Dr. Christopher T. Jones has had a long and distinguished career in the aerospace field, which includes significant accomplishments in academia, industry and government service. His service has directly contributed to the advancement of aerospace technology, and to the defense and security of the United States and its allies.

Dr. Jones joined Northrop Grumman in 2004 and recently retired as the president of the Technology Services sector, and a member of the company's Corporate Policy Council that is responsible for corporate-wide performance and technology development enterprise-wide. As president of the Technology Services sector, Dr. Jones led a complex organization of over 13,000 employees with annual revenues of more than $4 billion. He was responsible for supporting a diverse customer base, including: the U.S. departments of Defense, Energy, Homeland Security, State and Interior; NASA and the U.S. Postal Service.

Dr. Jones also directed and oversaw engineering, technology development and integration into aircraft, avionics and other aerospace systems for the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force. His organization supported more than 60 major subsystems and different type-model-series of aircraft, including bombers, fighters, unmanned aircraft, helicopters, electronic aircraft, cargo and refueling aircraft and commercial-derivative aircraft.

In the past, Dr. Jones was instrumental in the airborne early warning and battle management command and control, where he was responsible for all U.S. E-2 Hawkeye support and international E-2 Hawkeye programs. He provided technical leadership during the aircraft design, development, production and fielding, and was a key member of the technology insertion and integration teams.

Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, Dr. Jones worked at Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, where he led analysis, flight tests and research on innovative rotorcraft technologies. He was Sikorsky's technology lead on the RAH-66 Comanche helicopter program and served as chief systems engineer for the Naval Hawk program.

In conjunction with his civilian career, Dr. Jones served in the U.S. Air Force from 1986 until his retirement in 2012. As an active duty Air Force officer, he worked as a systems analyst at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, where he performed analysis on foreign ballistic missile and space systems. He was a member of the Connecticut Air National Guard for 14 years, serving as the chief of maintenance for the 103rd Air Control Squadron. Dr. Jones participated in military deployments including Operation Noble Eagle and Operation Enduring Freedom.

He earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, two master's degrees in aerospace engineering and engineering management from the University of Dayton and a doctorate degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland. As a recognized industry expert on aerospace sustainment and logistics technology, Dr. Jones has written numerous technical papers and presented on various topics throughout his career.

He serves on the board of visitors for the University of Maryland, College Park's A. James Clark School of Engineering, the Georgia Tech Advisory Board, the Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Trustees, the Museum of Aviation National Board of Advisors and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Board. He previously served on the board of directors of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME). Dr. Jones is also active in supporting and providing guidance to National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) members.