2026 Speakers
Discover the industry leaders, innovators, and thought leaders who will be sharing their insights at Data Center World. Our carefully curated lineup of speakers brings together diverse perspectives and cutting-edge expertise to deliver valuable content tailored to your professional growth.
Leslie Beavers, Former CIO, Department of War | Retired
Ms. Leslie Beavers is a highly distinguished Senior Executive, strategic leader, and U.S. Air Force Brigadier General (Ret.) with over three decades of experience at the nexus of technology governance, national security, and digital transformation.
As the former Acting Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), she directed policy and oversight for a $60 billion annual IT portfolio, commanding one of the world's largest and most complex information enterprises. In this role, Ms. Beavers championed the DoD's digital modernization strategy (Fulcrum) and provided executive leadership for cybersecurity, and cloud adoption strategies, ensuring operational resilience at a global scale.
Her expertise lies in converting abstract, high-level policy into durable, measurable capability—a crucial skill for policymakers and regulators in the communications sector. Ms. Beavers is a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and is nationally recognized for successfully leading large-scale program turnarounds through process discipline and financial accountability.
Prior to the CIO, Ms. Beavers served as the Director of Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Enterprise Capabilities (ISREC), where she pioneered the Defense Intelligence Digital Transformation Campaign Plan, known as Project Herald. Project Herald's overall goal was to evolve how the DoD delivers intelligence to warfighters by providing the unifying focus to realize next-generation capabilities.
Beyond her public service, Ms. Beavers has driven critical digital transformation in the media industry. As a former Vice President at NBC/Universal Pictures, she led the massive recovery effort to digitally preserve 80 years of film and television library content after the originals were destroyed in a fire. This complex project showcased her ability to manage catastrophic risk, rapidly implement new technology, and ensure the preservation of invaluable media assets. She also held executive roles with GE's Healthcare Division and currently serves on the Academy Securities Investment Bank Advisory Board.
Ms. Beavers began her military career as an Intelligence Officer and retired as a Brigadier General, serving with the Joint Staff J2, which provided direct experience in high-level international and coalition operations.
Ms. Beavers has been recognized for leadership excellence as an Executive Mosaic Wash100 Recipient (2024) and has been awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Award and the Defense Superior Service Medal by the Secretary of Defense. She holds an MBA in Finance (w/ Honors) from South University and a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy.