Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton
Golden Gov: Federal Executive of the Year
Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton leads the Defense Information Systems Agency and commands the Pentagon’s cyber defense command. The positions put him at the center of delivering and defending technology that military personnel use across the department. Stanton has emphasized the need for skilled IT and cybersecurity professionals to carry out that mission, making a direct recruiting appeal at a February 2026 event. His leadership spans the people, networks and services needed for secure communications and digital operations at defense scale. As threats and operational demands change, DISA’s ability to maintain resilient systems remains essential to the military’s daily work.