Vice Admiral John Morgan

With an economics degree from the University of Virginia, John entered the U.S. Navy in 1972 and for the next 36 years was steeped in the practical side of planning, executing and leading success. On Sept. 11, 2001, John was commanding 10,000 men and women of the USS Enterprise carrier battle group, just then exiting the Strait of Hormuz. Upon getting word of the second plane hitting the World Trade Center he immediately turned the group—on his own authority—to be first in the theater of operations against al Qaeda and the Taliban. Subsequently, his strike force launched over 120 cruise missiles and flew 1000 combat sorties dropping more than a million pounds of bombs on enemy targets. For his leadership in combat, John was awarded the Bronze Star. Admiral Morgan capped his naval career as a key advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

As the Navy’s leader for strategy development, John championed and authored A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower. This historic and ground-breaking document brought together for the first time all three of America’s sea services (Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard) plus allied maritime powers around the world under a coordinated strategic umbrella. The central thesis calls for a diplomacy-building approach echoing the mantra that "preventing wars is as important as winning wars" and "focuses on opportunities versus threats; on optimism over fear and on confidence instead of doubt."

Across his military service, John acquired skills and experience directly applicable to the private sector. He played a pivotal role as the acquisition strategist for the complex technical systems that are now used to defend the U.S. against ballistic missiles. As a deputy to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, John constantly dealt with risk and reward calculations in selecting the next generation of military equipment and systems. In the Navy, John is credited with elevating the role strategy plays in making smart investments.

As Chairman and CEO of private equity owned manufacturing companies, John has grown businesses to record profitability. John currently serves as the co-founder and CEO of SupplyTrust, a company that proactively manages supply chain risk.

John and Jo Anna live in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where Jo has served on the Wake Forest University Hospital Cancer Center Board of Advisors. John serves on the Board of Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation. He also founded and served as the Chairman of the Board for the Forsyth County Veterans Treatment Court, a 501(c)(3) devoted to helping veterans in and around Winston-Salem.