James Edward Thigpen
843-607-4887
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Vice President, Sotera Defense Solutions, May 2014 – Present
Responsible for business development, program execution, personnel management and business strategy for the Charleston office of Sotera Defense Solutions Incorporated.
Senior Vice President (SVP) and Services Group General Manager, SAIC February, 2013 – April, 2014
Responsible for creating the organization and processes associated with a new matrix business model for new SAIC. Created four tiger teams to: 1. Create and implement the new organization, 2. Design new business processes and tools, 3. Assign over 11,000 employees to new Service Lines and 4. Design and implement the transition plan and process for both transferring employees as well as establishing new relationships with SAIC Customer Groups and functional staff. Led said tiger teams through this year resulting in the movement of 11,000 employees from Business Units to Service Lines.
Business Unit General Manager (SVP), SAIC. October, 2010 – February, 2013
Responsible for Strategy, Profit and Loss, Business Development, Contracts and pricing, Legal, Contract execution, Finance, Human Resources, Facilities, Procurement, IT, Communications and Ethics. Annual Revenue was $500M. Average employee count was 2,400. Lead three Operations:
Platform Integration ($300M) Enterprise Architecture / Information Technology ($100M) Aviation Operations ($100M) – located at Naval Aviation Systems Command, Lexington Park, Maryland
Primary customer base is Department of Defense. Secondary customers are DHS, Department of State, and Boeing Commercial Aircraft Company. I managed multiple Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programs within my three Operations. Responsible for management of over 100 Subcontractor organizations on multiple Prime contracts. Led the BU Business Development Team through the entire capture process for five US Navy (SPAWAR) Pillar MAC contracts worth $4.5B total (we won all 5) as well as:
A Dual award contract worth $698M A Single award IDIQ contract worth $280M A Single award Systems Engineering Seaport E contract worth $ 99M And a Single award IDIQ contract in Feb. 2013 worth $700M
Deputy BU General Manager (SVP), SAIC. 2009 - 2010
Led three C4IT Divisions while growing from $250M to $300M in revenue and managing over 1,700 employees. I personally achieved a subcontract with Boeing Commercial Aircraft Corporation in Charleston, S.C for assembly line workers in support of BOEING 787 final assembly activity. At the peak, this involved over 100 SAIC employees.
Also during this period, we broke into the US Special Operations support market by winning a fixed price, single award GSA contract with over 110 FTEs wherein we are the sole direct support contractor for the Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) logistics support to the G-4 of that command.
Vice President and Division Manager – EMA / SAIC 2005 – 2009
Led multiple Program Managers in support of the USMC and the FBI. Major USMC Projects included the USMC Communications over the Horizon; on the Move Relay System (CONDOR); Unit Operations Center, (UOC); Division COC; Blue Force Situational Awareness (BFSA); and Up Armored HMMWVS (UAH). FBI projects included Investigative Data Warehouse (IDW) and Document Laboratory (DOCLAB). Responsible for three separate EMA geographic sites: Charleston, S.C., Quantico, Va. and the FBI in Washington, D.C. I was responsible for over 40 subcontractor employees at all three sites. Senior Program Manager for the USMC Commercial Enterprise Omnibus support services (CEOss) contract vehicle at Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va. Signature achievement during this period was winning a $500m single award IDIQ contract from SPAWAR, Atlantic wherein I was the Capture Manager and the initial Program Manager. Final realized value was over $700m.
Program Manager - EMA 2001 2005
PM for Marine Corps Programs supported by SPAWAR Systems Center Charleston including: Tactical Combat Operations (TCO), Global Command and Control System (GCCS), Intelligence Operations Workstation (IOW), Data Automated Communications Terminal (DACT), Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Software Baseline (MSBL), Intelligence Analysis System (IAS/MEF IAS), Tactical Exploitation Group (TEG), Unit Operations Center (UOC) and Common Air Command and Control System (CAC2S).
United States Marine Corps June 1974 - April 2001
Marine Air Control Group 28, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Commanding Officer: (2/99 - 2/01) Senior manager and planner for command, control, communications, computers, airspace coordination, air traffic control, air defense, Unmanned Air Vehicles and automated network management operations for an organization of 1900 Marines in five squadrons and one battalion. Responsible for the operational and tactical employment, logistics, administration, manpower management, intelligence throughput and equipment readiness for over 2000 pieces of combat equipment. Awarded a second Legion of Merit for performance as a Commanding Officer
Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va.
Acquisition Program Manager: (8/96 - 2/99) Certified Level III by the Defense Acquisition Workforce Program, for Command Information Systems at Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, VA. Responsible for leading research, development, testing, procurement, fielding and lifecycle management of over 30 US Marine Command and Control Systems and Information Systems Led a workforce of 35 Marines and 30 US civil servants (primarily engineers). Awarded the US military Legion of Merit for accomplishments during this period.
Joint Staff, Pentagon
Political/Military Planner: (9/93 - 8/96) Principle United Nations and peacekeeping policy planner for the Director for Strategic Plans and Policy, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon. Responsible for drafting, staffing and finalizing US positions on United Nations peacekeeping policy. Duties included drafting UN Security Council Resolutions in cooperation with the US Department of State, staffing these within the Department of Defense, briefing the Resolutions to Senior United Nations officials in New York and obtaining the Chairman of the JCS signature of approval.
Marine Air Control Squadron 4 Okinawa, Japan
Commanding Officer: (7/90 - 7/92) Lead 250 individuals in the employment of air defense and air control assets for the US Commander in Chief, Pacific. I was responsible for administration, operations, logistics, manpower management and judicial matters for a combat support organization that operated throughout Japan, Korea, Thailand, Australia and the Philippines.
Headquarters Marine Corps Washington, DC
Acquisition Sponsor’s Project Officer: (8/84 - 7/88) Responsible for determining requirements, acquiring Congressional funding and leading a team of experts (researchers, logisticians, budget analyst and engineers) for multiple US Marine Corps Command, Control and Computer systems. Duties included preparing for and briefing the Assistant Commandant's Acquisition Review Committee for all milestone decisions for four large Marine Corps programs.
Various USMC assignments in air control and surface to air missile units – 1974 – 1984
EDUCATION:
M.S. equivalent, National Security Strategy & National Resource Management; concentration on Defense Industrial Base & the Armaments Industry, US Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort McNair, Washington, DC, 1993 Naval Aviation Safety School, Monterey, CA, January 2000 Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, VA, Advanced Acquisition Program Management Course (PMT 302); all aspects of Defense Acquisition Management, 1997 Military Sciences, Marine Corps Command & Staff College, Quantico, VA, 1988 - 1989 HAWK Missile Officers Course, Fort Bliss, TX, 1982 Advanced Communications Officers Course, Quantico, VA, 1981-1982 Aviation Weapons and Tactics Instructors Course, MCAS, Yuma, AZ, 1977 Air Defense Control Officers Course, Twenty Nine Palms, CA, 1975 B.S., Finance, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 1974
SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS:
Over 27 years of experience with the Marine Air Command and Control Systems. Experience was spread between Operational in the Fleet Marine Force; Acquisition duty at Headquarters Marine Corps and Program Management at Marine Corps Systems Command. Designated a Joint Duty qualified Officer in 1989 and served five years in Joint Commands. Retired Colonel, 27 years active duty.
As a business leader at SAIC from 2006 through 2013, grew annual revenue from $100M to $500M while moving from Division Manager to Operations Manager to Deputy General Manager to General Manager.
Signature operational achievement since joining the Defense industry is business and technical leadership of C4ISR engineering, integration and delivery for over 33,000 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) and various other combat vehicles to all Services between 2005 and today. At EMA and then SAIC, led the Prime contractor team operating under Navy Prime contracts to achieve all cost, schedule and performance goals for the entire fleet of said vehicles. In 2008, I received the SAIC CEO’s single Special Achievement Award for MRAP performance.
Current board positions include:
U.S. Navy League – Charleston Chapter
Executive Advisory Board, Citadel School of Engineering
Armed Forces Communications Electronics Association (AFCEA) Charleston Defense Contractors Association
Advisory Board, Charleston Chamber of Commerce