JOHN HERNANDEZ
John Hernandez is the Principal Program Manager for a U.S. Navy nuclear asset modernization program at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Prior to joining LANL, John spent two years at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and was responsible for asset delivery, platform sensor integration, and capital investment strategy for over $100M in unmanned aerial systems (UAS). He also managed the company’s capital UAS fleet operations for over 30 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), over 20 ground control stations, and five SATCOM systems deployed around the globe.
Prior to entering the private sector in 2019, John spent 11 years on active duty in the U.S. Navy as a Pilot, Systems Engineer, and Program Manager. John flew over 98 combat missions, logged 2,200 total flight hours in eight different aircraft, and spent more than 560 days on operational deployments around the globe. He was also the recipient of multiple U.S. Navy innovation awards for both technology development and community service outreach project management frameworks.
Preceding his work in the U.S. Navy, John worked in both the public sector as an Operations Manager and private sector as an Applied Physicist involving UAV sensor miniaturization and fusion.
John holds certifications as both a Project Management Professional and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. He has also earned advanced degrees in Physics, Systems Engineering, Aeronautics (2023), and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.