Dean Acosta

Dean Acosta has served as IonQ’s first Chief Corporate Affairs and Government Relations Officer since September 2025, where he oversees all corporate activities in relations to communications, public affairs and government relations. 

Prior to IonQ, Acosta was the senior vice president and chief communications officer for Aerospace and Defense giant, Lockheed Martin, where he led global communications strategies and activities across the four business areas and internationally, and oversaw the corporation’s media relations, executive and employee communications, marketing communications, community relations and visual communications strategies and programs. He also led philanthropy initiatives that enhance the corporation’s reputation as a good corporate citizen.

Acosta has more than three decades of experience in communications, journalism and government relations, with much of it spent leading teams, in the technology, energy and aerospace and defense sectors. Most recently, he served as vice president and chief communications officer for Resideo, a smart home technology company, where he led employee and executive communications, media relations, social media and public affairs.

Prior to that, Acosta was vice president of global communications for two of Honeywell’s businesses, and he also served as Phillips 66’s global head of Corporate Communications. His career includes communications director roles at Lockheed Martin and Boeing. He also served as press secretary for NASA in the aftermath of the space shuttle Columbia disaster and through the shuttle program’s return to flight. He began his career as an award-winning print and broadcast journalist.

Acosta is on the board of directors for the STEM Next Opportunity Fund and previously served on the board of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio and his master’s degree in strategic communication and leadership from Seton Hall University.