Stu Shea

Shea was the founder and chairman of the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, and served as president, CEO, and Chairman for its first 10 years. Shea stepped down as USGIF CEO and Chairman of the Board on April 15, 2014.

Shea is currently Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Peraton, a national security technology company. He is the former President & Chief Operating Officer of Leidos, Chief Operating Officer of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), President of SAIC’s national security business, and former vice president of Northrop Grumman and TASC’s Space and Intelligence Business.

Shea started his career in National Security as an imagery analyst and remote sensing specialist with the Kansas Applied Remote Sensing Program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Space Technology Center. In 1982, his first post-academic role was with Rome Research Corporation as a software engineer, designing some of the earliest implementations of computer mapping for the CIA, NSA, USAF and Defense Mapping Agency. From 1982–1987, Shea served as Senior Staff Member and Technical Director, Digital Cartography for PAR Government Systems Corporation, leading advanced computer mapping research in cartographic generalization, automated character recognition, and cartographic applications for tactical and strategic systems. He joined The Analytic Sciences Corporation (later called TASC) in 1987, serving as Member of the Technical Staff, Section Manager, Department Manager and Program Manager until the acquisition of TASC by Primark Corporation in 1991. From 1991 to 1998, he served as the Director, Imagery and Geospatial Systems. When Litton Industries acquired TASC, he then served as Senior Vice President and Strategic Business Unit Director, Information Management. With the acquisition of Litton by Northrop Grumman in 2001, Shea served as Vice President as the General Manager, Space and Intelligence Business Unit.

In 2005, Shea joined Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), and led the National Security Space Business Unit and the Space & Geospatial Intelligence Business Unit. In 2007, he was named President of the Intelligence, Security and Technology Group, renamed in 2010 to the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group. Stu led all SAIC’s support to the National Security Community. With nearly 13,000 employees and over $4B in revenues, his Group provided technology services and products for customers across the full spectrum of national security programs, including: cyber-security; HUMINT, ISR, SIGINT, GEOINT, support to special operations forces (SOF); intelligence analysis; linguistics; offense and defensive counter-space; and the development of technologies to support the fight against global terrorism.

In 2012, Shea was named chief operating officer of SAIC, an $11B scientific, engineering, and technology company. Shea was the principal architect leading the corporate split of Science Applications International Corporation into Leidos and the SAIC as two publicly traded companies when he served as the chief operating officer of SAIC. During that time, Shea led a team of 40,000 employees across 400 locations worldwide.

After the separation, Shea assumed the role of President and chief operating officer of Leidos, a $6B scientific, engineering, and technology company in national security, cybersecurity, engineering, and health. In the Spring of 2014 after the stand-up of the company, he resigned as COO.

After Leidos, Shea served in an advisory capacity to public and private companies, government agencies, private equity investors, and academic institutions as CEO of Shea Strategies, LLC. In June 2017, Veritas Capital appointed Shea the CEO of MHVC Acquisition Corp. Veritas Capital acquired MHVC, formerly Harris Corp.’s Government Services business. In August 2017, MHVC was rebranded by Shea as Peraton.

Shea has served as a member of many industry, government, and academic advisory Boards. In 2003, Shea was named as one of the 12 members of the National Commission for the Review of the Research and Development Programs of the United States Intelligence Community. He was appointed by the Speaker of the House, J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL), in consultation with the Chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives, Porter J. Goss (R-FL).

Across his career, he has been the Chairman of the Board of multiple companies, and either Trustee or Board Member of many others. These include: Chairman of the following Boards: Senior Advisory Group (SAG) Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), USGIF, Science, Engineering and Technology (SET), CloudShield Technologies, Inc., Leidos Enterprise Properties, LLC, Leidos Realty, LLC, Campus Point Realty Corporation, Hicks and Associates, Inc., bd Systems, Inc., and SM Consulting.

Shea also served as a Member of multiple Boards, including: Fornetix, Cohere Technology Group, Riverside Research, National Intelligence University Foundation, Applied Research Solutions, George Mason University College of Science, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Working Mother Media, Geospatial21 / KidZ On-line, Intelligence and National Security Alliance, National Academy of Sciences National Research Council Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems Marine Board, University of Kansas College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and the University of Virginia Department of Systems and Information Engineering.

Shea is an internationally recognized author and has served on several major international refereed journal editorial boards.

Shea is a recipient of numerous industry and government awards. In 2018, Shea was recognized by Robert Cardillo, Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), with the GEOINT Hall of Fame, for a legacy of service to the GEOINT Community. In 2017, Shea was recognized by the Honorable Jeffrey K. Harris, Chairman, USGIF, with the “K. Stuart Shea Endowed Academic Scholarship”, for a legacy of service to the GEOINT Community. In 2016, Shea was recognized by Director of National Intelligence, the Honorable Lt Gen James R. Clapper, Jr., USAF (Ret.) with the Intelligence Community Seal Medallion. In 2014, Shea was recognized by the Washington Business Journal in association with the National Association of Corporate Directors, with the Outstanding Director award. This award honors high performing outside directors whose service to their boards has been exceptional. She been recognized multiple times with Executive Mosaic Wash100 award, Federal Computer Week Fed100 award, and the Northern Virginia Technology Council NVTC Tech100 award. In 1997, Shea was named a Fellow, American Congress on Surveying and Mapping.

Shea received a Bachelor of Science from the State University of New York at Albany and a Master of Arts from the University of Kansas. In addition, he is a graduate of numerous executive education programs, including the Darden School of the University of Virginia, Harvard Business School, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and The George Washington University’s School of Business and Public Management.