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BY TRACY IDELL HAMILTON

At Port San Antonio, innovation is powered by companies like NTI, a federal services provider that recently expanded its offices on the Tech Port campus and named a new CEO. 

Founded by Dr. Kekai Namauu in 2020, Namauu Technological & Industrial is known for delivering mission-ready services in cybersecurity, digital modernization and integrated training across the federal landscape.

NTI recently tapped retired U.S. Air Force Command Chief Master Sergeant Hope Skibitsky to succeed Namauu, who has transitioned to Chief Systems and Strategy Officer.

Skibitsky brings nearly 30 years of military service to the role. Her leadership journey includes senior enlisted positions across global Air Force missions, including a pivotal post at the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, supporting both the Air Force and Space Force.

But what truly defines her leadership is her people-first mindset.

“I really love growing and developing humans,” Skibitsky said. “Throughout my military career, I had the opportunity to help others flourish and thrive. That’s something I’ve carried with me into every role since.”

Since joining NTI in 2023, Skibitsky has served as Chief People Empowerment Officer and later as Chief Growth Officer. In both roles, she helped shape the company’s culture, scale its operations, and launch professional development pipelines that reflect the company’s core values of trust, transparency, and accountability.

“We’re constantly asking: How do we build a culture where people love working here?” she said. “Sometimes that means having tough conversations, but always with trust. We want our team to know there’s room to grow—and that we’re growing with purpose.”

That purpose extends beyond business. As NTI scales, Skibitsky is focused on expanding opportunities for employees and reinvesting in the company’s nonprofit initiatives. “It’s not just about revenue,” she said. “It’s about what we can do with that revenue—for our people, for our community, and for the mission.”

NTI is a Native Hawaiian Organization (NHO)-owned company, which means some of the profits it generates help fund initiatives like education, healthcare, and cultural preservation within the Native Hawaiian community.

Like Namauu, Skibitsky is of Native Hawaiian heritage; her mother is Native Hawaiian. When she first agreed to do leadership consulting work for NTI, she didn’t realize it was an NHO. The coincidence felt like kismet to the former Air Force leader, who left Hawaii when she was a young girl.

“It was completely coincidental at first, and then it was incredibly intentional thereafter,” she said. “To be part of something that gives back to our Native Hawaiian culture is so meaningful for me, because I didn’t really have much exposure to that culture growing up.”

Skibitsky described her leadership style as deeply collaborative—especially with Namauu, whose vision continues to guide NTI’s strategic direction. That collaboration is rooted in a shared understanding of what leadership should look like as a company grows.

“Even though I founded NTI, my goal was never to hold onto the CEO title just because I started the company,” Namauu said. “The right person for the job should be the right person for the job—regardless of who launched the business.”

Namauu said Skibitsky’s rise through the company—from consultant to executive—was intentional and grounded in NTI’s people-first mission.

“We’re in the people business,” he said. “Hope started by digging into the human capital side—understanding everything from benefits to succession planning—and built a foundation that made her transition to CEO not just logical, but powerful.”

The company continues to grow.

In 2023, NTI expanded its footprint into downtown San Antonio, adding 55,000 square feet of space in the historic San Antonio Light building to better serve its growing federal customer base. The company added another 10,000 square feet in 2024, and in 2025 expanded to a second location at Port San Antonio. That office includes a studio for producing a wide diversity of content NTI uses to attract both new customers and potential employees.

For Port San Antonio, NTI’s growth is another powerful example of how the campus supports companies that serve national missions while honoring community roots. Will Garrett, the Port’s Vice President of Talent and Technology Development and Integration, sees NTI’s evolution as a reflection of the campus’s broader mission and value proposition.

“Watching NTI grow and elevate a new leader who blends strategic vision with a deep commitment to people and purpose is exactly the kind of transformation we’re proud to support at Port San Antonio,” Garrett said. “Hope’s leadership reflects the values that drive innovation across our campus—service, collaboration, and a focus on building lasting impact.”