Donald Kelley has been in the defense industry for over 30 years. A three-time awardee of the Civilian Meritorious Medal, Mr. Kelley’s insights about his experiences in the industry will be valuable for the upcoming 10th Annual Defense R&D Summit.
Meet Donald Kelley as he joins other panelists at the 10th Annual Defense R&D Summit on January 31, 2024. Reserve your seats and register here.
Donald Kelley: Panelist at the 10th Annual Defense R&D Summit
- Event Organizer: Potomac Officers Club
- Date: January 31, 2024, Wednesday
- Time: 7:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (ET)
- Venue: Hilton Alexandria Mark Center
Donald Kelley is one of the invited executives at the Potomac Officers Club’s 10th Annual Defense R&D Summit. The discussion will cover the latest government contracting, U.S. defense modernization, and military technological developments.
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Take the chance to meet these industry leaders who will be the panelists for the 10th Annual Defense R&D Summit:
- Donald Kelley, Marine Corps Systems Command Liaison at Marine Corps Warfighting Lab
- Maj. Gen. Scott Cain, Commander at Air Force Research Lab
- Capt. Jesse Black, Commanding Officer at U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
- Dr. Patrick Baker, Director of DEVCOM at U.S. Army
- William Bailey, Director of AI/ML at Riverside Research
- Juan Ramirez, Chief Information Officer at the U.S. Department of Defense
- Michael Loomis, General Manager at Nokia
- Dr. Randy Yamada, Vice President at Booz Allen
- Dr. Richard Vaia, Chief Scientist for the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory
- Lt. Col. Benjamin Pimentel, Marine Corps Communications Officer and Electronics Engineer at U.S. Marine Corps
Donald Kelley’s Life, Success, and Career Journey
Donald Kelley leads the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory as a Marine Corps Systems Command Liaison. Mr. Kelley dedicated his entire career to serving the U.S. Department of the Navy.
His educational attainments align with his current profession, giving him full advantage to lead the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab. Mr. Kelley’s academic background and early assignments include the following:
- 1984: Bachelor of Science in Political Science at the University of Utah NROTC
- 1984 – 1996: Serving onboard Destroyers and Cruisers in the 7th and 3rd Fleet at the U.S. Navy
- 1989-1991: Master of Science in Information Systems at Naval Postgraduate School
Work and Leadership History
Donald Kelley became a Commander at the NAVAL Reserves and retired in 2007. While he was in progress with his Navy Career, Donald also worked with several private companies, including Raytheon, Hughes Aircraft Company, and Senior System Engineer at Ocean Systems Engineering Corporation. He also worked as Program Manager of the Radar Support Contract for EG&G’s PMS 465 Navy Radar Programs.
Mr. Kelley joined the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) in 2001. Since then, he has held several positions, including:
- CEC Surface Integration Manager
- PEO IWS point of contact to the Single Integrated Air Picture (SIAP) program
- Director of Strategic Planning for PEO IWS 6
- Team Lead and acting Deputy Program Manager for USMC CREW
- Product Director for the CAC2S Phase II
- Deputy Program Manager AC2SN
- Chief of Staff for the Program Executive Officer, Land Systems (PEO LS)
- MARCORSYSCOM Liaison to the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab
Due to his outstanding service, Donald Kelley has received various accolades, namely three Civilian Meritorious Medals, the 2021 Lawrence P. Kreitzer Leadership Award for Acquisition Innovation and Excellence, and the Civilian Superior Service Medal.
