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Vice President, Business Development – Defense
Lavar McDowell is a seasoned DoD industry professional with over 23 years of experience supporting mission-critical Information Technology and Command and Control (C2) Operations across the Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. Army, the Intelligence Community and multiple Combatant Commands. Lavar currently serves as a Vice President of Business Development – Defense at Tyto Athene, where he leads business development strategy and execution across the company’s entire Defense portfolio.
His extensive background in network and systems engineering, senior C4 systems engineering, and project management provides him with a unique customer-centric perspective that drives success in his role. In addition to his industry leadership, Lavar is an Army Signal Reservist, serving as the Joint Operations Center (JOC) Senior Operations NCO in the USEUCOM J3 Mission Command Center in Stuttgart, Germany.
Lavar’s expertise and contributions to the field have earned him industry recognition, including being named AFCEA International’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2024, honoring professionals across government, industry, and academia. He is an AFCEA board member and holds multiple professional certifications, including Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Technology Specialist, and several other technical credentials.
