Board of Directors

General Al Gray, USMC (Ret) serves as Chairman of the Board of the Potomac Institute of Policy Studies (PIPS). The PIPS serves as a non-partisan, not-for-profit policy research institute that provides an academic forum for the study of key national security, science and technology, and related policy issues. In addition to participating in monthly seminars related to the global terrorism challenge, he oversees the Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities (CETO), which operates as a futuristic think tank for the Marine Corps at Quantico.

General Gray has served as Board Chairman and CEO for several public and private companies and has consulted to United States and international industry and government. General Gray’s other duties have included service on the Defense Science Board; the Defense Special Operations Advisory Group; the National Security Agency Science Advisory Board; the National Reconnaissance Office Gold Team; the Defense Operations Support Office Advisory Team; and as Director of the Advanced Concept Demonstration Technology for Combat in the Littorals. Consistent with his interest in education and helping servicemen and women, he is trustee Emeritus of Norwich University, past trustee on Monmouth University, past member of the National Defense University Board of Visitors and is Chairman Emeritus of American Military University. He is Chairman Emeritus of The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund and the America Fund, having served over ten years, to help take care of wounded veterans and their families.

General Gray currently serves as Chancellor of The Marine Military Academy, Chairman of the US Marine Youth Foundation, Board of Trustee Chairman at the American Public University System, and Senior Mentor to the Defense Science Study Group.

In 1991, Al Gray retired after 41 years of service to the United States Marine Corps. From 1987-1991, General Gray served as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, and was advisor to both Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush. As Commandant, he instituted and published a Warfighting Philosophy for Marines based on the Maneuver Warfare Thought Process. General Gray developed and implemented a new long-range strategic planning process for the Marine Corps, established the Marine Corps University, and implemented other longstanding changes, such as ensuring that every Marine is a rifleman first and that the Marine Corps was Special Operations Capable.

General Gray enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1950 and achieved the rank of Sergeant while serving in amphibious reconnaissance with Fleet Marine Force, Pacific aboard the submarine USS Perch (ASSP-313). He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1952. In the early years, he held extensive assignments overseas in the Far East and Southeast Asia in infantry, artillery, intelligence, communications and special operations. He has held every infantry command assignment from platoon commander through Division Commander and has commanded every Marine Air Ground Task Force from Marine Corps Expeditionary Unit to Marine Expedition Force.

Among his awards are two Defense Distinguished Service Medals, two Navy Distinguished Service Medals, Distinguished Service Medals from the US Army, the US Air Force and the US Coast Guard, the Silver Star Medal, two Legion of Merits with Combat "V", four Bronze Star Medals with Combat "V", three Purple Hearts, three Joint Commendation Medals, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm and Star, as well as foreign awards from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Korea and The Netherlands.

General Gray holds a B.S. from the University of the State of New York. He also attended Lafayette College, the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the Army War College. General Gray is the recipient of two honorary Doctor of Law degrees, one from Lafayette College and the other from Monmouth University, and was awarded a Doctor of Military Science from Norwich University. He was the first awardee of an Honorary Doctorate of Strategic Intelligence from the Defense Intelligence College (now the Joint Military Intelligence College), was awarded an Honorary Doctorate for Leadership from the Franklin University, an Honorary Doctorate for Public Service from the American Public University System, and an Honorary Doctorate of Warfare Studies from the Marine Corps University.

In 2008, General Gray was inducted into the National Security Agency Hall of Honor for rendering distinguished service to American Cryptology.

JennBussDr. Jennifer Buss serves as the CEO of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. We develop meaningful science and technology policy options through discussions and forums and ensure their implementation at the intersection of business and government. She has extensive experience examining policy issues in support of NASA, and has been involved in their strategic planning processes for astronaut medical care and cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. She man­ag­es a vari­ety of OSD pro­grams includ­ing an out­reach effort for the Depart­ment of Defense to the start-up com­mu­nity across the coun­try to find inno­v­a­tive tech­nolo­gies to meet the chal­lenges faced by the Ser­vices and Gov­ern­ment agen­cies. Dr. Buss performs science and technology trends analysis and recommends policy solutions to some of the country’s most pervasive problems. She has also directed and assisted research on numerous government contracts, including systematic reviews and gap analyses. Dr. Buss is an authority in her scientific field with national recognition in her area of expertise. She is responsible for major projects requiring integration/coordination across multiple scientific disciplines.
 

Sojka001Gary Sojka is a partner of The Potomac Advocates, a Washington, D.C. consulting firm. He concentrates on a wide array of issues related to technology and government policy. Prior to this move into the consulting world, Mr. Sojka served as a professional staff member of the U.S. Senate for eight years, including positions on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Armed Services Committee. From 1992 to 1994 he held the position of Deputy to the Minority Staff Director on the Intelligence Committee. Mr. Sojka also has vast experience with strategic defense and intelligence, having acted as a defense analyst for both the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Office of Naval Intelligence.

Howard Schue is a Partner and Executive Vice President of Technology Strategies and Alliances Corporation specializing in line and marketing management, new business development, and strategic planning in the aerospace/defense and the command, control, communications and intelligence (C3I) industries. Mr. Schue served on the 1993 Defense Science Board Summer Study on Global Surveillance and on the 1994 Summer Study on Information Architecture for the Battlefield. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, The Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, the National Military Intelligence Association, the American Society of Military Comptrollers, the Air Force Association, the Association of Old Crows, the Reserve Officers Association, the Air War College Alumni Association, the Planetary Society, the West Point Association of Graduates, and the Army Athletic Association.

Lyle Ashton Cox, Jr. is Chief Scientist of Information Manufacturing Corporation. He has over thirty years of experience in high performance information systems in a wide variety of application environments. He has held a number of senior positions in information technology enterprises, including: MASINT Chair Research Professor, Naval Postgraduate School; Chief Architect, United States Measurement and Signature Intelligence System, Defense Intelligence Agency; Vice President, Corporate Development, Analytic Services Incorporated; Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, Science Applications International Corporation's Technology Applications Sector; Deputy Group Manager of Digital Equipment Corporation's Government Systems Group; Assistant Director, White House Office of Planning and Evaluation; and Director of the National Security Council Crisis Management System. Dr. Cox served in the United States Navy, rising to the rank of Captain. He also served as consultant to several state and local law enforcement agencies, lecturer (with rank of full professor) at George Washington University, and member of NASA's Advisory Committee on the International Space Station. He currently serves on the Board of Advisors of Potomac State College. Dr. Cox earned a Ph.D. in Computing Science at the University of California, and has also earned degrees in engineering, law, and astronomy. Dr. Cox is an active member of the Chickasaw Nation.

John J. Young, Jr.,Member, Board of Directors, Board of Regents, and Senior Fellow.
The Honorable John Young is a former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. Mr. Young’s distinguished career includes past positions as Director, Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E); and Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition (ASN(RDA)). Prior to these Senate-confirmed positions, Mr. Young served ten years as a professional staff member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Defense.

T Glum Ted J. Glum is the former Director of the US Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA), serving in that capacity from its inception in 1996 to his retirement in 2018. As the Director, Mr. Glum reported to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, (ASD (R&E)), and was responsible for over $2 Billion of microelectronics technology programs in addition to numerous classified programs for the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community.

DMEA provides a vital service to acquisition programs and operational fielded systems including field modification, upgrade, transition and support; and advancing microelectronics research, development, technologies, and applications to achieve the Department’s tactical, strategic and national security objectives. DMEA capabilities include a one-of-a-kind flexible foundry which enables DMEA to provide critical parts for intelligence, special operations, and combat missions as well as providing parts that are unobtainable in the commercial market. As such it serves the DoD, other US Agencies, industry and Allied nations and has been designated as a Critical National Resource by the US Government.

Prior to assuming the duties of the Director for DMEA, he served as the Chief of the Science and Engineering Division within the US Air Force Material Command (1994-1996). In this capacity, he was responsible for the Air Force’s Advanced Microelectronics Program, Advanced Composites Program, Electro-optics Program, and the Physical Science Special Testing Program.

Among his accomplishments and awards are the Federal Laboratory Director of the Year, Exemplary Civilian Service Medal, the Air Force Science and Technology Award, and the Air Force Engineer of the Year award.

He is a graduate of California State University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Electronics engineering. He has participated in a variety of educational programs including the Executive Development Program on Science, Technology and Public Policy.