Veteran And Women-Owned Status Shapes HX5 Under Margarita Howard

Two designations follow HX5 into nearly every conversation about its identity: service-disabled veteran-owned and women-owned small business. Both labels trace back to CEO Margarita Howard, whose service in the Air Force left her disabled and whose leadership now sits atop a defense and aerospace contractor with roughly 1,000 employees.

For job seekers leaving the military, those designations carry practical meaning. They signal a leadership team that has lived through the transition many veterans are about to face, rather than one guessing at what that experience involves.

More Than A Label

Howard’s own history, from Air Force service to earning a bachelor’s and a master’s degree to working on the Tricare program before eventually reaching the top of HX5, gives the designation substance beyond paperwork. “My background was influenced by military service,” she says, describing how that history continues to inform daily decisions at the company.

That influence shows up clearly in HX5‘s participation in the Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program. Since 2021, the company has hosted eight fellows, welcoming two service members each year through a Department of Defense SkillBridge arrangement that lets them work at HX5 during their final months in uniform.

Setting An Example For Others

Howard’s position as both a veteran and a chief executive offers a visible model of what a military-to-civilian transition can look like when it succeeds. That visibility matters inside a company built to support Department of Defense and NASA missions across more than 20 states, where clearance requirements and mission-focused work often feel familiar to veterans.

Smaller contractors like HX5 cannot match the fellowship volume of firms such as Lockheed Martin or Booz Allen Hamilton, but the veteran-owned designation, paired with Howard’s own story, gives the company a distinct voice in conversations about hiring veterans into specialized government contracting careers. Visit this page for additional information.

Learn more about HX5 on https://m.doyoubuzz.com/margarita-howard