John H. Bridges III, U.S Marine Corps (Retired), served in the Marine Corps from January 1975 to 1995. He enlisted in 1974 and completed recruit training at Parris Island. He served in staff management and leadership positions of responsibility for Environmental, Health & Safety, and Hazardous Materials Management within the aviation community at six major Marine Corps installations while also serving as a Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC) for approximately twelve of his twenty years of honorable service.
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Dr. Bridges' career as a Marine began at Parris Island with assignments at MCB Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Air Station's Cherry Point, El Toro, Tustin, Yuma, USS Midway, Camp H. M. Smith, and Marine Corps Base Quantico.
Dr. Bridges' career has spanned over 25 years after serving with U.S. Marine Corps and retiring from a wide variety of assignments and positions in January 1995, but none more notable than being appointed as a FOSC.​
Upon entering federal service during 1996, Dr. Bridges led and progressed through numerous operational positions from the district, regional (area), and headquarters assignments that included large-scale responses, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and historic hurricanes, as well as hundreds of natural disasters, CBRNE tactics, and over 73 federal disaster declarations involving complex decisions and recommendations within the United States Postal Service before being appointed to the Postal Career Executive Service (PCES) during 2001 and senior executive service at the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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A highly qualified expert with more than eighteen years of senior executive experience connecting the dots between policy, strategic planning, operational efficiency, risk requirements, acquisition, and performance improvement across an entire and complex continuum advocating interoperability and capability-based planning. Expertise in providing operational frameworks promoting transformation by linking cross-cutting capability needs, risk, and gap analysis through integrated applications.
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Investments in education have marked Bridges' tenure not only as a Marine but as an experienced leader, administrator, and senior executive inside and outside of the government to include being appointed a President and Chief Executive Officer for a college in Massachusetts. In addition to completing the former Amphibious Warfare School (AWS) and Marine Corps Command and Staff College (non-resident) programs, he attended the Senior Executive Fellow Program, Harvard University, JFK School of Government, Corporate Leadership Program, Yale University, School of Forestry, and ANSER Institute for Homeland Security culminating in a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA). In 2004, awarded an honorary doctorate of science (Doctor of Science) as an advocate of homeland security achievements for extraordinary contributions - Architect and Inventor, U.S. Postal Service assignee, "Anthrax Remediation and Response" Patent #7,459,700, and exceptional service of distinguished academic research, risk performance contributions.
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Dr. Bridges is a member of the American Legion, Marine Corps Association, Former Chairman, National Marine Corps Council, United States Naval Institute, Life Member and Chairman-Elect of the Marine Executive Association, Marine Corps League, and Life Member of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Homeland Security Division and serves as its Education Chair.
