Derrick R. Pledger is the Vice President, Director of Digital Modernization for Leidos, where he leads development of the digital modernization strategy. That work encompasses research and development, technical innovations, and strategic partnerships for Cloud, DevSecOps, Application Modernization, Enterprise IT, Mission IT support, and Edge Computing. Pledger’s team also supports engineering and capture activities for many of Leidos’ most complex and strategic programs, and has contributed to more than $40B in contract wins. Pledger is a United States Army veteran. He has served multiple tours of duty in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa—both in uniform and as a contractor in support of Operation Iraqi & Enduring Freedom missions, as well as in support of counter-piracy operations. Since joining Leidos, he has held multiple engineering and technical management positions of increasing scope and responsibility, to include: VP, Enterprise Solution Architect, Chief Engineer, Program Manager, Chief Infrastructure Architect and Lead Systems Integrator, and Field Service Engineer. His expertise ranges from managing complex software programs and designing hybrid cloud environments, to supporting rapid software development, systems integration, and data exploitation missions both at the enterprise and tactical levels within the Department of Defense. Pledger holds an undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech, a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), as well as numerous technical and industry credentials (e.g., PMP, CISSP, ITIL, SAFe, and various cloud certifications).