# David Cerne

> David Cerne is a former president and CEO of Acclaim Technical Services, the Reston-based national-security contractor he helped steer from a language-and-intelligence specialist into an employee-owned middle-market technology business. His public record joins operational experience at the CIA and SAIC/Leidos with a growth period at ATS marked by five acquisitions, a workforce approaching 600, and a 2022 WashingtonExec award for private-company intelligence leadership.

- **Role:** Former President and CEO at Acclaim Technical Services
- **Organizations:** Acclaim Technical Services, SAIC/Leidos, Central Intelligence Agency, University of Tennessee
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Undergraduate degree and Master of Business Administration, University of Tennessee
- **Known for:** Led ATS during a five-acquisition expansion from 2019 through 2023., Helped broaden ATS from its language-and-intelligence base into software, systems engineering, cyber, hardware engineering, secure networking and data management., Won WashingtonExec's 2022 Pinnacle Award for Intelligence Industry Executive of the Year, Private Company.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2010** — Worked in contracting and logistics at the Central Intelligence Agency and held roles at SAIC/Leidos, including project management responsibilities.
- **2010** — Joined Acclaim Technical Services in business development.
- **2011** — Moved into the chief operating officer role at Acclaim Technical Services.
- **2013** — ATS restructured as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan company.
- **2014** — Became chief executive officer of Acclaim Technical Services.
- **2018** — ATS ranked first among midsize employers in The Washington Post's Top Workplaces survey for the Washington region.
- **2019** — Named a finalist for the Greater Washington GovCon Awards' Executive of the Year in the up-to-$75-million category; ATS began its acquisition run with Axis of Engineering.
- **2020** — Led ATS through the acquisition of Global Consulting Services, adding software and systems-engineering depth.
- **2021** — ATS acquired Entegra Systems, taking the combined workforce above 500 and adding cyber, SIGINT and natural-language capabilities.
- **2022** — Won WashingtonExec's Pinnacle Award for Intelligence Industry Executive of the Year, Private Company.
- **2023** — ATS acquired OASIC Engineering and Alder Technology; the company said the Alder deal would bring its workforce to nearly 600.
- **2025** — David Popelier served as acting CEO from January and was appointed CEO in June, succeeding Cerne.

## Achievements

- Led ATS during a five-acquisition expansion from 2019 through 2023.
- Helped broaden ATS from its language-and-intelligence base into software, systems engineering, cyber, hardware engineering, secure networking and data management.
- Won WashingtonExec's 2022 Pinnacle Award for Intelligence Industry Executive of the Year, Private Company.
- Was a 2019 Greater Washington GovCon Awards finalist for Executive of the Year in the up-to-$75-million category.
- Led ATS while its disclosed workforce grew from more than 300 employee-owners in 2020 to nearly 600 professionals by late 2023.
- Presided over a period in which ATS sustained repeated Washington-area Top Workplace recognition.

## Latest updates

- **2025-06** — Acclaim Technical Services appointed David Popelier CEO after he had served as acting CEO since January, succeeding Cerne in the role.
- **2023-12** — ATS acquired Alder Technology, its fifth acquisition since 2019, and said the combined company would have nearly 600 professionals.
- **2023-11** — ATS acquired OASIC Engineering; Cerne described the transaction as the company's fourth acquisition since 2019 and another step toward a full-service mission-and-technology portfolio.

## Links

- Website: https://acclaimtechnical.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-cerne-a0380a15
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/atsacclaimtech
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/AcclaimTechnicalServices/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-cerne
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-27