John Hillen

Education

Dr. Hillen received his BA from Duke University, his MA from King's College London, his doctorate from the St Antony's College, Oxford, and an MBA from Cornell University.^[3] In April 2015 Dr. Hillen was made the inaugural inductee into the Duke University Army ROTC Hall of Fame.^[4]

Military service

Hillen was an officer in the United States Army for twelve years. He has served as a civil affairs officer on jump status with the US special operations Command and as a cavalry officer in the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. He has been decorated for his actions in combat, one episode of which is recounted in Douglas Macgregor’s military memoir Warriors Rage: The Great Tank Battle of the 73 Easting.^[5]

Career

While serving as Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, Dr. Hillen was the senior State department official responsible for coordinating America’s diplomatic strategy with its military operations. He was also responsible for overseeing the department’s policies in the areas of international security, security assistance, military operations, weapons removal and abatement, and defense trade. He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. His work standing up the US’s whole-of-government Counter insurgency capability and strategy is profiled in Wall Street Journal reporter Nathan Hodge’s recent book Armed Humanitarians.^[6]

Prior to his appointment in the administration, Dr. Hillen served as the President of what is now CGI Federal Inc, the cleared American subsidiary of Canadian IT firm CGI, Inc. (NYSE: GIB). Previously he was the head of the defense and intelligence business at American Management Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: AMSY), which was sold to CACI International (NYSE: CACI) in 2004. Prior to that he was the Chief Operating Officer of Island ECN, Inc., a financial services firm in New York City.

He is a trustee or director of several non-profit institutions, including the International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Foreign Policy Research Institute, Hampden-Sydney College, and the National Review Institute, among others. He was for many years a contributing editor to National Review magazine, an ABC News consultant, and is a life member of both the Council on Foreign Relations and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.^[7] Dr. Hillen is the author or editor of several books on international security, including "Future Visions for U.S. Defense Policy: Four Alternatives Presented as Presidential Speeches- A Council Policy Initiative" and "Blue Helmets: The Strategy of UN Military Operations", and he has been published in dozens of leading journals and newspapers including Foreign Affairs, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Dr. Hillen is one of the 2016 Top 30 Execs to Watch as stated by WashingtonExec.

Dr. Hillen served from 2007 – 2016 on the CNO’s Executive Panel, the advisory panel for the head of the US Navy. In 2016, he was awarded the US Navy’s Meritorious Public Service Medal for service to that panel. Also in 2016, Dr. Hillen was awarded the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Medallion, "given to a member of the graduating class who has distinguished himself for excellence of character and generous service to his fellows, and others who are conspicuously helpful to and associated with the institution in its effort to encourage and preserve a high standard of morals."^[8]

In February 2017, Dr. Hillen was selected as part of the FCW Federal top 100 list. "A list of 100 women and men that should make even the most hardened skeptics optimistic about what's possible in federal IT."^[9] Dr. Hillen also won the FCW Federal top 100 award in 2011. "The most important distinguishing mark of Federal 100 winners is simple: They step up. Often the work that results in a Federal 100 award is something that is difficult, time-consuming and, in many cases, beyond the winner’s job description. But they step up to it and get the job done. It’s that simple."^[10]

Dr. Hillen was a military advisory for all of the World War II Call of Duty video games^[11] and is a character in the game known as Capt. John Hillen.^[12]

In August 2017, Dr. Hillen was elected to the new board of advisers for market research provider Govini. “These leaders, representing decades of expertise, will help us ask better questions of our data, so that we can answer harder questions for our clients. They will also help guide future investments in our strategic intelligence platform and add intellectual rigor to the professional services we offer," said Govini CEO Chris Taylor”^[13]

Dr. Hillen partnered with leading executive coach Dr. Mark Nevins to write the book What Happens Now?: Reinvent Yourself as a Leader Before Your Business Outruns in May 2018. The book answers the question of what happens to leaders when their business grows, but they do not. Dr’s Hillen and Nevins offer a guidebook for leaders and their executive development as well as tips to reinvent themselves in order to grow as fast as their enterprise.