Veteran Shines Again as a Finalist in the 2024 Pinnacle Awards

Ryan Abbott was named a finalist for WashingtonExec's 2024 Pinnacle Awards in the Defense Executive of the Year category. The awards honor visionary leaders like Abbott, who drive innovation and guide their companies to advance the Department of Defense's mission.   

For Abbott, the mission is everything. He began his career in the U.S. Army, spending five years as a military police officer in, Africa, Afghanistan and Iraq. After transitioning to the civilian sector, he found himself at the Terrorist Screening Center, supporting vital IT projects, and eventually became a program manager overseeing the mission successes of multiple agencies. Throughout his career, Abbott has leaned on his passion for the mission to shape and guide his path as a leader.   

“I believe what we are doing always goes back to supporting our missions. When I can’t find the answer to a problem, I always focus on the mission and delivering excellence, the rest falls into place. That always seems to keep me on the right path,” Abbott said.  

Abbott's drive to find deeper meaning in his work led him to MetroStar in 2022. Abbott saw a company undergoing rapid growth and was drawn to the opportunity to continue pursuing that deeper meaning he believes in.  

“It was a no-brainer to join MetroStar. I wanted to be a part of the incredible vision that Ali Manouchehri created. I wanted to help accelerate and build on the story.”  

Abbott continues to build on MetroStar’s success, driven by his commitment to mission support. Abbot’s team spearheads multiple support contracts to the U.S. Marine Corps' Manpower Information Technology System Modernization (MISTM) program and the U.S. Marine Corps Technology Services Organization (TSO) program while also leading the DevCom Other Transaction Authority (OTA) efforts at MetroStar. The MISTM program is key in modernizing the Marine Corps' operations, uniting top talent to strengthen critical missions. Through the DevCom OTA, Abbott’s team leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to enhance the Army’s capabilities and provide soldiers with cutting-edge weaponry. He attributes his achievements at MetroStar to the dedication and skill of his team.  

“I am lucky to work with the team we have in place. Team building, expanding on that team, learning from our failures, and building on our successes,” Abbott said.  

Abbott believes that the key to his team's success lies in finding innovative ways to deliver MetroStar’s solutions. By embracing non-traditional methods, he has empowered his team to consistently meet customer needs while staying aligned with mission objectives. His team’s approach has allowed MetroStar to deliver impactful results, ensuring that their solution accelerators effectively support the ever-evolving demands of their clients.  

Check out MetroStar’s solution accelerators to learn more about how Abbott’s team is driven by the mission. Stay tuned on Nov. 21 via MetroStar’s LinkedIn to find out if Abbott has been selected as the Defense Executive of the Year by WashingtonExec.