Bill is a multi-time Chief Executive Officer who has spent the entirety of his career leading people in high growth technology environments solving some of the world’s most difficult problems. He most recently founded First Light Acquisition Group, a Special Purpose Acquisition Company that completed at $230M public raise in September of 2021 (NYSE: FLAG).
Prior to First Light, Bill served as president, CEO and board member of KeyW Corporation, a 2000+ person, $500+M publicly traded company (NASDAQ: KEYW). KeyW excelled in agile cyber operations and warfare, data analytics and geospatial intelligence solutions for U.S. government intelligence and defense customers and commercial enterprises. Following the unexpected passing of KeyW’s founder, Bill joined KeyW and successfully lead the company through a 3+ year transformation, focusing on consistent growth and operational discipline – culminating in the merger of KeyW with Jacobs Engineering Group (NYSE: J) in the Spring of 2019.
Bill joined KeyW from XLA, a privately-held technology firm supporting the areas of national security and diplomacy, where he served as president and chief operating officer. Prior to XLA, he served as president of Kaseman, a privately-held technology services firm supporting the U.S. Intelligence Community. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Americas Warrior Partnership, a non-profit organization focused on using artificial intelligence and machine learning to end US military veteran suicide as a measurable statistic.
He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and began his career serving as a Captain in the U.S. Army, is an Airborne Ranger and was awarded the Bronze Star for actions during Operation Desert Storm. Bill holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Washington University in St. Louis and is a graduate of The Executive Program at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.