Heather Caudle Joins Aquia Inc. as Senior Vice President of Growth and Strategy

Caudle will lead Aquia's federal growth strategy, scaling the SDVOSB’s business development and capture functions

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2026 -- Aquia Inc., a cloud and cybersecurity digital services firm, today announced the appointment of Heather Caudle as senior vice president of growth and strategy. In this role, Caudle will own and scale Aquia’s growth strategy, overseeing business development, capture, and strategic partnerships as the company deepens its footprint across federal government agencies.

Caudle brings more than a decade of experience in the federal government market, with a proven track record of building and managing pipelines exceeding $2 billion, winning business in multiple agencies across complex competitive vehicles, and scaling growth functions within small businesses.

Most recently, she served as vice president of federal business development at Oddball, where she drove business development across a federal civilian and Department of Defense (DoD) portfolio. Prior to that, she spent nearly eight years at Valiant Solutions, rising to director of government solutions and expanding the company's presence across 11 agencies.

"As Aquia transitions from a small business to a mid-sized company, building the right leadership team is everything," said Kalid Tarapolsi, chief growth officer of Aquia. "Heather brings exactly the kind of experience and drive we need to match the pace of our growth. We're excited to have her leading the charge on federal expansion and helping us scale in a way that's strategic and sustainable."

Throughout her career, Caudle has been recognized for her ability to identify and mature high-value opportunities, build lasting relationships with federal agency leaders and industry partners, and lead cross-functional teams through the full business development lifecycle. Her experience spans business development, capture management, pricing strategy, proposal leadership, and program management.

“I’m incredibly excited to join Aquia at such a pivotal time,” said Caudle. “I’ve been following the company’s growth and success for years, and it’s clear that the team has built something truly special. I’m looking forward to working alongside such a talented and passionate group to help continue that momentum and drive the next phase of growth.”

Caudle is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified Business Professional and holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from East Carolina University. She is based in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

About Aquia Inc.

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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