Our Story
Aquia was born from the belief that our country deserves the brightest cloud and cybersecurity talent working on its toughest challenges.
The Vision
Service has always been in our DNA. Our founders — both military veterans with deep government and private sector experience — saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between Silicon Valley innovation and the critical digital modernization challenges facing our nation.
The Journey
David Maskeroni, our chief revenue officer, witnessed government technology from every angle. As a United States Army officer, he led soldiers through two tours in Iraq. Then, as a civil servant at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), he helped implement the Affordable Care Act and modernize IT systems serving 74 million vulnerable Americans. Later, at a Silicon Valley health IT startup, he experienced firsthand how technology companies could truly care for their people while delivering exceptional results.
Chris Hughes, our president and chief executive officer, was already making waves in cybersecurity. A United States Air Force Veteran with 20 years of experience, he had served in civil service roles with the U.S. Navy and General Services Administration’s (GSA's) FedRAMP program. His reputation as a thought leader was growing through his consulting work, teaching at universities, and contributions to industry standards — including co-authoring books on software supply chain security and vulnerability management, and running the Resilient Cyber substack.
The Connection
When Dave and Chris met through their professional networks, the alignment was immediate. Both had seen how the best private sector companies operated — companies that invested deeply in their people and created cultures where everyone felt ownership in the mission. Both understood the critical importance of cybersecurity and digital modernization to national security and critical citizen services. And both believed that our government deserved better than industry partners delivering the status quo.
“Our country’s most complex digital modernization challenges require more than just technical skills. They need people who genuinely care about the outcome, who take ownership of the solution, and who won’t stop until it’s right.”
The Founding
Their vision was clear: create a digital services company that would attract top-tier talent to work on the problems that matter most, while building the kind of company where people could do their best work and feel genuinely cared for.
On February 4, 2021, Aquia Inc. was born. From day one, we've been an employee-owned company — because when you're asking people to dedicate their careers to a cause, they deserve to share in the success.
The Aquia team at the first company offsite in 2022.
Our Mission Today
We're not trying to be the biggest industry partner. We're focused on being the standard bearer — the company that comes to mind when someone asks, "Who should we call for our toughest cybersecurity and digital modernization challenges?"
Every decision we make centers on our people, because we know that when you take care of talented individuals who are passionate about their work, they'll move mountains to solve the problems that keep our country and communities safe.
What Drives Us
We believe exceptional outcomes require exceptional people who feel valued and are truly invested in the mission. We’re not chasing scale for scale’s sake or sacrificing long-term value for short-term results. We're building depth of expertise, authentic relationships, and solutions that make a lasting difference for our customers and our country.
Our Impact Today
Today, Aquia is the partner that agencies turn to when the stakes are highest. We've assembled some of our country’s best and brightest when it comes to cybersecurity, software engineering, design, cloud infrastructure, and compliance automation — not just to solve problems, but to set new standards for how digital modernization should be approached.
Every project we take on, every solution we deliver, and every relationship we build is guided by one principle: bringing the best talent to our country’s toughest challenges while ensuring our people thrive in an environment where they truly matter.
The Aquia team at the 2025 company offsite.
Stay in the Know
Sign up to receive updates.