President
Chairman of the Board
Vice President
Acquisition Excellence
In 2000, Mr. Wilson completed a distinguished federal service career of over 25 years with both the US Air Force and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, serving in major defense acquisition program management, contracting and financial management.
Before leaving federal service, Mr. Wilson served in the Senior Executive Service, SES, DV-4, 3-star flag position, of Director of Systems Acquisition, Undersecretary of Defense, Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. Mr. Wilson led the Department of Defense in four key areas: acquisition policy, systems engineering, acquisition management workforce qualifications and development, and major defense acquisition program management. He was first to be named Department of Defense Chair in the Executive Institute at the Defense Systems Management College, Defense Acquisition University, DAU, in Washington, DC. He is currently serving on the DAU Board of Visitors.
Prior to accepting his position at the Pentagon, Mr. Wilson was Executive Director of the USAF Electronic Systems Center, ESC, headquartered at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachussetts. As the senior civilian, he led an information technology acquisition and development organization comprised of more than 10,000 military, civilian, and contract support personnel, with an annual budget exceeding $5B.
Mr. Wilson's major defense acquisition program management experience includes Deputy Program Director for C-17, where he led day-to-day operations of the $21B, 550-person program office, Program Director for the $3.5B Advanced Tactical Air Reconnaissance Systems, ATARS, Joint Program, Deputy Director for the F-15 Eagle, and Program Manager for the Maverick Missile.
Mr. Wilson holds an MA in Business Management from the University of Northern Colorado, and a BBA in Accounting from the University of New Mexico. Mr. Wilson completed advanced studies at the Defense Systems Management College and the National Defense University, both in Washington, DC, and the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia. In addition to winning numerous professional awards, including the prestigious AFA/ASC Steward Award, Mr. Wilson is a Certified Public Accountant, and a Certified Acquisition Professional Level III in Program Management, Financial Management, and Contracting for Major Systems Acquisition. His military awards include the Purple Heart after his service in 1965 in Viet Nam for the US Army.
After receiving a BS from Pittsburg State University, John was accepted in the US Air Force Officer Training School. John's first assignment was as AF Liaison to Northrop Corporation and General Dynamics in the development and testing of a presidential-directed intermediate fighter aircraft for foreign military sales, FMS. Also, he worked with the Royal Saudi AF, Yemen AF, and the US Navy, on their fighter upgrade requirements.
After working in FMS, John was stationed at AF Space Command in Colorado Springs. In this role, he was appointed as a Command Manager and Division Chief in the Missile Warning Directorate, working closely with the then AF Systems Command and private industry on survivable wartime communcations.
John's career led to the Air Force ROTC next which allowed him to work with some of the best young people in America. From there, John returned to acquisition and completed his active duty career at Hanscom AFB, in Bedford, Massachusetts.
John earned his Master of Arts in Business Administration and Management, from Central Michigan University. His military awards include the Meritorious Service Award, two AF Commendation medals, an AF Achievement Medal, and numerous service awards and campaign medals.
After John's military service, he joined Scitor Corporation in Reston, Virginia, as an Acquisition Consultant to the National Reconnaissance Office, NRO. At Scitor, he was instrumental in establishing the widely acclaimed NRO Acquisition Center of Excellence, ACE. John supported hundreds of source selections for the NRO, CIA, NSA, FBI, and other agencies, as well as trained over 14,000 students in acquisition courses. John is a Certified Level III Acquisition Professional.
John joined BzD in 2007 and has established a world-class acquisition training and support team dedicated to excellence in acquisition for government and commercial enterprise.