About Us

• About the Tech Industry
• Board of Directors
• Contact Us
• Make a Donation
• Staff
• Submit Idea/Feedback

Order 2011 Vision Conference CD

Offering a long-term forecast of the federal IT (5-year) and U.S. Defense (10-year) markets...read more.

John Shephard Biography

John Shephard
Senior Vice President – Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer
Exelis, Inc.

John’s areas of responsibility for Exelis, Inc., include corporate strategy, planning, and mergers & acquisitions. Prior to the Oct, 2011, spin-off of Exelis from ITT Corporation, he led these functions for ITT’s Defense and Information Solutions Group. He also led ITT Corporation government relations from April 2009 to September 2010, and global business development for the Defense and Information Solutions Group from April 2009 to April 2011.

Prior to joining ITT, John was CEO of Pallas-Athena Group based in Williamsburg, Va., where he provided strategic, financial, and operations consultation to clients including start-ups and emerging technology-based ventures, private equity funds and Fortune Global 500 corporations.

Previously, he was President, Newport News Industrial Co., and Sector Senior Vice President, Operations, Northrop Grumman-Newport News, where he led operations for a $3 billion business sector that designs, builds and maintains nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines. Ships produced during his tenure include the nuclear-powered carriers U.S.S. Harry S. Truman, U.S.S. Ronald Reagan, and U.S.S. George H. W. Bush, and several U.S.S. Virginia class submarines.

Prior to that he served in a variety of leadership roles at Newport News Shipbuilding, Inc., to include Vice President, Manufacturing and Materials; Vice President, Strategy and Process Innovation; and Director, Strategic Planning.

John began his work in industry at Tenneco, Inc., following a distinguished military career, which included command and staff assignments from platoon to division level, combat duty in Operation Desert Storm with the 101st Airborne Division, a NASA leadership post, and a teaching assignment at the United States Military Academy.

John holds degrees from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was a White House Fellow. In 1999, the American Society of Engineering Management honored him as Engineering Manager of the Year.