Rhett Dawson
President and CEO

Rhett Dawson has been ITI's president and chief executive officer since 1993.  Rhett has wide-ranging experience in government—at the White House, in Congress, at the Pentagon and with several federal advisory commissions.  In addition to his tenure at ITI, his private sector experience includes senior corporate management and the practice of law.

Prior to serving as president of ITI, Rhett was Senior Vice President, Law and Public Policy for the Potomac Electric Power Company.  At PEPCO, he was responsible for law and regulatory matters as well as governmental, community and public affairs.

During the Reagan Administration, Rhett served as Assistant to the President for Operations, where he managed the staff and decision-making process for President Reagan and was responsible for the Office of Administration and the White House Military Office. 

Before joining the White House, Rhett was a partner in the McNair Law Firm.  In 1986 he directed the work of the President's Special Review Board, which conducted the initial investigation of the Iran-Contra matter and played a key role in advising President Reagan.

Prior to that at the White House, under chairman David Packard, Rhett directed the President's Blue Ribbon Commission on Defense Management.  President Reagan implemented the Commission's recommendations for the Pentagon shortly after they were issued.

From 1982 until joining the Packard Commission, Rhett was a partner with Dickstein, Shapiro and Morin in the law firm’s corporate department advising clients including defense contractors on procurement matters before Congress and federal agencies.

Earlier in his career, Rhett worked for several Congressional committees.  He was Staff Director and Chief Counsel for the Senate Committee on Armed Services and Minority Counsel for the Senate Committee to Study Governmental Operations relating to intelligence activities (the Church Committee).

Currently Rhett serves on the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves, which is charged by Congress to conduct a comprehensive examination of how the Guard and Reserves are used in national defense and homeland security and to recommend changes regarding the National Guard and Reserves.  Rhett also serves as the vice-chair of the State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy.   He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a public policy think tank committed to articulating a pro-innovation agenda in Washington and internationally.   

Rhett received his undergraduate degree from Illinois Wesleyan University, where he was recognized as the 2001 Alumnus of the Year, and his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.  He is married to Mimi Weyforth Dawson and they have two children.