Pamunkey Indian Enterprises – Richmond, VA. Pamunkey Indian Enterprises (PIE) is pleased to announce that Rear Admiral John Acton (Ret.) has recently accepted the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO). As COO, John provides PIE with strategic guidance and oversight of day-to-day operations.
John is an experienced operational and strategic leader with a unique blend of private-sector and government experience. His expertise includes leading organizations, strategic vision, operations and planning, collaboration and partnerships, leader development, marketing and sales, and start-ups.
His military experience, from Alaska to Antarctica, includes seven commands, both active duty and reserve, afloat and ashore. He developed broad operational, interagency, and joint military expertise with deployable units and at large Combatant Commands, including SOUTHCOM, JFCOM, and NORTHCOM. For his final assignment in uniform, John served as Director of the 2008 Bush-Obama Presidential Transition at DHS.
John then joined DHS as a Senior Executive (SES), first, as Director, DHS Ops Coordination and Planning, then as the Chief Learning Officer (Acting), where he developed a strategic leadership framework for 250,000 employees. After retiring from DHS, he became an advisor at the non-partisan Center for Presidential Transition during the 2016 presidential election and subsequent Obama-Trump transition.
His business experience includes decades of leading operational, planning, and marketing organizations for a broad spectrum of companies, including: Booz Allen, Pepsi, Frito-Lay, BellSouth and the America’s Cup sailboat races. He has served on several for-profit boards as an outside director and has led several national-level non-profit boards and committees. He currently serves as the Board Chairman of a quantum communications start-up and as an advisor to MetaCTF, a cyber training and exercise start-up.
A graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, he rowed on the four-time small college national championship crew team and holds an MBA from Columbia University. “PIE has a strong leadership group, but the addition of Mr. Acton as COO will help us fast-track our strategic objectives. John is a proven winner and leader, and I am humbled to have the opportunity to work with him to grow PIE for the benefit of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe.” – Kevin Krigsvold, CEO, PIE.
About Pamunkey Indian Enterprises
Pamunkey Indian Enterprises-Professional Services (PIE-PS) is an 8(a) SBA-certified tribal corporation 100% owned by the Pamunkey Indian Tribe. Having received the first Tribal 8(a) certification of any Virginia Indian Tribe, the PIE-PS corporation is now poised to allow contracting agencies to move quickly through the award process through sole source contracts.