William LaPlante, SVP and GM, MITRE National Security

Dr. William LaPlante has been the senior vice president and general manager at MITRE National Security since April 2017. 

In his current role, he leads the operations of the company’s two R&D centers. The federally funded organizations are the National Security Engineering Center, which supports the Department of Defense and the intelligence community, and the National Cybersecurity FFRDC, which is sponsored by the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, the company said. 

LaPlante is also responsible for driving growth in the organization’s strategic value throughout the company’s technology and security portfolio in cybersecurity, the intelligence sectors and the DoD. 

He previously served as vice president for the intelligence portfolio at MITRE NSEC, overseeing programs that support the intelligence community. 

LaPlante was a public servant, appointed as the Air Force's assistant secretary for acquisition. During his three-year tenure, he aligned the agency’s $43B acquisition enterprise fund with the Air Force strategy and vision. He helped the aerial armed forces save $6B, which was used to enhance the country’s warfighters and invest in the latest weapons systems like the B-21 bomber. 

For his achievements, the Air Force Association issued him the W. Stuart Symington Award for the most significant contribution by a civilian in the field of national defense. The agency also bestowed on him the Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service while the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Security Studies Program awarded him the General James Doolittle Award. 

Before going into government service, LaPlante served as department head for global engagement at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. As a member of the organization’s APL executive council, he was responsible for the projects and initiatives supporting offensive military strengths. 

A former university lecturer, LaPlante earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in applied physics from Johns Hopkins University. He holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the Catholic University of America.