William A. Owens

Retired Admiral William A. Owens is a member of the Defense Policy Board.

In 2003, Owens sat on the "boards of five companies that received more than $60 million in defense contracts [in 2002]. Previously, he was president, chief operating officer and vice chair of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), among the ten largest defense contractors. One of the companies, Symantec Corp., increased its contracts from $95,000 in 2001 to more than $1 million in 2002. Owens, who served as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is widely recognized for bringing commercial high technology into the U.S. Department of Defense. He was the architect of the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA), an advanced systems technology approach to military operations that represents a significant change in the system of requirements, budgets and technology for the U.S. military since World War II. Owens serves on the boards of directors for several technology companies, including Nortel Networks, ViaSat and Polycom." 

"Bill Owens is the former president and chief executive officer of Nortel Networks. Previously, he was chief executive officer and chairman of Teledesic LLC and president, and chief operating officer and vice chairman of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), the nation's largest employee-owned high-technology company.

"Prior to joining SAIC, Admiral Owens was vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the second-ranking military officer in the United States. He had responsibility for the reorganization and restructuring of the armed forces in the post-Cold War era and has been widely recognized for bringing commercial high-technology into the Department of Defense for military applications.

"Admiral Owens has written more than 50 articles on national security and authored two books. He is a 1962 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He has a bachelor and masters degrees in politics, philosophy and economics from Oxford University and a masters in management from George Washington University.

"He has served on the boards of directors of several public companies including Telstra, Nortel Networks, Symantec, Daimler Chrysler, Polycom, Cray, and Tibco. Admiral Owens is the senior advisor to AEA Investors, LLC and is a member of several philanthropic boards including the Carnegie Corporation, Brookings, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center."


 * Strategic Director, Madrona Investment Group
 * Trustee, Carnegie Corporation of New York.
 * Chair, Metal Storm Limited