Board of Directors

Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO

Mr. Ballhaus has significant experience in the aerospace, defense and technology industries, including multiple CEO roles. He previously served as Chairman and CEO of Blackboard, Inc., a leading EdTech company, from 2016 until its merger with Anthology in 2021. Prior to that, he served as CEO and President of SRA International, Inc., a provider of information technology services, from 2011 until the creation of CSRA Inc. from SRA and CSC’s U.S. public sector business. Before that, Mr. Ballhaus served as CEO and President of government contractor DynCorp International from 2008 to 2010. Mr. Ballhaus has also held senior leadership positions at BAE Systems, Boeing and Hughes, where he led global government and commercial technology businesses particularly focused on software and IT.

Mr. Ballhaus currently serves on several private company boards, including as Executive Chairman at Catalis, a provider of software and payments solutions for government customers, Executive Chairman at Elite, a vertical software business focused on the legal technology market, and on the Board of Directors of Qmulos, a leading cybersecurity and IT compliance company. He is also a senior advisor at PSG, a private equity firm focused on the software industry, and a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Mr. Ballhaus joined the Mercury Board in 2022.

Independent Director
Member of the Audit Committee
Member of the M&A and Finance Committee
Member of the Nominating and Governance Committee

Former Executive Vice President, Aeronautics, Lockheed Martin Corporation

Mr. Carvalho has over 38 years of experience in the aerospace and defense industry with Lockheed Martin. Before his retirement from Lockheed Martin in 2018, he was Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin’s Aeronautics business, a 24,000-employee enterprise. Mr. Carvalho held several integral leadership positions with Lockheed Martin, including Executive Vice President and General Manager of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program, President of Lockheed Martin Mission Systems & Sensors, and General Manager and Vice President of Surface-Sea Based Ballistic Missile Defense Systems. Mr. Carvalho presently serves on the Board of Advisors for the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business and he is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He joined the Mercury Board in 2020.

Independent Director
Member of the Human Capital and Compensation Committee
Member of the Nominating and Governance Committee
Chair of the M&A and Finance Committee

CO-CEO OF EVE AIR MOBILITY

Mr. DeMuro currently serves as Co-CEO of Eve Air Mobility, a producer of eVTOL aircraft and urban air mobility infrastructure. From 2014 to 2020, Mr. DeMuro served as President and CEO of BAE Systems, Inc., the U.S.-based subsidiary of BAE Systems PLC, a provider of some of the world’s most advanced, technology-led defense, aerospace and security solutions. From 1999 to 2013, he held several roles of increasing responsibility at General Dynamics, a global aerospace and defense company, including Executive Vice President and Corporate Vice President of Information Systems & Technology. Earlier in his career, Mr. DeMuro held roles at GTE Corporation (now part of Verizon Communications) and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Mr. DeMuro previously served on the Board of Directors of BAE Systems plc, BAE Systems, Inc. and Zanite.

Financial Expert
Independent Director
Member of the Audit Committee
Member of the Government Relations Committee

Under Secretary of the U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

Ms. Disbrow retired as the U.S. Senate-confirmed Under Secretary of the Air Force in 2017, responsible for the affairs of the Air Force, including organizing, training, equipping and providing for the welfare of approximately 660,000 active duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian Airmen worldwide. She oversaw the Air Force’s annual budget of over $132 billion and directed strategy and policy development, risk management, weapons requirements and acquisition, technology investments, and human resource management across a global enterprise. Ms. Disbrow served as the Acting Secretary of the Air Force from January through May 2017. In 2014, Ms. Disbrow was confirmed by the Senate as the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, the principal senior official on all financial matters, with a financial workforce of 10,000 personnel world-wide. She served in multiple senior positions on the Joint Staff and on the National Security Council at the White House. Ms. Disbrow was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force in 1985 and retired in 2008 as a Colonel with over 23 years of total active and reserve service. In addition to her role at Mercury, she serves on the Board of Directors of Perspecta, Inc. and Blackberry Limited. She joined the Mercury Board in 2017.
 
Financial Expert
Independent Director
Member of the Audit Committee
Member of the Human Capital and Compensation Committee
Chair of the Government Relations Committee

Former Chairman and CEO, Leidos

Mr. Krone served as the Chairman and CEO at Leidos, a leading Fortune 500 science and technology company focused on the software, hardware and complex integrated system solutions of large- and small-scale defense, civil and health applications, from 2014 until his retirement in 2023. Mr. Krone spent over 15 years at Boeing, where he served in several leadership positions, including President of its Network & Space Systems business, and was previously a Vice President at McDonnell Douglas Corporation, which was later acquired by Boeing. Mr. Krone began his career at General Dynamics Corporation.

Mr. Krone currently serves on the Board of Directors of Lear Corporation. He previously served on the Board of Directors of BorgWarner and United Launch Alliance.

Independent Director
Member of the Nominating and Governance Committee
Member of the M&A and Finance Committee
Member of the Government Relations Committee

Former President and CEO, Maxar Technologies, Inc. and Harris Corporation

Mr. Lance is currently Managing Partner at Lance Advisors LLC, an advisory firm serving private equity and institutional investors. He serves as non-executive Chairman of Summit Materials, a leading provider of aggregates and cement, and as non-executive Chairman of Change Healthcare, a leading provider of healthcare information technology and services. He also serves as a Director of New Vista Acquisition Corporation, a SPAC focused on emerging technologies in aerospace, defense and logistics, and as non-executive Chairman of privately-held Covanta Energy LLC, a leading provider of sustainable environmental solutions. He previously served on the public-company boards of Ferrovial S.A., Eastman Chemical Company, Stryker Corporation, and Aviat Networks.

Mr. Lance was President and Chief Executive Officer of Maxar Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of space technology solutions from 2016 to 2019. Previously, he was Executive Advisor – Private Equity at the Blackstone Group from 2012 to 2016. He served as Chairman, President and CEO of Harris Corporation (now L3Harris) from 2003 to 2012. He was Co-President of NCR Corporation and COO of its Retail and Financial Group from 2001 to 2002. Previously, he spent 17 years at Emerson Electric Company including as Executive Vice President of its Electronics and Telecom businesses, Group President of its Climate Technologies businesses, and Chief Executive Officer of Astec PLC, a UK-listed subsidiary based in Hong Kong. Mr. Lance joined the Mercury Board in 2022.

Independent Director
Chair of the Human Capital and Compensation Committee
Member of the M&A and Finance Committee
Member of the Nominating and Governance Committee

Former Managing Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Mr. Nearhos is a Retired Partner at PwC with over 35 years of experience providing assurance, business advisory and other services to clients across multiple industries, including technology, life sciences, telecom and manufacturing. Before his retirement from PwC in June 2015, Mr. Nearhos was responsible for directing the strategy and operations of the firm’s Boston, Hartford and Albany offices. During his tenure, he also served as the leader of PwC’s Northeast Assurance practice, a position he held from 2005 until 2008, and as a partner in PwC’s Assurance practice from 1989 to 2005. He was a director of Virtusa Corporation, a publicly-traded IT services and outsourcing company, from 2016 until its acquisition by private equity in 2021.

Financial Expert
Lead Independent Director
Chair of the Audit Committee
Member of the Nominating and Governance Committee
 

Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager, JANA Partners

Mr. Ostfeld is a Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager at JANA Partners where he has nearly 20 years of experience enhancing value as an engaged shareholder. Prior to joining JANA in 2006, Mr. Ostfeld was at GSC Partners, where he served in their distressed debt private equity group and focused on acquiring companies through the restructuring process and enhancing value as an equity owner. He was previously an investment banker at Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation.

Mr. Ostfeld currently serves on the Board of Directors of TreeHouse Foods. He was previously a director at Conagra Brands, HD Supply until its sale to Home Depot, and Team Health until its sale to Blackstone Group. Mr. Ostfeld serves on the board of Columbia University’s Richman Center for Business, Law and Public Policy.

Independent Director
Member of the Human Capital and Compensation Committee
Member of the M&A and Finance Committees

Federal Senior Executive (Retired), National Security Agency

Debora Plunkett is a cybersecurity leader with over 30 years of experience leading large, complex organizations. A former Director of Information Assurance at the National Security Agency, she is currently Principal of Plunkett Associates LLC, a consulting business. She is a Senior Fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center and an Adjunct Professor of Cybersecurity at the University of Maryland. Ms. Plunkett served as the first Senior Advisor to the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) for Equality where she led efforts to develop and deliver solutions to improve equality, inclusion and diversity for the highly technical NSA workforce. She also served as Director on the National Security Council at the White House in the Administrations of Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush where she contributed to the development of national cybersecurity policies and programs.

Ms. Plunkett serves on the corporate boards of CACI International, Nationwide Insurance and BlueVoyant, and is a founding member and Chairman of the Board of Defending Digital Campaigns, a non-profit entity focused on providing free or low-cost cybersecurity services to federal election campaigns. Ms. Plunkett also serves on the New York State Cybersecurity Advisory Board and on the Board of Visitors of Towson University.

Independent Director
Member of the Audit Committee
Member of the Government Relations Committee