By 
Andover, MA-based Mercury Systems, Inc. announced on September 25 that William Conley, Ph.D., will join the company as senior vice president and chief technology officer, effective Sept. 30, 2019. In this role, Dr. Conley will direct and accelerate Mercury’s technology vision and leadership in innovative technology that provides state-of-the-art solutions to the aerospace and defense industry.
“I am thrilled to welcome Bill to Mercury’s leadership team,” said Mark Aslett, Mercury president and CEO. “He is a proven leader and innovator with extensive experience building world-class technology teams and developing highly-successful products and platforms in the defense industry. His expertise in envisioning the future will help keep Mercury at the forefront of delivering innovation that matters.”
“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,” said Dr. Conley. “I look forward to working with the leadership team and all my new Mercury colleagues to continue driving technological change, charting our future, and bringing innovative products and services to our valued aerospace and defense industry customers.”
“Dr. Conley’s expertise in anticipating and implementing new and emerging technology trends, especially in electronic warfare, aligns perfectly with Mercury’s strategy to deliver safe, secure and trusted solutions to the defense industry, and ensure our customers’ success,” said Didier Thibaud, Mercury’s Chief Operating Officer. “With his unique understanding of Department of Defense needs, he will also help us accelerate the process of bringing new technology to our defense customers as we bridge the gap between commercial technology and defense applications. I am looking forward to Bill joining our team.”
Dr. Conley brings to Mercury a wealth of experience in research, development, weapon system acquisition, technology road mapping, strategy development & implementation, and government. Prior to joining Mercury, he was a member of the Federal Senior Executive Service, serving as the Director for Electronic Warfare in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In that role, he led the $7 billion annual investment to develop and acquire electronic warfare weapon systems, while also serving as an executive secretary for the Electronic Warfare Executive Committee. Earlier in his civilian career, he was a program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where he led an innovative investment portfolio focused on electronic warfare.
He began his civilian 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. He has been recognized with numerous distinctions and awards. He was the sole Navy civilian recipient in 2011 for the prestigious Department of Defense Outstanding Employee with a Disability award for his work on countering improvised explosive devices. In 2016, he and his team received the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Technology, and Logistics Award for Excellence for their contributions for addressing critical electronic warfare capability gaps. He was individually recognized by the Association of Old Crows in 2018 with their Gold Award, the highest award the organization bestows, for his contributions to electronic warfare leadership. Bill and his direct reports were recognized in 2018 by the Association of Old Crows – Capitol Chapter with their annual Team Award for their contributions in advocating and securing funding for future programs.
Dr. 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. Dr. Conley will report to Didier Thibaud, Mercury’s Chief Operating Officer.
Source: Mercury Systems
