Arlington, Virginia, United States, May 2026 — Elisa Soto has been appointed Vice President and Chief People Officer at CNA Corporation, bringing more than 25 years of human resources leadership experience across government contracting, defense, enterprise organizations, talent strategy, and organizational planning. In this role, she leads CNA’s strategic vision across organizational planning, change management, learning and development, talent management, compensation, benefits, and people operations.
Elisa has been associated with CNA Corporation for over six years. Prior to this appointment, she served as Vice President, Human Resources, where she played a key role in strengthening HR strategy, workforce planning, people processes, and employee-focused initiatives. She is known for her high-energy leadership style, people-first philosophy, transparent communication, and ability to build trusted relationships while guiding change across all areas of human resources.
Before joining CNA Corporation, Elisa served as Director Human Resources at OGSystems, where she provided strategic HR leadership for an $80 million government contracting business. Earlier, she spent more than 11 years with Vencore Inc. as Director, Human Resources, leading HR strategy, recruitment and retention initiatives, benefits administration, employee relations, compliance, and organizational integration programs. She also held HR leadership responsibilities at Perot Systems Government Services, building deep expertise in human resources strategy, organizational change, workforce management, and business partnership.
Alongside her corporate leadership journey, Elisa is also associated with the Washington Area Total Rewards Association (WATRA), where she currently serves as President after previously serving on its Board of Directors. With her strong background in HR leadership, organizational planning, compensation and benefits, change management, and culture-building, Elisa Soto is well-positioned to advance CNA Corporation’s people strategy and support its mission-driven workforce.
About CNA Corporation
CNA Corporation is a nonprofit research and analysis organization dedicated to the safety and security of the nation. It operates the Center for Naval Analyses, the only Federally Funded Research and Development Center serving the Department of the Navy, as well as the Institute for Public Research. With nearly 700 scientists, analysts, and professional staff, CNA develops actionable solutions to complex problems of national importance.
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