- Mike Horton brings more than 20 years of leadership experience to Blackwatch
- He will oversee day-to-day operations and federal business delivery
- Horton previously led national security efforts at ASRC Federal
Blackwatch International has appointed Mike Horton as chief operating officer, bringing a former Department of Homeland Security executive to the federal contractor’s leadership team, the company announced Tuesday.
What Is Horton’s New Role at Blackwatch?
In his new role, Horton will take over responsibility for Blackwatch’s day-to-day operations. He will also coordinate with company leadership to boost customer relationships, organizational performance and delivery, while driving continued growth throughout Blackwatch’s federal business.
Cliff Webster, president of Blackwatch International, highlighted Horton’s experience leading large organizations and reshaping enterprise capabilities in high-pressure government and industry settings.
“We are building an organization capable of taking on increasingly complex missions, and Mike is exactly the kind of leader we need to help take Blackwatch to the next level,” said Webster.
Who Is Mike Horton?
Horton is a senior executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience spanning technology, national security, enterprise operations and mission transformation. He most recently served as vice president of national security at ASRC Federal.
Before that, he spent nearly 18 years at DHS, where he held several senior positions, including chief data officer, senior adviser to the chief information officer, acting deputy CIO, senior adviser to the chief financial officer and CIO. He started his DHS career in 2005 as an IT officer and held that role for over 10 years.
Earlier in his career, he served as North American customer service manager at Shire Pharmaceuticals and IT manager at Spirit of America National Bank.
What Is Blackwatch International?
Blackwatch International is a McLean, Virginia-based small business founded in 2009 to provide enterprise information technology, cybersecurity, data exploitation, cloud migration and DevSecOps capabilities for domestic and international government customers.
In 2023, the company won a potential five-year, $96.9 million contract from the Defense Microelectronics Activity for manufacturing sustainment and engineering support. Blackwatch has also expanded its leadership team in previous years, naming Lee Tanner SVP of strategic growth in 2022 and David Wolf SVP of operations and capture in 2021.
