Parsons hires former Hill staffer to help lead space biz
By
Ross Wilkers
Parsons Corp. adds one of the architects behind Congress' creation of Space Force to the company's leadership team.
Parsons Corp. has hired former congressional staff leader and retired Air Force Col. John “J.R.” Riordan as senior vice president of business development.
Riordan will lead all functions related to account management, business development and customer engagement for the company’s space and geospatial solutions market. Those customers include defense and intelligence agencies, Parsons said Tuesday.
Most recently, Riordan led the Senate Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces staff that focused on issues related to nuclear, missile defense and space operations issues. Riordan is credited as one of the architects responsible for developing the recently-launched U.S. Space Force.
Prior to that, Riordan worked in the private sector and was vice president of strategy and Air Force business development at Science Applications International Corp. The 23-year Air Force veteran retired from service in 2011, when he ran the service branch’s space superiority and global integrated ISR division.