Mercury Systems has recruited William Conley as chief technical officer, beginning September 30. As CTO, he will direct Mercury’s technology vision for the aerospace and defense industry.
Conley comes to Mercury from DoD, having served as the director for electronic warfare (EW) in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, also serving as an executive secretary for the Electronic Warfare Executive Committee. He led the $7 billion annual budget to develop and acquire EW weapon systems. Earlier, as a civilian, he was a program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where he led a portfolio of EW programs. He began his civilian DoD career as an engineer for the Navy, where he co-founded the Laboratory for Spectrum Technology Advanced Research at the Naval Surface Warfare Center – Crane Division.
Conley earned a Bachelor of Arts from Whitman College and a Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Philosophy from Purdue University, both in mechanical engineering.
Conley has been recognized with numerous distinctions and awards:
- He was the sole Navy civilian recipient for the prestigious Department of Defense Outstanding Employee with a Disability award in 2011 for his work on countering improvised explosive devices.
- He and his team received the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Technology, and Logistics Award for Excellence in 2016 for their contributions for addressing critical electronic warfare capability gaps.
- He was recognized by the Association of Old Crows (AOC) in 2018 with their Gold Award, the highest award from AOC, for his contributions to EW leadership.
- He and his direct reports were recognized by the AOC – Capitol Chapter with their annual Team Award in 2018 for contributions in advocating and securing funding for future programs.
“It’s a privilege to join Mercury at such a pivotal time in our industry and to be with a company at the intersection of technology and defense.” — William Conley