ML Mackey is the CEO and a Co-founder of Beacon Interactive Systems, a digital innovator and a non-traditional defense contractor headquartered in Waltham, MA.  Beacon has successfully delivered multiple mission critical Programs of Record to the Department of Defense. 

Ms. Mackey is an EXCOM Board Member of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) as well as the Chair of NDIA’s Small Business Division.  She is a past Chair of the National Small Business Association (NSBA) and in 2022 was named the NSBA Small Business Advocate of the Year.   

Ms. Mackey is a recognized thought leader on Small Business in the Defense Industrial Base and is frequently asked to contribute her expertise at both regional and national venues, including multiple Congressional Hearings, National Academies of Science engagements, and national media outlets including the Washington Post, Politico and the Wall Street Journal. 
 
Prior to co-founding Beacon, she worked at Digital Equipment Corporation where she began her career as a hardware engineer. Ms. Mackey is a proud graduate of Lehigh University with a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering.