Leadership

Kevin McAleenan

Chief Executive Officer, Board Member

Kevin most recently served as President of BigBear.ai, where he led teams offering cutting edge computer vision, simulation and modeling, with digital identity tools to support customers critical security and operational decisions. Kevin co-founded and led Pangiam as CEO and Chair of the Board until its acquisition by BigBear.ai, developing cutting edge biometric and AI products for security applications, for both government agencies and commercial customers.

Kevin brings experience from almost two decades of leadership in the U.S. Government to his role. He was the first career civil servant to be appointed and confirmed as Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in 2018, and he served most recently as Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under President Donald Trump, where he led over 240,000 employees and oversaw operations at CBP, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the U.S. Coast Guard, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Secret Service, and others.

His past experiences include implementing innovations to the U.S. international arrival and departure process, developing comprehensive counterterrorism and risk management strategies, and overseeing the implementation of the U.S. government’s single window for international trade, a project that spanned over 4-dozen agencies. Kevin received several awards for his service and leadership including a Presidential Rank Award—the nation’s highest civil service award, a Service to America Medal, and multiple awards from travel and trade industry groups.

Carl Napoletano

Chief Operating Officer

Carl Napoletano previously served as Vice President of Special Projects at BigBear.ai, where he led the integration of major acquisitions, including Pangiam. Previously, he led BigBear.ai’s portfolio of critical decision support solutions, serving over 300,000 users across the U.S. Army and various government agencies. Prior to joining BigBear.ai, Carl served as Principal and Senior Vice President at ProModel Corporation, leading the development of mission-critical decision support solutions for the Department of Defense, and in 2020, he led the acquisition of ProModel Government Solutions by BigBear.ai. He also previously held leadership positions in Engineering and New Business Development at General Dynamics Electric Boat, focusing on delivering combat systems for nuclear submarines. Carl earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Carolyn Blankenship

General Counsel

Carolyn Blankenship is the General Counsel and Secretary of BigBear.ai. Carolyn leads the legal function at BigBear.ai, providing strategic input to drive the organization’s growth and long-term success. Carolyn has over thirty years’ experience advising companies on achieving business objectives in an emerging technology environment and joins BigBear.ai from Thomson Reuters, where she worked since 2001 and was most recently General Counsel, Product & Innovation. Carolyn’s practice has focused on various legal aspects of artificial intelligence, and she has lectured on this subject at Princeton, Penn Law and the Practicing Law Institute, among others. She is also an Observer to the Intellectual Property Subcommittee of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI).

Carolyn earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College and her J.D from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.

Sean Ricker

Interim Chief Financial Officer

Sean Ricker is the Interim Chief Financial Officer at BigBear.ai. In this role, he leads the organization’s accounting, finance, and systems functions. Sean brings extensive experience partnering with executive management to develop and deploy financial strategies that strengthen BigBear.ai’s financial position, improve performance, and expand into new areas. Prior to joining BigBear.ai, he served in accounting and reporting roles at Lockheed Martin Corporation and is a certified public accountant.