Dr. J. Phillip London ’59
Dr. J. Phillip “Jack” London ’59 was born and raised in Oklahoma City, OK, the descendant of colonial pioneers and prairie farmers. Inspired by his family’s military service and a friend’s midshipman brother, he went to Annapolis, where he was the 15th Company Commander. Following graduation, he trained in Pensacola, FL, as a naval aviator and later served as an anti-submarine warfare helicopter pilot, including in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. He was with the recovery team aboard Randolph for John Glenn’s space flight on Freedom 7 in 1962. After earning a master’s degree at the Naval Postgraduate School, Dr. London taught naval strategy at the Academy, then served as aide to Admiral Jack Arnold, USN, at Naval Material Command. In 1971, he left active duty and received a doctorate in business administration from George Washington University. He joined the Navy Reserve as an aeronautical engineering duty officer and commanded the Naval Air Systems Command reserve unit, retiring at the rank of captain in 1983.
Known as the founder of the modern-era CACI, London joined the company in 1972 as Employee 35. He served as president and chief executive officer from 1984 to 2007. In 1990 he was elected chairman of the board and has served as executive chairman since 2007. In this role, he oversees strategic initiatives and transactions, including CACI’s mergers and acquisitions program that he started in 1992. In 46 years of senior entrepreneurial leadership, he has built CACI into a trusted government partner, providing advanced IT systems for national security missions, electronic warfare and cyber security. Today CACI is a $5 billion NYSE company with 21,000 professionals in more than 130 locations worldwide, 38 percent of whom are veterans and reservists. The Ethisphere Institute named Dr. London, a recognized authority on organizational ethics, as one of the most influential people in business ethics in 2014.
In support of the Academy, London conceived the Naval Historical Foundation’s Superintendent’s Annual Leadership and Vision Award: Voices of Maritime History Competition. He established a midshipman cybersecurity internship program at CACI and the Capt. J. Phillip London, USN (Ret.), ’59 Cyber Security Studies Award and the Capt. Samuel Nicholson Naval and Marine Corps History and Leadership Award. A major donor and fundraiser for Naval Academy Class of 1959 gifts, Dr. London has personally supported the creation of electronic warfare research laboratories for the Academy’s Hopper Hall building.
Dr. London was inducted into the Halls of Fame for the Naval Postgraduate School, Washington Business Chamber and Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards. His other recognitions include the Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Award (Navy League), Admiral of the Navy George Dewey Award (Naval Order), Semper Fidelis Award (Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation), Distinguished Service Award (Naval Historical Foundation) and the Meritorious Citation (Navy League). Dr. London has also served on the boards of the Navy Memorial Foundation, Naval Historical Foundation, Naval Institute, Navy League, Friends of the National World War II Memorial and Comfort for America’s Uniformed Services.
Dr. London is the author of Character: The Ultimate Success Factor and Our Good Name. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Dr. Jennifer London, and their three sons, and close to his two adult children and six grandchildren.