Susan Penfield is the Chief Technology Officer of Booz Allen Hamilton, a global technology and consulting company and the largest provider of federal AI services.
Over her 30-year career at Booz Allen, Susan has served in various leadership and technology roles driving transformation across the business. As CTO, Susan oversees a scaled global technology team and is charged with accelerating growth and helping advance the government’s digital future through emerging technologies and AI implementation, scalable innovations, and infrastructures that meet our nation's most critical mission challenges. Prior to being CTO, she was Booz Allen’s Chief Innovation Officer, responsible for accelerating growth through mission-centric innovation and new business models. She also led the company’s billion-dollar digital business and drove the health account to become the company’s largest and fastest-growing business, providing transformational consulting and technology to public and private-sector healthcare clients.
Susan sits on the board of SPARQ, a US based digital engineering consultancy.
She is a dedicated philanthropist, serving as the chair emeritus of The Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health and was awarded the 2024 Sharon Katula Champion for Children Award for her steadfast dedication to improving childrens’ health. She is Secretary of the board for the Northern Virginia Technology Council, a group focused on attracting and developing the tech industry in Virginia and the metro area. She also serves on the board of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
Susan is a passionate advocate for the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in technology and speaks routinely on STEM-related topics.
Susan was recognized as a 2024 and 2023 Top Chief Technology Officer to watch by Washington Executive. She received the 2021 Woman Who Means Business Award from the Washington Business Journal and the 2020 WashingtonExec Lifetime Achievement Award for her pioneering work driving technology innovation in government and her commitment to cultivating the next generation of women in STEM. Susan is a four-time recipient of the Wash100 award which recognizes the most influential leaders in the government consulting sector. Additional honors include ELLE magazine’s 2020 Power List for Women in Tech, WashingtonExec’s 2019 Top 25 Executives to Watch, and the 2017 Girls Inc. Diamond Award for her contributions to the growth and empowerment of girls.
Susan holds a B.S. in technology management from Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania and a certificate in management from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business.