Profile
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Robert M. (Bob) Shea most recently served as the President and CEO of AFCEA International, retiring on 1 January 2022. He came to AFCEA in 2014 from Smartronix, Inc., Hollywood, MD, where he served as the Executive Vice President, Strategic Solutions.
Prior to completing a 36-year active duty career as a Maine Corps officer, Lieutenant General Shea served as the Director, Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems (C4 Systems), The Joint Staff, where he was the principal advisor to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff on all C4 systems and cyber matters.
His military command positions included Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces Japan; Commander of the Marine Component, Joint Task Force Computer Network Defense; Director of the Marine Corps Command and Control Systems School; and Commanding Officer, 9th Communications Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He also served as the Commanding Officer of two communications companies.
Among Lieutenant General Shea's previous staff assignments are: Director, C4 for the Marine Corps; Chief Information Officer of the Marine Corps; Director of Intelligence for the Marine Corps; Director, Command, Control and Communications (J6) for the United States Pacific Command; and multiple other staff positions in the Marine Corps and Joint community.
Shea has served on four corporate boards and was the Chairman of two of those boards. He has been an executive partner with a private equity corporation, and a C4/cyber advisor/consultant to multiple telecommunication and national security corporations. He has also served on C4 and cyber study panels for the National Academies and the Defense Science Board.
He earned a M.A. from Central Michigan University and also attended The Basic School, Advanced Communications Officers' Course, the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University.
Lieutenant General Shea's personal awards include: The Defense Distinguished Service Medal, The DoD Superior Service Medal with gold star in lieu of second award, The Legion of Merit with gold star, The DoD Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, The Navy Commendation Medal, The Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal with two gold stars. He is a recipient of the Alaskan National Guard Commendation Medal and was awarded The Secretary of the Navy’s Public Service Medal for his ten-year tenure as the Chairman, Board of Directors of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. He is a recipient of the North American Information Technology Leadership Award presented by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the AFCEA International and he is a Federal 100 Award winner.
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