• 4×24 Leadership Program puts CEOs in the room with federal officials before decisions become public
• Engagements offer a closed circle of C-suite peers who share your exact pressures — not a generic networking mixer
• Members cite dinner insights turning directly into contract wins

The most effective CEOs in government contracting rarely get there by working in isolation. They surround themselves with peers who understand the same pressures, the same procurement cycles and the same government customers — and they find ways to hear directly from the officials shaping the policies that affect their business.

That’s the premise behind Executive Mosaic’s 4×24 Leadership Program, the organization’s most exclusive networking community for SVP and C-suite-level GovCon executives. For CEOs looking to stay ahead of where their market is headed, membership offers something hard to replicate anywhere else.

What Is the 4×24 Leadership Program?

The name explains the model: groups of up to 24 members meet four times a year for closed-door dinners built around a single government guest of honor. Each dinner is governed by Chatham House Rule, meaning members can speak candidly — and hear candid answers — without the conversation ever becoming public.

A tailored government speaker delivers remarks and then spends the rest of the evening mingling with the group. Van Gurley, president and CEO of Metron, said that structure is exactly what makes the dinners valuable.

“It’s the fact that we can have honest conversations…Everyone gets to ask at least one question and sometimes many more as we get into a discussion,” Gurley said. “That gives our speakers and our guests the opportunity to speak unfiltered about what’s really going on.”

Curious what an unfiltered conversation with a senior official could do for your business? Inquire about joining 4×24 today to find out.

What Have Members Gained From These Conversations?

The access members describe isn’t just informational — it translates into tangible business results. Members have cited securing direct follow-up meetings with a visiting speaker or their office in the weeks after a dinner, turning a single evening into an ongoing line of communication with a key decision-maker.

Others have credited a 4×24 dinner with reshaping how they compete. After hearing a government speaker lay out priorities or pain points firsthand, members have taken that insight back to their teams, adjusted a proposal or pursuit strategy accordingly, and gone on to win the resulting competition. It’s the kind of edge that’s difficult to manufacture through market research alone — it comes from hearing, unfiltered, what an agency actually needs before that need becomes a formal solicitation.

That edge is available at your next 4×24 dinner. Apply for membership and start hearing it firsthand.

Which Group Is Right for a CEO?

4×24 is organized into targeted groups so members are consistently in the room with the peers and officials most relevant to their business. Current groups include:

• Public Sector Leadership
• Business Development
• CTO
• Contracts
• CIO
• Secure Supply Chain
• Department of War
• Intelligence
• DHS/FedCiv
• Air & Space
• Army
• Unmanned Systems
• Cyber
• AI
• FutureG
• Quantum
• Group 1 Leadership
• Group 2 Leadership
• CXO
• CFO
• Cloud/Digital Infrastructure
• Healthcare

CEOs typically choose one group that aligns with their company’s focus and stay with it, building a consistent set of relationships over time. (Often, for CEOs, this is Group 1 or Group 2, but not always.)  Gurley said his primary group has still opened doors well outside his usual customer base. His company works mainly with DARPA and the Navy, but, when he spoke with us, said his next 4×24 dinner will feature a speaker from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency — a customer set he doesn’t typically engage with.

“This gives me insight on people that I don’t know in organizations I have never interacted with,” Gurley said.

Why Do CEOs Value the Peer Network as Much as the Government Access?

For many members, the industry relationships built inside 4×24 are just as valuable as the government access. John Zangardi, founder and CEO of Mirtillo Consulting LLC, former CEO of Redhorse and Wash100 Award winner, has now chaired 4×24’s Group 2 Leadership for six straight seasons. He said the role has sharpened how he thinks about the community on both sides of the table.

“I really enjoy dealing with my peers in industry — bringing them together, understanding their concerns and conveying that to the government folks that we have speak at various dinners,” Zangardi said.

For decades, 4×24 has given GovCon executives a standing seat at the table with the officials shaping their market — long before “networking” became an industry buzzword. John Steckel, CEO of AMERICAN SYSTEMS, is proof of that staying power: he’s held a 4×24 membership for more than 15 years across several companies.

“On the networking side, it’s fantastic. You get to meet your peers from other companies, people you may never have met before, and you have the chance to establish relationships that carry forward not just within the Executive Mosaic community, but also throughout the broader business world,” Steckel said.

Fifteen years of membership speaks for itself. Join American Systems, Metron, Mirtillo Consulting and other GovCon leaders in 4×24.

Which Government Leaders Have Addressed 4×24 Groups?

Part of what makes 4×24 dinners valuable is the caliber of government leaders who attend. Notable past speakers include:

• Department of War Chief Information Officer Kirsten Davies, a Wash100 Award winner
• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, also a Wash100 Award winner
• Jeth Rey, Army deputy chief of staff, G-6
• Sonny Bhagowalia, assistant commissioner of the Office of Information and Technology and chief information officer at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, another Wash100 Award honoree
• Aaron Bishop, chief information security officer for the Department of War

For CEOs, a seat at these dinners means direct exposure to the people setting priorities and budgets across the Department of War, intelligence community and civilian agencies — well before that direction becomes public. Gurley said that kind of insight is exactly why he joined.

“It provides unmatched access to senior officials in the government that provide deep insight for those of us in industry that are trying to make sure we understand what’s coming around the next corner,” Gurley commented.

What Other Benefits Come With 4×24 Membership?

Beyond the quarterly dinners, 4×24 membership includes:

• Discounted access to Potomac Officers Club summits — full-day monthly events built around a single industry topic, featuring keynotes and panels from both government and industry speakers
• Guaranteed media exposure across Executive Mosaic’s media properties, including GovCon Wire, ExecutiveBiz and ExecutiveGov
• A lasting peer network that members say carries forward well beyond the program itself

How Can CEOs Join 4×24?

CEOs don’t have to navigate GovCon alone. 4×24 gives them a standing seat at the table with both the peers and the government leaders shaping the industry’s direction — and, as members have shown, a real edge when it comes time to compete.

Apply for 4×24 membership to choose your group and start building your circle.