- Watson will start Oct. 1 and succeed interim president Clint Bickett
- He most recently ran Serco’s $2 billion North American business
- Cherokee Federal generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue with over 5,000 employees
Cherokee Federal has appointed Tom Watson as president, putting a former Serco executive in charge of the tribally owned federal contracting portfolio.
Watson, a two-time Wash100 Award winner, will assume the role on Oct. 1 and succeed Clint Bickett, who has held the role on an interim basis since January, Cherokee Federal said Tuesday. Watson will be based in the Washington, D.C., area.
The federal contracting division of Cherokee Nation Businesses brings in more than $1 billion in annual revenue and employs more than 5,000 people.
What Experience Does Tom Watson Bring?
Watson spent seven years at Serco, most recently as CEO of its $2 billion North American business, where he oversaw more than 10,000 employees serving defense and federal civilian customers. He became CEO in 2022 after leading the company’s defense services business as senior vice president.
Before joining Serco in 2018, he spent 22 years at SAIC, rising to senior vice president and general manager of the Navy and Marine Corps business unit. That role covered roughly 4,000 employees and more than $1 billion in annual revenue.
Watson began his career with six years on active duty in the Navy as an electronics technician.
Chuck Garrett, CEO of Cherokee Nation Businesses, said Watson “understands what it takes to lead and grow a complex federal business.”
What Does Watson Inherit at Cherokee Federal?
The company picked up two federal vehicles in July. Cherokee Nation Government Solutions, a Cherokee Federal company, won a position on NASA’s Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement VI governmentwide acquisition contract.
Cherokee Nation Solutions Link took sole-award status on a General Services Administration blanket purchase agreement covering modernization support services for the Office of Centralized Acquisition Services.
Cherokee Federal also achieved Level 2 authorization under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program through a certified third-party assessment organization in April, ahead of a November requirement for the certification on applicable Department of War contracts involving controlled unclassified information.
