- Federal tech exec Tom Lash has taken on the top leadership role at Riverside Research
- Lash succeeds Steven Omick, who led the nonprofit for a decade
- Lash’s career includes leadership roles at Vibrint, AWS, SAIC and Leidos
Riverside Research has appointed Tom Lash, a national security technology leader, as president and CEO.
The national security nonprofit said Thursday Lash takes over from Steven Omick, who stepped down after a decade leading Riverside Research. The appointment comes as Riverside Research pursues strategic growth initiatives and works to strengthen its position within the national security community.
What Did Jim Shields Say About the Appointment?
Jim Shields, chair of Riverside Research’s board of trustees, said Lash’s record leading complex national security organizations and advancing emerging technologies made him the right choice to head the nonprofit.
“His strategic vision and mission-focused leadership will position the organization for continued growth while preserving the technical excellence and sponsor-focused culture that distinguishes Riverside Research,” Shields added.
Who Is Tom Lash?
Lash is a technology and business leader with nearly three decades of experience in the federal market, with a background spanning national security, the intelligence community, emerging technology and strategic growth. He most recently served as CEO of Vibrint, where he led acquisition strategies and expanded technology partnerships.
Before Vibrint, Lash spent six years at Amazon Web Services, where he built and led the company’s federal delivery organization and its national security account team. He also held leadership positions at SAIC and Leidos earlier in his career.
The University of Virginia electrical engineering graduate holds a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from George Mason University and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University. He is also an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University, where he teaches graduate cloud security.
“Riverside Research has a distinguished legacy of technical innovation and trusted support to the national security community,” Lash said. “I am honored to join the organization and look forward to working with its talented team to accelerate growth, deepen our sponsor partnerships, expand the impact of our research and mission solutions, and advance next-generation research in AI/ML, sensing, and secure architectures.”
How Does the Appointment Align With Riverside Research’s Recent Growth?
The leadership change follows a series of expansions across Riverside Research’s footprint and technical portfolio.
The organization opened a new office in the University of Illinois Research Park to support its academic partnerships and talent pipeline. It also partnered with Plexus on rapid prototyping of secure, modular defense hardware and teamed up with Tera AI on GPS-denied mapping and positioning technology.
The growth builds on the nonprofit’s 2025 acquisition of Cog Systems to expand its cybersecurity capabilities. On the contract side, Riverside Research has also secured a spot on a potential $866 million multiple-award U.S. Air Force contract supporting the National Air and Space Intelligence Center.
