Washington, DC (June 27, 2025) — GovExec, the market-leading sales and marketing intelligence company for government leaders and contractors, announced today that Constance (Connie) Sayers will step down as the company’s President after accomplishing the foundational goals she set out to achieve. During her five years serving as President, Sayers was integral in building GovExec’s brand and driving its growth, including 14 acquisitions. The company has created two new leadership roles: Christie Bardo, who was previously EVP of Market Intelligence at GovExec, is being promoted to Chief Growth Officer for the company. Jennifer Pearce, who comes to GovExec from global information services company Zonda, will join GovExec as its Chief Solutions and Operations officer. These new appointments reinforce GovExec’s commitment to develop new solutions for government contractors in the public sector.

Christie Bardo brings several years of experience in managing multiple business models, including intelligence and SAAS sales, as well as product development and revenue growth across industries. Prior to GovExec, she served as President and Chief Revenue Officer at VetMedux, where she achieved 90% portfolio revenue growth and 260% SaaS ARR growth over a 3-year period. Bardo also served as SVP and General Manager at Zonda, the premier data company providing insights and solutions for leaders in the home building industry.

“Christie brings deep experience in revenue growth, product innovation, and business transformation,” said Hartman. “She has a strong vision for streamlined, high-impact solutions that address our clients' needs from every angle. Having Christie paired with Jennifer’s operational expertise will take GovExec to the next level of service for our government contracting clients.”

Jennifer Pearce joins the GovExec team as Chief Solutions and Operations Officer after working with Zonda as Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer. She led the development and execution of their data-driven B2B media and B2C ecommerce strategy and oversaw a 100+ team that was responsible for $30+ million in media and $15 million in ecommerce. Both Bardo and Pearce will work alongside Michael Mellody, Chief Operating Officer at GovExec, who will continue to oversee the company’s Data businesses, and Matt Ziegler, Chief Financial Officer. This team will work closely to enhance its client services across data and intelligence, research, product development, sales and marketing to continuously find ways to support clients and meet their needs today and in the future.

Sayers spent more than twenty years working with Government Executive Media Group (GEMG), beginning as Marketing Manager and eventually serving as Publisher, helping to launch the Defense One brand. For 12 years, she also led GEMG through an extraordinary period of growth, including when GEMG spun off from Atlantic Media and rebranded as GovExec in 2020. After taking on the role of President that same year, Sayers guided GovExec through 14 acquisitions that ultimately expanded the editorial, intelligence, events, and marketing services that now make up the company’s extensive portfolio.

“Connie has been an essential part of establishing GovExec’s position in the market and has built an amazing team,” said Tim Hartman, CEO of GovExec. “With Christie’s wealth of experience leading teams and with research and intelligence, and knowledge of GovExec, and Jennifer’s deep operations leadership, we look forward to accelerating our product development, sales pipelines, and innovation efforts to better serve our customers.”

“Through the span of my tenure, I have integrated multiple revenue types, including SaaS, research, and marketing services that set GovExec up for the significant expansion it has undergone. I’ve also helped the company navigate through Covid and a pivot to a fully remote work environment,“ said Sayers. “Now the organization is poised for growth in new ways, and I have decided it is a good time for my departure as the organization looks to further leverage the power of its data and intelligence tools, identify new service enhancement opportunities, and focus on new business development.”

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About GovExec:

GovExec’s data and insights set the standard for depth, accuracy, and impact for government leaders and contractors. GovExec provides data-driven strategic sales and marketing intelligence solutions that accelerate revenue growth to fuel market success. The platform is powered by the largest and most sophisticated database in the public sector, reaching over 3.3 million government influencers each month.

Media Contact:
Liz Stein/lstein@govexec.com