American Systems appoints its next chief executive

John Steckel joined the company five years ago and will become its next CEO in the early fall.

John Steckel joined the company five years ago and will become its next CEO in the early fall. Courtesy of American Systems.

Peter Smith will remain on the employee-owned company's board of directors after he hands over the CEO role to his successor.

American Systems has promoted its next chief executive from within the government services company's own ranks in John Steckel, currently vice president of corporate development.

The transition officially takes effect on Sept. 6 and Steckel will succeed Peter Smith, who is retiring from the CEO role after leading the company for the past nine years. Smith will continue to be a member of the board of directors, American Systems said Monday.

Steckel first joined American Systems in 2018 as vice president of business development and was promoted to his current position in 2022, a move that added oversight of merger-and-acquisition initiatives and legislative affairs to his BD responsibilities.

His career prior to American Systems includes business development leadership roles at BAE Systems' U.S. subsidiary, Raytheon and Vencore.

American Systems ranked at position No. 99 on our 2023 Top 100 with approximately $231.9 million in unclassified prime contract obligations. The Chantilly, Virginia-headquartered company is one of six on the list that are employee-owned.