Marko Capayachi is a driver of change — and hot rods

Marko Capayachi is the enterprise architect and acting technical director/assistant product manager for the Deployed Theater Accountability System (DTAS) for Army Human Resource Systems at U.S. Army Program Executive Office (PEO) Enterprise. In that role, he’s responsible for mapping out DTAS and Installation Support Modules systems, so they integrate with the Army enterprise. He also is working on modernizing DTAS by moving it from aging hardware to the cloud. 

Capayachi came to PEO Enterprise in August 2024 after spending 4 ½ years as an enterprise architect with the Army Office of Business Transformation. Before that, he was an enterprise architect with several government contracting firms.  

We caught up with him recently to learn more about his career and personal life. 

Q. Where did you grow up?  

A. I was born in Fairfax Hospital and grew up in Centreville, Virginia. I attended George Mason University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in system engineering. Shortly thereafter, I went for my Master of Business Administration.   

Q. How has being bilingual helped (or not) over the course of your career?  

A. It actually has — but mainly in a mentor/mentee role. A lot of my mentors at the start of my career were Hispanic leaders who had similar upbringings as myself. I would like to participate in projects that allow me to work on bilingual assignments.    

Q. What led you switch from industry to government service?  

A. I became passionate about enterprise architecture as I saw how it can impact not only the system/function, but potentially the enterprise if integrated correctly. As a contractor, I was mainly an advisor, but as a federal employee, I became a driver of change.   

Q. What are some of your impressions thus far from working at PEO Enterprise?  

A. I actually enjoy the team dynamic a lot. The majority of my prior projects were architecture-based roles, so my engagements were mostly among architects. Here at the PEO, I have been able to learn much more about cross-functional roles than I previously knew.  

Q. What advice would you provide to young people interested in IT work?  

A. “The art of conversation lies in listening.” – Malcom Forbes. I’ve learned a great deal in my career by listening to others. By doing so, I have been able to understand different perspectives. Everyone has a perspective toward a solution; it’s mainly about figuring out how to mesh them all together.   

Q. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?  

A. Being a dad to a toddler and a newborn, there is no such thing as spare time. When everyone in the house is asleep, I like to spend time in my garage turning wrenches. I enjoy working on my cars and scooters. On the weekends, I'll usually go to Cars and Coffee.  

Q. Anything else you’d like to share?  

A. Words of wisdom my father gave me that I live by: “Love God, love your family and love yourself. If you follow the first three, no matter what you do for work, you’ll always love that too.”