Tara Murphy Dougherty is the CEO of Air, the leader in Enterprise Readiness. Under her leadership, Air has established a wide-ranging customer base across the federal government and every military service. Surpassing unicorn status in 2025, the company has consistently achieved 100% year-over-year growth in revenue through a unique and innovative go-to-market strategy that focuses on mission, product, and delivering customer value. Air was recently named #18 on the 2026NatSec100 list, achieving the largest upward advancement of any company in the 2026 index, an annual list of top venture-backed companies driving innovation in defense and dual use technology.

Prior to Air, Murphy Dougherty held leadership positions across the technology and government sectors, including at Palantir Technologies and at the Pentagon in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. She is a highly sought-after expert in defense innovation, acquisition transformation, and the role of technology in U.S. national security and an experienced speaker, often sharing the stage with senior military leaders and U.S. and international government officials at premier defense and technology events around the world.

Tara Murphy Dougherty serves on the Board of Directors for the National Defense Industrial Association and the National Defense University Foundation and on the Board of Advisors of the Reagan Institute’s National Security Innovation Base Program. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master’s degree from Georgetown University.