Leadership Team

William L. Ballhaus

President & Chief Executive Officer

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 Board in 2022.

Mr. Ballhaus holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis and Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University. He also earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA.

David Farnsworth

Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

David Farnsworth is Mercury’s Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, responsible for the company's financial reporting, accounting and tax operations.

Mr. Farnsworth previously served as Chief Financial Officer of HawkEye 360, a radio frequency data analytics company operating a first-of-its-kind commercial satellite constellation. Prior to that, he held several roles within Raytheon, including as Vice President and CFO of its Integrated Defense Systems business, CFO of its Intelligence, Information and Services segment, CFO of its Technical Services business and at Raytheon Corporate headquarters, where he worked directly with the CEO and COO to spearhead strategic initiatives.

Mr. Farnsworth currently serves on the Board of Directors of Merrimack Valley Credit Union, a state-chartered community credit union, and on the Board of USA Diving, the national governing body for the sport of diving. He previously served on the Board of Thales-Raytheon Systems Company, an aerospace and defense company.

Mr. Farnsworth holds a bachelor’s degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in business administration from Boston University.

Stuart Kupinsky

Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer

Stuart Kupinsky is Mercury’s Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, responsible for the company’s legal strategy, including M&A, intellectual property, and enterprise contracts.

Previously, Mr. Kupinsky served as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for five public and private technology companies, including Blackboard Inc. through its sale to Anthology Inc., now one of the largest global education technology companies, and Tekelec, Inc., a public global telecommunications technology company serving the U.S. Department of Defense until its sale to Oracle. Mr. Kupinsky was also Chief Counsel for FirstNet, a multibillion-dollar independent government agency building a nationwide network for first responders. Earlier in his career he served as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice and as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Mr. Kupinsky holds a J.D. with honors from The George Washington University Law School and a B.S. in electrical engineering from Lehigh University.

Steve Ratner

Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer

Steve Ratner is Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Mercury Systems. In this key role, he is responsible for building a world-class team and supporting the business in its pursuit of growth and scale, as well as driving Mercury’s marketing, communications, and brand strategy and execution.

Mr. Ratner brings more than 20 years of human resources leadership experience with extensive HR strategy, compensation, and employee engagement expertise. Previously, he was vice president of Human Resources for Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies business segment with approximately $16 billion in annual revenues and over 30,000 employees worldwide. Prior to that, he was vice president of human resources and security at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. He has held numerous HR leadership positions throughout his career.

Mr. Ratner holds a master’s degree in human resources and industrial relations from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Florida.

Roger Wells

Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer

Roger Wells is Mercury's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In this role, he leads a unified customer-facing organization that includes growth, operations, engineering, product management, contracts, and supporting functions.

Mr. Wells has more than 25 years’ experience across multiple disciplines including engineering, business development, program management, and executive management. Previously, he served as Vice President and General Manager for the Unmanned & Integrated Solutions Business Unit of Teledyne FLIR with full P&L responsibility while ensuring high levels of product quality and customer satisfaction. Earlier in his career, he worked as a DoD civilian supporting the development and fielding of world-wide C4ISR networks and information systems. He also held positions in Northrop Grumman and ICX Technologies and served as a private consultant for large aerospace and defense companies.

Mr. Wells earned his MS in Systems Engineering and a BS in Electrical Engineering from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.

Tod Brindlinger

Senior Vice President, Operations

Tod Brindlinger is Mercury’s Senior Vice President of Operations. In this role, he is responsible for the company’s global manufacturing, facilities, and supply chain. 

Mr. Brindlinger has more than 30 years of leadership experience in business development, operations, engineering, supply chain, and quality roles, most recently serving as Vice President of Global Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain in L3Harris Technologies’ Commercial Aerospace Sector. Brindlinger previously held executive positions at Paradigm Precision, Ducommun, and United Technologies Corporation. 

Mr. Brindlinger holds an MBA in Operations Management from Baldwin Wallace College and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Dayton, OH.

Dr. William Conley

Chief Technology Officer

Dr. William Conley is Mercury System’s Chief Technology Officer. In this role he is responsible for the technical vision and implementation of strategic objectives. As a customer-facing leader, he’s focused on future solutions and architectures. 

Dr. Conley has substantial experience in research, development, weapon system acquisition, technology road mapping, strategy development and implementation, and government. Prior to joining Mercury, Dr. Conley was a member of the Federal Senior Executive Service, serving as the Director for Electronic Warfare in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, responsible for a $7 billion annual investment to develop and acquire electronic warfare weapon systems. Earlier in his civilian career, he was a program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. 

Dr. Conley holds a bachelor’s degree from Whitman College and a bachelor’s degree and doctorate from Purdue University. 

Ken Hermanny

Vice President, Signal Technologies

Ken Hermanny is Mercury’s Vice President of Signal Technologies. In this role, he is responsible for leading the unit’s program execution, product development, engineering, manufacturing operations, and mission assurance. 

Mr. Hermanny has nearly 20 years of experience across multiple disciplines including engineering, manufacturing operations, business development, and program management. Previously, he served as the General Manager of Mercury’s Mixed Signal business unit. Prior to leading the Mixed Signal business, he served as the General Manager of Mercury’s Microwave East line of business. He joined Mercury Systems in 2012 through the acquisition of Micronetics. 

Mr. Hermanny has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University.

Imtiaz Iqbal

Chief Information Officer

Imtiaz Iqbal is Mercury’s Chief Information Officer. In this role, he is responsible for strategic planning, leadership, and execution of the company’s global Information Technology and cybersecurity. 

Mr. Iqbal has over 25 years of leadership experience in Information Technology strategy and operations. He has led numerous global enterprise-wide systems transformation initiatives in manufacturing industries. Before joining Mercury, he served as Division CIO for Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical Technologies in Corning. Mr. Iqbal previously held leadership positions at Smith & Nephew and Givaudan. 

Mr. Iqbal holds an MBA in International Business from Xavier University and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Mangalore University, India.

Roya Montakhab

Senior Vice President, Integrated Processing Solutions

Roya Montakhab is Senior Vice President of Mercury’s Integrated Processing Solutions business unit. In this role, she is responsible for leading the business unit’s program execution, business development, engineering, manufacturing operations, and mission assurance. 

Ms. Roya Montakhab has over 35 years of experience across multiple disciplines including engineering, manufacturing operations, business development, capture, and program leadership. Previously, she served as the Vice President and General Manager of Mercury’s Platform business unit. Prior to joining Mercury in 2023, she served as the Senior Director of strategy, capture, and business development at Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector. She previously held a variety of positions at Raytheon, with continually expanding responsibilities in engineering, program management, capture, and growth. 

Ms. Montakhab has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Sciences from New York Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in Computer Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and an MBA from the University of Arizona.

Doug Munro

Chief Accounting Officer

Doug Munro is Mercury’s Chief Accounting Officer. In this role, he is responsible for the company's accounting operations and financial reporting. Mr. Munro joined Mercury in 2012 and has held several accounting leadership roles, most recently serving as the Company’s Corporate Controller. Previously, he held various positions in public accounting at regional accounting firms. 

Mr. Munro has an MBA from University of Massachusetts Lowell and a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Merrimack College and holds his CPA license in Massachusetts.

Shanna Owens

Senior Vice President, Strategy & Growth

Shanna Owens is Mercury’s Senior Vice President of Strategy and Growth. In this role, she is responsible for identifying, shaping, and capturing critical customer programs to fully leverage Mercury capabilities. 

Ms. Owens is a proven leader with two decades of business development, program management, and engineering experience with multiple defense industry leaders. She has experience in the weapons and space domains as both a PM and BD director at BAE Systems. She graduated the executive leadership program with INSEAD in 2019. She previously worked at Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Northrop Grumman with a focus on classified space. 

Ms. Owens has a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University.

Joe Plunkett

Vice President, Advanced Concepts

Joe Plunkett is Mercury’s Vice President of Advanced Concepts. In this role, he is responsible for leading the team that adaptively integrates and aligns external needs, capabilities, and plans, leveraging and expanding the Mercury Processing Platform to propel the company toward its vision to be the leader in mission-critical processing at the edge. 

Previously, Mr. Plunkett served the Chief Engineer for Mercury’s Mission Systems division and acting leader for Mercury’s engineering workforce. Before that assignment, he was the VP/GM for the Sensor and Mission Processing business unit. Prior to those roles, he served as senior technical director of the Sensor and Mission Processing product area, leading both capture and engineering efforts for programs such as Patriot, Gorgon Stare, Phalanx, and AEGIS. Mr. Plunkett has extensive experience with both radar and image processing programs as well as systems engineering and integration programs for a diverse range of customers and has held a number of systems engineering and design assignments within Mercury including integration, test, qualification, customer installation, and support. 

Mr. Plunkett holds bachelor’s degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering and was the M/A-COM fellow in the master’s program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Tom Smelker

Senior Vice President, Processing Technologies

Tom Smelker is Senior Vice President of Mercury’s Processing Technologies business unit. In this role, he is responsible for leading the unit’s program execution, product development, engineering, manufacturing operations, and mission assurance. 

Mr. Smelker has nearly 30 years of experience across multiple disciplines including engineering, manufacturing operations, business development, and program management. Previously, he served as Vice President and General Manager of Mercury’s Microsystems business unit. Prior to leading the Microsystems business, he served as Vice President and General Manager of Mercury’s Custom Microelectronics Solutions line of business. He joined Mercury in 2019 from Raytheon. 

Mr. Smelker has a master’s degree in Controls Engineering and bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM.

Paul Tanner

Vice President, Mercury International

Paul Tanner is Vice President of Mercury International. In this role, he is responsible for leading the business unit’s growth, program execution, product development, engineering, manufacturing operations, and mission assurance. 

Mr. Tanner has nearly 35 years of experience across multiple disciplines including engineering, sales and marketing, manufacturing, business development, and product and program management. Previously, he served as the Vice President of Growth for Mercury’s International business. Prior to joining Mercury in 2018, he held senior-level positions at Transdigm Corporation, Moog Corporation, Cadence Design Systems, and TE Connectivity. 

Mr. Tanner holds a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Hertfordshire and an MBA from the University of Leicester, both in the UK.

Brad Whittington

Senior Vice President, Engineering

Brad Whittington is Mercury’s Senior Vice President of Engineering. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic planning, leadership, and execution of the company’s integrated Engineering organization. 

Mr. Whittington has more than 25 years of experience in technical leadership roles in aerospace and defense. He most recently served as Vice President of Engineering and Chief Engineer for the Defense Systems Sector within Leidos. Prior to that he held numerous leadership positions at Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and NASA. 

Mr. Whittington has a master’s degree in engineering from Texas Tech University and a bachelor’s degree in physics and B.S. in mathematics from Harding University.