CACI International has named Marcie Small as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), marking a leadership transition as the defense technology and government IT services company continues investing in workforce development and talent modernization. Small succeeds Angie Combs, who retired after more than seven years in the role, bringing more than two decades of human capital leadership experience to one of the industry’s largest technology-focused workforces.
CACI International has appointed Marcie Small as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, placing a long-serving HR executive at the helm of the company’s workforce strategy as demand for skilled technology talent continues to reshape the government contracting sector.
The appointment follows the retirement of Angie Combs, who served as CACI’s Chief Human Resources Officer for more than seven years and helped guide the organization through a period of business expansion, digital transformation, and workforce growth. During her tenure, the company strengthened employee engagement initiatives, leadership development programs, and organizational culture while expanding its footprint across defense, intelligence, and federal civilian technology markets.
President and Chief Executive Officer John Mengucci credited Combs with helping shape CACI’s employee experience and organizational culture during a period of significant change, while expressing confidence that Small will continue advancing the company’s long-term talent strategy.
Small brings more than 25 years of experience in human capital management and has spent the past 15 years at CACI, holding leadership roles across the company’s Human Resources organization. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President of Talent Acquisition and Growth, overseeing initiatives designed to modernize recruitment, leadership development, and workforce planning.
Her promotion reflects an increasingly common trend among enterprise organizations that are elevating internal HR leaders with deep institutional knowledge as workforce strategy becomes a core business priority rather than a purely administrative function.
Talent strategy moves to the center of enterprise growth
Human resources leadership has evolved significantly over the past decade. Chief Human Resources Officers are now expected to oversee workforce analytics, digital employee experiences, leadership pipelines, skills development, succession planning, and AI-enabled talent management alongside traditional HR responsibilities.
For companies operating in highly competitive technology sectors such as defense and government IT, attracting and retaining specialized talent has become a strategic differentiator. Organizations increasingly rely on cloud-based Human Capital Management (HCM) platforms, workforce analytics, and AI-assisted recruiting tools to identify skill gaps, improve hiring outcomes, and strengthen employee engagement.
During her leadership of Talent Acquisition and Growth, Small led efforts to modernize CACI’s talent ecosystem by redesigning recruitment strategies, expanding leadership development initiatives, and introducing programs focused on long-term workforce readiness. These initiatives align with broader enterprise HR trends emphasizing continuous learning, internal mobility, and data-driven talent management.
HR technology continues reshaping workforce management
The appointment comes as organizations across industries accelerate investment in HR technology to address persistent labor shortages and evolving workforce expectations.
Enterprise platforms from vendors including Oracle, Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Microsoft, and ServiceNow increasingly integrate artificial intelligence into recruiting, employee experience, performance management, and workforce planning. These technologies enable HR teams to automate administrative tasks while providing predictive insights into hiring demand, retention risks, and skills development.
According to Gartner, workforce planning and talent management remain among the top strategic priorities for HR leaders as organizations adapt to changing business needs and digital transformation initiatives. McKinsey & Company has also reported that organizations investing in leadership development and capability building are better positioned to sustain long-term business performance in rapidly evolving industries.
Against this backdrop, CACI’s decision to appoint an executive with extensive experience in talent acquisition and workforce transformation underscores the growing strategic importance of HR leadership in technology-driven enterprises.
Internal leadership signals continuity
Unlike external executive hires that often accompany major organizational restructuring, Small’s appointment represents leadership continuity built on institutional expertise.
Having spent a decade and a half within CACI’s HR organization, she has contributed to initiatives spanning recruitment modernization, employee development, and leadership succession. That experience may help the company maintain consistency as it continues supporting large-scale federal technology programs while competing for highly specialized engineering, cybersecurity, software development, and artificial intelligence talent.
The promotion also highlights a broader shift within enterprise HR toward leaders who combine operational expertise with experience implementing modern talent technologies and workforce transformation strategies.
As competition for skilled professionals intensifies across government contracting, defense technology, cybersecurity, and AI, HR executives are increasingly expected to align workforce planning with business growth while building resilient talent pipelines.
For enterprise HR leaders, CACI’s leadership transition illustrates how organizations are positioning HR as a strategic driver of innovation, workforce readiness, and long-term competitiveness. As AI-powered talent platforms and workforce analytics become more deeply integrated into business operations, the role of the CHRO continues to expand beyond traditional personnel management into enterprise transformation and organizational strategy.
Market Landscape
The appointment reflects a broader evolution in Human Resources Technology (HRTech), where talent acquisition, workforce analytics, employee experience, and AI-powered HR platforms have become central to enterprise growth strategies. Organizations across defense, technology, healthcare, and financial services are increasingly investing in cloud-based Human Capital Management solutions from Oracle, Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, and ServiceNow to improve hiring efficiency, leadership development, workforce planning, and employee retention. As skills shortages persist, HR leaders are playing a more strategic role in aligning workforce capabilities with long-term business objectives.
Top Insights
- CACI promoted longtime HR executive Marcie Small to Chief Human Resources Officer, reinforcing the company’s focus on workforce modernization, leadership development, and long-term talent strategy.
- Small brings more than 25 years of human capital leadership experience, including 15 years at CACI, where she led modernization initiatives across talent acquisition and workforce development.
- The leadership transition reflects the growing strategic importance of HR executives, as organizations increasingly integrate AI, workforce analytics, and digital HR platforms into enterprise operations.
- Internal succession provides continuity for CACI’s workforce strategy, supporting ongoing investments in employee experience, leadership pipelines, and specialized technology talent.
- The appointment aligns with broader HRTech trends, where cloud-based talent management platforms and AI-driven workforce planning continue reshaping enterprise human resources.
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