On May 27, Parry Labs announced that it has named Don Claussen chief executive officer. According to the company, the appointment is the next step in a leadership structure Parry has been building toward as the company scales. Founder John “JD” Parkes assumes the role of executive chairman, remaining full-time and focused on strategy, investor relationships, and the long-term direction of the company.
Claussen brings more than 20 years of executive experience leading defense and technology organizations, including senior roles at L3Harris and Viasat and most recently as CEO of ST Engineering iDirect, a global communications technology company, deploying dual use technology with their commercial and U.S. government customers. A U.S. Army veteran, he served in uniform before his executive career. He later deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq on tactical communications programs and spent years working directly on deployed C4ISR systems.
“For the past decade, as a founder and CEO, I have been focused on building a defense technology company to solve our nation’s security challenges. Now more than ever it is paramount to build mission outcomes at speed and scale. As we, Parry, have continued to grow, I am happy to bring a new CEO and leader that will help us do that. The right leader for Parry will operate with humility, is driven by the mission, and has the proven experience to lead defense technology organizations to tremendous levels. I am confident Don is the right leader for Parry Labs,” said Parkes.
“I came to Parry because I believe the mission needs Parry Labs’ technology,” said Claussen. “As the DoW shifts its priorities, I am excited to help position Parry within this evolving opportunity space. The defense industry needs exactly these capabilities right now: open architecture, edge compute, C2, and integrated systems with the warfighter at the center.”
Under the new leadership structure, Claussen will assume responsibility for operating the business day to day, including execution, organizational alignment, and driving Parry’s operating model across its five sites in Virginia, Alabama, Maryland, Texas, and Iowa. Parkes will remain full-time as executive chairman, focused on strategic growth, investor relationships, and the company’s long-term direction.
Source: Parry Labs
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