Not every defense contractor CEO has worn the uniform. Margarita Howard has, and at HX5, that experience is woven into the company’s hiring strategy and culture. As a service-disabled Air Force veteran who now runs a government contracting firm with about 1,000 employees, Howard brings a perspective to veteran employment that goes beyond policy.
From Service to the Contractor Side
Howard’s path after the Air Force included earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, then taking on work in the defense industry, including a role implementing the Tricare military health care program, the Department of Defense’s health coverage system for service members and their families. That work gave her direct experience with contractor-government collaboration before she founded HX5 in 2004.
Today, HX5 operates in research and development, engineering, information technology, and mission operations across more than 20 states and 70 government locations, serving the Department of Defense and NASA. Those contracts often demand personnel with active security clearances and familiarity with government operational structures a profile that fits many transitioning service members well.
HX5 has participated in the Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program since 2021, hosting two fellows per year for a total of eight. The program, a Department of Defense SkillBridge initiative, places active-duty members within 180 days of separation at host companies for 12-week fellowships. Fellows work four days a week at the company and one day in professional development, all while retaining military pay and benefits. Nationally, the program reports an 80% hire rate and average starting salaries of $70,000.
Cultural Fit as a Retention Tool
Veterans entering civilian employment often describe an adjustment period driven less by skill gaps than by culture gaps. Military workplaces have distinct norms around accountability, operational security, and chain of command. Government contracting environments can echo those norms in ways commercial industries often don’t.
Howard has spoken about the importance of employees connecting with the work itself. “The work we do is very exciting. Some of it is not being done anywhere else in the world,” she has said. That kind of mission-driven environment can resonate with veterans who joined the military specifically for the sense of purpose it offered.
Margarita Howard’s dual identity as both veteran and CEO makes that message credible. She isn’t promising veterans something she doesn’t understand. She has lived the transition herself, and built HX5’s fellowship participation around what she learned from it. Visit this page for more information.
Find more information about Howard on https://dataconomy.com/2026/02/23/infrastructure-as-competitive-advantage-margarita-howards-early-investment-philosophy-at-hx5/