Lisa Costa has retired from government service after serving as the U.S. Space Force’s first chief technology and innovation officer for nearly three years.
Col. Nathan Iven, most recently deputy to Costa, will serve as acting CTIO.
“From helping define the role of Special Operations in the War on Terror to shaping homeland defense and bringing irregular warfare to space, my career has been marked by pivotal roles and groundbreaking initiatives. Leading innovation and operationalizing AI, cyber operations, and space has been truly rewarding,” Costa, a previous Wash100 awardee, said in a LinkedIn post published Tuesday.
In August 2021, she assumed the chief technology and innovation officer role at the Space Force, where she led the development of policy and strategy to advance research and development and science and technology, meet the service branch’s information technology needs, manage data and push digital transformation efforts.
Costa previously served as director of communications systems and chief information officer at U.S. Special Operations Command.
Her industry career included time as senior director of innovation and technology at Engility, vice president of intelligence and chief scientist at PlanetRisk and director of countering weapons of mass destruction and violent extremism at Mitre.
“While retiring from government service, I eagerly look forward to the next chapter where I can bring my expertise to new challenges and opportunities,” Costa said in her post on the professional networking platform.
