation in critical areas with national impacts,” said Garrettson.
The Wash100 Award founder added, “His leadership in modernizing IT infrastructure for federal agencies — informed by nearly a decade and a half at IBM and a prior stint at Booz Allen Hamilton — make him a standout candidate for this year’s Wash100.”
Commenting on his win, Smith said, “What an incredible honor to be recognized alongside such an esteemed group of leaders in the public sector. Executive Mosaic’s commitment to celebrating those shaping the future of government is invaluable to our community, and I’m grateful to see Red Hat represented in this tradition. I’m truly humbled by this recognition and remain committed to driving innovation and impact in our industry.”
Promoting Digital Transformation in the Public Sector
Smith led several Red Hat initiatives to accelerate digital transformation in the sector, including a partnership with the U.S. Army in October 2024 to enhance open-source API capabilities through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement.
Under his leadership, Red Hat also collaborated with Elastic in November 2024 to provide public sector organizations with a unified data management and artificial intelligence deployment system specifically tailored to them. It integrated Elastic’s Search AI Platform with Red Hat’s OpenShift AI.
Congratulations to Chris Smith and the entire Red Hat team for winning the 2025 Wash100 Award.