Dr. Theresa E. Watson is the Chief Operating Officer at Kegman Inc., an employee-owned small business delivering science and engineering expertise in support of national security, warfighter, scientific discovery and space missions. As Kegman COO, Dr. Watson leads daily operations, strategic planning, and organizational growth, aligning technical capabilities with evolving government mission needs. She drives innovation, builds cross-sector partnerships, and ensures delivery of agile, cost-effective, and impactful solutions across the RDT&E and operational landscape. She serves as a scientific leader and review board member for Los Alamos National Laboratory, guiding strategic investment and high-impact research supporting national security, deterrence, space domain awareness and exploration, energy resilience, border security, and health security

She is a nationally recognized expert in nonproliferation, emerging weapons, and space and signature sciences, with prior senior civilian leadership roles at Air Force Technical Applications Center and the Defense Intelligence Agency. Dr. Watson holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry and is passionate about mentoring, STEM outreach, and empowering underrepresented groups. She lives on Florida’s Space Coast with her husband and three children.