Meet Gary

Gary Cubbage has more than 27 years of experience developing and deploying mission and enterprise systems for federal and commercial sector clients. Gary is a leader in our Digital Solutions business, where he is responsible for the growth strategy, opportunity capture, program execution, capability development, and workforce development.

Previously, Gary led teams delivering technology, engineering, mission support, and consulting services to clients in the intelligence community. He developed market strategies and service offerings and was responsible for client delivery. Prior to that role, Gary led the firm’s technology/IT business for the intelligence community. He delivered a wide range of services, from enterprise architecture and IT capital planning to systems and enterprise infrastructures providing data integration, signals collection and analysis, and command and control functions.

As the firm enhanced process improvements in conjunction with the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) and International Standards Organization (ISO), Gary enforced implementation and oversaw professional development of employees.

Gary also led a project that earned Booz Allen’s highest honor for outstanding customer service—the Professional Excellence Award—for contributions to the firm’s process improvement program. The program achieved and maintained its external certifications at CMMI for Software Development and Systems Engineering Level 3, ISO 9001:2000, and previously Software CMMI Level 3. He also instituted a firmwide metrics program that saved millions of dollars in avoidable costs and established a review program that significantly raised the quality of Booz Allen’s delivered systems.

Earlier in his career, Gary and his team of engineers, scientists, and software developers provided software development, modeling and simulation, advanced analytics, and multimedia development services across national security markets. In addition, he led the firm’s Navy intelligence and cryptology business, including supporting Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), SPAWAR Systems Command Centers in San Diego and Charleston, the Office of Naval Intelligence, and the Commander, Naval Security Group.

Gary is a member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and the Intelligence and National Security Alliance. He sits on the board of the Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program, which supports children with disabilities. In addition, Gary serves on the industry advisory board to the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

He has a B.S. from the University of Virginia and an M.S. in computer science from Johns Hopkins University.

What excites you about working in defense and intelligence? The problems are real—they have an impact on our nation. When you get involved with things that have that sort of meaning, it gets you pretty excited. The problems are interesting, the technologies we use are cutting edge, and it’s work that materially improves the nation’s security. As the son of a WWII sailor, that’s really what gets me up in the morning.

Why are you passionate about the work you’re doing at Booz Allen? I like the way we come together and solve things. My team is Digital Solutions, but the work we deliver includes analytics and cyber too.  We reach across the company in ways I know other companies are not motivated to do and really don’t do.

What are some of your career highlights? We created a software system that was deployed on an Atlantic Fleet aircraft carriers in the mid-1990s when Air Force pilot Scott O’Grady was shot down in Bosnia. The software we built and integrated with Lockheed-Martin hardware was what found him. It doesn’t get better than that.

How do you help your clients prepare for the future? First, you have to deliver on what they hired us for. While you do that, develop a relationship.  Part of doing that means understanding why they are focused on where they are and what their bigger picture is.  If you take the time to understand that, and then bring in your colleagues that can help them, you get them talking and thinking about what they need to do to take their program or team to the next level.   

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Ophthalmologist, as crazy as it sounds. I had to get glasses at a really early age, and the whole field was fascinating. Then I realized you had to go to school for pretty much half of forever, so I decided I didn’t want to do that. That’s the first thing I can remember wanting to be.

What were you like in high school? I was probably the quintessential nerd. Band geek, annoyingly good student, Boy Scout, that sort of thing. I played French horn and piano. Probably the first “real” job I had was at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg playing French horn as a strolling musician. 

What’s been your biggest accomplishment so far in life? The thing that keeps coming out for me is family. Absolutely my two daughters. Next, I’m very proud of my career here at Booz Allen. When I started I thought I’d be here a couple of years and move on. Having the chance to be a partner here and play a number of roles in startups and choose some things for the firm we haven’t been able to do before. That 30-year ride—I’m proud of it.