Aquia VP of Governance, Risk, and Compliance Named 2026 Disruptive Tech Summit "Change Agent" Award Winner

Lloyd Evans recognized for his enhanced, next-generation cATO+ methodology that transforms federal compliance from months to weeks

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2026 -- Aquia Inc., a cloud and cybersecurity digital services firm, today announced that Lloyd Evans, vice president of governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) at Aquia, has been named a 2026 Disruptive Tech Summit "Change Agent" award winner by FORUM. Evans will be recognized at the awards ceremony on March 17, 2026, at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington, Virginia.

The Change Agent award honors federal technology leaders who drive real, measurable mission impact while overcoming significant obstacles to advance innovation. Evans was nominated by the Digital Services Coalition (DSC) for his pioneering work developing the next generation of continuous authority to operate (cATO): cATO+, an engineering-driven compliance methodology that has fundamentally transformed how federal agencies achieve and maintain security authorizations.

"Lloyd exemplifies what it means to be a change agent in the federal technology space," said David Maskeroni, co-founder and CEO of Aquia. "His leadership allowed our federal partners to relieve the burden of manual documentation practices. The automations and methodology that Lloyd and our team introduced free up the federal workforce to take on other mission-critical work while knowing that their systems are operating securely. It is truly helping save time and money for our government while driving innovation forward. This award recognizes exactly that kind of bold thinking that drives real outcomes."

cATO+ has been successfully implemented across multiple federal agencies and is available on the Department of Defense (DoD) Platform One Marketplace, helping expand adoption across the government. 

cATO+ benefits include:

• 30% decrease in authorization time

• 50% shorter onboarding times

• 70% faster delivery of mission-critical applications to the end user

• Near-real-time continuous feedback cycles

"This award recognizes leaders who don't just implement technology — they fundamentally change how government operates," said Traci Walker, Executive Director of the Digital Services Coalition. "Lloyd's cATO+ methodology proves that federal agencies can deliver mission-critical applications faster while maintaining superior security standards. That's the kind of transformation that changes what's possible in government technology."

View all Change Agent award winners here.

About Aquia Inc.

Securing The Digital Transformation ®

Aquia is a digital services firm helping the government modernize systems and processes to improve outcomes for millions of Americans. Since 2021, we’ve helped our country’s Veterans access earned benefits in days instead of weeks, generated millions in cost savings through cloud services and licensing optimization, enabled civil servants to double health care fraud investigations through streamlined cloud-based systems, and reduced authorization timelines by 74% through modernized security processes. 

As strategic advisors and engineers, we help our customers develop and deploy innovative solutions, adopt and implement digital transformation initiatives, and navigate complex regulatory landscapes. Named the “2024 Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) of the Year” by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), we are passionate about making our country digitally capable and secure.

Aquia has been recognized as the #1 Best Remote Startup to Work for in 2025 by Built In and a 2024 Great Place to Work by Inc. Learn more at aquia.us. 

Press contact for Aquia:

Ashling Knight

comms@aquia.io

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