CDR Thomas Sampson, USN, Ret.

Tom Sampson is a 1999 graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He holds a Master of Information Technology Management and a Master of Business Administration, both from The American University in Washington, D.C. Sampson enlisted in 1999 as a Naval Aircrewman Operating on the P-3C Orion then ultimately commissioned on 21 September 2001. Designated Naval Aviator in the SH-60B Seahawk he deployed in 2005 supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, then conducting Anti-Piracy Operations off the Horn of Africa in 2006. Sampson’s shore tours include Chief of Naval Operations Staff (OPNAV N88), Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Office of Naval Research / Navy Research Lab (ONR/NRL), Submarine Forces Pacific (COMSUBFOR/CTF34), USFF Defense Support of Civil Authority (DSCA). Ultimately serving in the F-35 Joint program Office as the Chief Information Officer responsible for the full information systems supporting the F-35 Lightning II Program. His civilian career includes several IT consulting positions in defense, healthcare, finance, retail, advertising, manufacturing and education. He is currently on the advisory board of Logistiwerx and is an executive for a global defense shipbuilding firm.