MS. SHAROTHI PIKAR Deputy CDAO for Acquisition & Acquisition Executive Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office

---

Ms. Sharothi Pikar, member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) Deputy CDAO for Acquisition and Acquisition Executive. She is the senior procurement executive responsible for acquisition and procurement of all CDAO data, analytics, and AI-related capabilities. Pikar also serves as the milestone decision and approval authority for all CDAO research, development, and acquisition activities, with an annual budget of approximately $685 million.

Prior to her current position, Ms. Pikar served as the inaugural Command Acquisition Executive (CAE) and the Director of Acquisition and Technology Directorate (J9) of U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), where she oversaw and guided the development and integration of critical cyber capabilities as part of the Joint Cyber Warfighting Architecture portfolio exceeding $4 billion. Previously, she served as the Acting Assistant Director for Cyber Portfolio and the Associate Director for Cyber Strategies in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)). She has also served in various leadership positions in the Army, including Senior Civilian Fellow and Strategic Planner in the Chief of Staff of the Army’s (CSA) Strategic Studies Group (SSG) and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)) and the Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM), now part of the Army Futures Command (AFC).

Pikar holds a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering and is a member of the DoD Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP). Awards and honors include the Department of the Army Award for Superior Civilian Service, Special Act and Service Award for outstanding leadership in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the CERDEC Employee of the Year.