John Robusto
Mr. John Robusto is an Intelligence, Engineering and Acquisition professional who has served the United States with distinction in assignments with the Marine Corps, Navy, Army, National Reconnaissance Office and Special Operations. He currently serves as the Director for Strategic Programs at Penn State University Applied Research Laboratory (ARL). ARL executes a broad research portfolio that addresses national security needs from the bottom of the ocean to geo-synchronous orbit, and throughout cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum.
Mr. Robusto has extensive experience in assisting business leaders in evaluating the market for advanced technologies in government applications, and in navigating the agency and congressional budgeting and procurement process. He is an internationally recognized expert in technology, space systems, surveillance, reconnaissance, and intelligence. He holds multiple U.S. patents in information fusion and space systems. In government, and in the private sector, he has direct multinational experience working in thirty-five countries in support of U.S. and allied interests.
His career in government placed him at the highest echelons of the defense and intelligence communities, directly involved in advanced technologies, and in acquisition, procurement, planning and budgeting in multiple agencies. For the U.S. Navy, he served as Special Executive to the Chief of Naval Operations, executing strategies and operations on behalf of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In that capacity, he defined and executed partnerships with multiple U.S. agencies, departments, and other governments. For U.S. Naval Aviation, he served as Executive Director, Intelligence and Special Programs, and Chief Technology Officer with Naval Air Systems Command, as the senior Naval Aviation official for all matters in technology, intelligence, and special operations.
Mr. Robusto served in the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) as the SIGINT Directorate, Assistant Director for Programs (RDO), and as Chief, Architecture Division, Integrated Overhead SIGINT Architecture Phase II, Special Program Office. He served as Deputy Commander, C4ISR and Science and Technology for the Marine Corps Systems Command; as the Senior Acquisition Official, Defense Milestone Decision Authority, and the personnel authority. He oversaw a broad range of USMC investments including C5ISR, experimental weapons, support and maintenance.
He also served as Managing Director of the U.S. division of a London-based public company. He oversaw a portfolio of multiple U.S. and other subsidiary businesses, with duties that included financial and profitability goals, as well as planning and executing mergers and acquisitions. He has served as CEO of a U.S. company providing software technology for secure communications and oversaw international operations, including partnerships with major, international telecommunications companies.
Mr. Robusto’s awards include the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award, Navy Superior Civilian Service Award, Marine Corps Meritorious Civilian Service Award, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Navy Commendation Medal, special recognition from the Department of Justice, and the TELLY Award as Executive Producer for SEA POWER 21.
He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and holds AS, BBA (Summa Cum Laude), and MS (Engineering) degrees. He completed the USMC Brigadiers Orientation and the General Officers Warfighting Course, as well as the Defense Systems Management College, and executive programs at UNC Chapel Hill and Carnegie Mellon. He served as adjunct faculty at the University of California, San Diego, where he developed and taught graduate software engineering.