WASHINGTON, D.C. -- ML Mackey, CEO of Beacon Interactive Systems, was presented the esteemed Dr. Kathleen P. Sridhar Small Business Executive of the Year award by the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA).

 

Accepting the award, Mackey said, “so often entrepreneurs look at where they’re at and where they’re going, but don’t stop to appreciate the journey they’ve taken to get there.” Adding, “it’s like when you’re climbing a mountain, you see where you’re at and you look to where you need to climb, you don’t often look at how far you’ve already climbed. Awards like this make entrepreneurs stop and appreciate their journey. So, thanks for that.”

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The Small Business Executive of the Year is chosen from the NDIA’s 1,750 corporate and 63,000 individual members. The award honors the late Dr. Sridhar, bestowed annually upon an executive who embodies Sridhar’s legacy of leadership and inspiration for small businesses in the defense sector. Mackey has proven herself a standout candidate among her peers, both in her position as CEO of Beacon, an award-winning digital innovator in its own right, as well as an advocate for high-tech innovators across the Defense Industrial Base.

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Presenting Mackey with the award, David L. Norquist, NDIA’s President and CEO, said her career is “characterized by superb performance and prowess as an advocate for small business programs within the Defense Industrial Base.” Mackey’s contributions as an ExComm member of NDIA’s National Board, as well as the Chair of the Small Business Division, are exemplary of her charitable interests in bolstering fellow small businesses, entrepreneurship, and STEM innovation.

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“ML’s leadership approach represents a unique combination of sharp business acumen and an uncompromising focus on professional and personal development,” says Shenhav Ruttner, Beacon’s Director of Global Markets. “Effective communication, coupled with her innate empathy and understanding of people’s needs, is central to her successfully enabling others to meet and exceed their goals.”

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About Beacon

Beacon Interactive Systems has a longstanding track record of continuous innovation that leverages commercial sector expertise to address critical national security needs for the U.S. Department of Defense, its Partners & Allies. Focused on the transformative effects of digitizing edge operations, Beacon’s award-winning technology, the Beacon Platform, streamlines performance and provides strategic insight into operational capacity and readiness. Actively supporting operations across the DoD, Beacon’s digital products address Maintenance & Operations, Test & Delivery, and Portfolio Management.

 

About NDIA

NDIA is a 501(c)(3) educational non-partisan, nonprofit association that engages thoughtful and innovative leaders to promote the best policies, practices, products, and technology for warfighters and others who ensure the safety and security of our nation. The NDIA is comprised of its Affiliates, Chapters, Divisions, and 1,780 corporate and 63,000 individual members. The NDIA’s annual Sridhar Small Business Executive of the year award is bestowed in honor of the late Kathleen P. Sridhar upon a defense industry small-business executive who emanates her leadership, selfless passion for mentoring small-business owners, and support for a strong small-business sector within the defense industrial base.

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