AFCEA selected MITRE’s Alison Neu and Matt Klein to its 40 Under Forty leadership list for 2024. The award is given to 40 individuals ages 40 or younger for their significant contributions to the technical science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields by providing innovation, thought leadership, and support to the federal government using information technology.
Alison Neu, department manager, Nuclear Command, Control and Communications (NC3) Futures, MITRE National Security, helps to shape the direction of the next generation of NC3 and ensure the effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. She oversees execution of a technically rigorous work program that leverages a broad set of disciplines including modeling, simulation, and analysis; prototype development; interface design; and agile software development.
Under Neu’s leadership, her team developed a framework to streamline acquisition by creating standard architectures that will be consistently implemented across multiple programs of record, totaling tens of billions of dollars, to realize cost and schedule savings.
She also supports MITRE’s early-career talent pipelines, team diversity, and on-boarding approaches to foster inclusive environments for new employees. Outside of our company, Neu actively engages with her alma mater, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, supporting her sorority alumni group by advising students in their professional development.
Joining MITRE in April 2024, Matt Klein, communications specialist and principal group leader, MITRE Center for Securing the Homeland, leads communications for the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology. He promotes cybersecurity standards and best practices across industry sectors and critical infrastructure.
Prior to joining MITRE, Klein led the outreach at CACI's Agile Solution Factory, growing its portfolio across federal and defense agencies. His influence extends beyond his role through community engagement, university relations, and mentorship. He regularly contributes insights to industry media outlets, such as AFCEA’s SIGNAL and Disruptive by Design podcast. He serves on leadership boards for AFCEA and the Federal Dukes Board for James Madison University. He also is part of the AFCEA Marketing Task Force to increase engagement across the AFCEA community. At CACI, he also directly mentored 30+ emerging professionals, fostering future talent in STEM; many of these individuals have secured clearances and successful careers in the field.