About Alion

Dr. Atefi is the Chairman and CEO of Alion Science and Technology, an employee-owned R&D and technology solutions company supporting the Department of Defense, civilian government agencies and commercial customers. He became President of Alion’s predecessor company, IIT Research Institute (IITRI) in 1997.  IITRI is a not-for-profit R&D company affiliated with Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). 

In 2002, he led the effort in purchasing majority of the assets of IITRI from IIT by the employees which resulted in establishment of Alion as a 100% employee-owned S corporation. Over the past four years Alion has grown from 1,600 employees to approximately 3,700 employees.  Both organic growth and a series of strategic acquisitions have contributed to Alion’s success.

Prior to joining IITRI, he had a 15-year career at SAIC.  His last assignment at SAIC was Senior Vice President in charge of the Energy and Environment Group, a 600 person organization consisting of nuclear, chemical and environmental engineers supporting a variety of government, commercial and international clients. He started his career as a nuclear engineer at the Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL).

Dr. Atefi won the Ernst & Young’s greater Washington area Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Defense and Security category in 2003, and ACG National Capital area Dealmaker of the Year award in 2006. He received a B.S. in electrical engineering from Cornell University, followed by a master’s degree and a doctor of science degree in nuclear engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Edward C. “Pete” Aldridge, Jr. was appointed a director of Alion Science and Technology in November 2003. After 42 years of service with the Department of Defense and the aerospace industry, Mr. Aldridge retired in May 2003 as the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. In this role, Mr. Aldridge was responsible for major weapon system acquisition matters, the research and development activities leading to future capabilities, and plans and policy for logistic support of our weapon systems and military forces.

Prior to this appointment, he was the President and CEO of the Aerospace Corporation, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center in El Segundo, California. He served as Under Secretary of the Air Force for five years, and was appointed by former President Reagan as Secretary of the Air Force in 1986. Mr. Aldridge has also held key positions with commercial organizations, such as McDonnell Douglas Electronic Systems Company, LTV Aerospace Corp., and Douglas Aircraft Co., Missile and Space Division. He received a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from Texas A&M University, followed by an M.S., also in Aeronautical Engineering, from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Mr. Aldridge currently serves as a director for Lockheed Martin Corporation, a director of the new Global Crossing Corporation, and an Honorary Fellow and past-president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. In the private sector, he has served as a director on the boards of Sybase, Inc., Draper Laboratory, ERIM International, and United Industrial Corporation.

Leslie Armitage has served as director of Alion Science and Technology since May 2002. Ms. Armitage is a Founding Partner and Senior Managing Director of Relativity Fund, L.P., a private equity firm.  Prior to co-founding Relativity, Ms. Armitage was a Partner and Managing Director of The Carlyle Group.  At Carlyle,  she focused on transactions in the aerospace, defense, automotive, information systems, and environmental technology and services industries.

Ms. Armitage held several positions of increasing responsibility at Carlyle, including Analyst (1990), Associate (1992), Vice President (1994), and Principal (1996). In June 1997, Ms. Armitage became a founding member of Carlyle Europe, the firm’s first international buyout operation.  While in Europe she led or played key roles in fund raising, hiring of the investment team and executing the first European transactions.  In 1999, Ms. Armitage was promoted to Partner  and returned to Washington, D.C. to focus again on U.S. buyout transactions.

She received a B.S. degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

The Board of Directors has determined that Leslie Armitage qualifies as “audit committee financial expert” as defined in Item 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K, and that she is “independent” as independence for audit committee members is defined in the listing standards of NYSE Amex Equities, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange or AMEX (NYSE Amex). 

Lew Collens is Professor of Law and President Emeritus Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT).  Collens served as the university's seventh president from 1990 to July 2007.  Prior to his presidency he served 16 years as dean of IIT's Chicago-Kent College of Law. Collens currently sits on the boards of AMSTED Industries Incorporated, Dean Foods Company, Alion Science & Technology, The Colson Group, All Cell Technology, The Chicago Council on Science & Technology, Advance Illinois and The Civic Consulting Alliance.

Over the course of his careers he has served more than thirty organizations, including: American Law Institute, Chicago Bar Foundation, Chicago Education Alliance, Partnership for New Communities, Leadership Greater Chicago, Economic Club of Chicago, Association of Independent Technological Universities, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, The Latin School of Chicago, and the Mayor's Council of Technology Advisors.

Prior to joining the academic world he practiced law in Chicago and Washington, D.C., co-founded Bar/Bri Educational Publishing Company, and served as a corporate controller.

He received his law degree in 1966 from the University of Chicago, where he served on the University of Chicago Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif.  He also served as a Law and Humanities Fellow at Harvard Law School from 1973-1974.  He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Illinois.

Admiral Harold W. Gehman, Jr., USN (Ret.) was appointed to Alion Science and Technology’s Board of Directors in September 2002. Admiral Gehman completed over 35 years of active duty and retired from the U.S. Navy in October 2000. His last assignment was as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic and as the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Joint Forces Command.

Admiral Gehman graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and a commission in the Navy from the NROTC program. A Surface Warfare Officer, he served at all levels of leadership and command in guided missile destroyers and cruisers, including five sea commands in ranks from Lieutenant to Rear Admiral. He served in Vietnam as Officer in Charge of a Swift patrol boat and later in Chu Lai as Officer in Charge of a detachment of six Swifts. In 1996, Admiral Gehman was promoted to four-star Admiral, and he became the 29th Vice Chief of Naval Operations. As VCNO he was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, formulated the Navy's $70B budget, and developed and implemented policies governing the 375,000 people in the Navy. Assigned as SACLANT and CINC U.S. Joint Forces Command in 1997, Admiral Gehman became one of NATO’s two military commanders and assumed command of all forces of all four services in the continental U.S.

Admiral Gehman serves on the Boards of Directors of Maersk Lines, Ltd and Transystems Corp and is a member of the Board of Visitors of Old Dominion University and is a Senior Fellow at the National Defense University.  Since retiring from active duty he has served as Co-Chairman of the Department of Defense's investigation into the terrorist attack on the USS COLE, as Chairman of the Space Shuttle Columbia Accident Investigation Board and as a member of the President's 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC).

General Michael V. Hayden, USAF (Ret.), was appointed a director of Alion Science and Technology in July 2010. After 41 years of military service, General Hayden retired in July 2008 as a United States Air Force general, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and former director of the National Security Agency (NSA).

General Hayden had a commendable military and intelligence career in high-ranking roles and received a wealth of awards and decorations. In May 2006, General Hayden was appointed by President George W. Bush to the Director of CIA where he oversaw all intelligence operations for the United States. Previously, General Hayden served as the first Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence for one year and as the Director of NSA for six. Under his guidance as the Director of NSA, the domestic telephone call database was created to monitor international communications to assist in locating terrorists. Additionally, General Hayden held roles as Commander of the Air Intelligence Agency and Director of the Joint Command and Control Warfare Center. General Hayden earned a Bachelor’s degree in history and then a Master’s degree in modern American history from Duquesne University. Additionally, he is a graduate of the Air Force ROTC program.

Currently, General Hayden serves as a principal of the Chertoff Group and is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at George Mason University School of Public Policy.

General George A. Joulwan, USA (Ret.), has served as a director of Alion Science and Technology since May 2002. General Joulwan retired after 36 years of service in the military in September 1997. During his final military assignment he served as Commander in Chief, United States European Command (CINCEUR) and as the 11th Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).

General Joulwan had a career of exemplary military service and outstanding foreign policy experience. As CINCEUR, General Joulwan conducted over 20 successful operations in the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East, and as SACEUR he served during the most revolutionary period in the NATO Alliance since its inception. His leadership was the basis for the historic NATO-Russian Founding Act, signed in May of 1997 to end the Cold War. General Joulwan served for 18 years in Europe, including 14 years in Germany. General Joulwan also served as the Commander in Chief of U.S. forces in Central South America prior to becoming SACEUR in 1993. Additionally, he served in the Pentagon as the Executive Officer for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; was Special Assistant to the President of the United States; was Special Assistant to the SACEUR, General Alexander Haig; and served two combat tours in Vietnam. He is a graduate of West Point Academy and holds a Master's Degree in Political Science from Loyola University in Chicago.

General Joulwan currently serves as president of One Team, Inc., a strategic consulting company, and as a director for General Dynamics Corporation. He previously served as an Olin Professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and as an adjunct professor at the National Defense University.

General Michael E. Ryan, USAF (Ret.), has served as a director of Alion Science and Technology since May 2002. General Ryan retired from the military in 2001 after 36 years of service. He served his last four years as the 16th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force.

General Ryan graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1965. During his distinguished military career, he has commanded at the squadron, wing, numbered air force, and major command levels. General Ryan flew combat missions in Southeast Asia, including 100 missions over North Vietnam. He also served at the Headquarters U.S. Air Force and the Joint Staff. As commander of 16th Air Force and Allied Air Forces Southern Europe in Italy, he directed the NATO air combat operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, directly contributing to the Dayton Peace Accords. As Air Force Chief of Staff, General Ryan was responsible for organizing, training, and equipping over 700,000 active duty, reserve, and civilian personnel. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he and other service chiefs functioned as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council, and the President.

General Ryan serves on the board of directors of the Air Force Association and as president of Ryan Associates, LLC, a consulting company.
 

David J. Vitale joined the Board of Alion in September 2009. Mr. Vitale is currently President of the Chicago Board of Education. He previously served as the Chief Administrative Officer for the Chicago Public School System, the third-largest school district in the country, from 2003 -2008. From February of 2001 thru November of 2002, Mr. Vitale served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Board of Trade.  In addition to serving as a member of the CBOT’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Mr. Vitale also served as President and CEO of the MidAmerica Commodity Exchange, an affiliate of the CBOT.

Mr. Vitale is a former Vice Chairman and Director of Bank One Corporation, where he was responsible for Bank One’s Commercial Banking, Real Estate, Private Banking, Investment Management and Corporate Investments businesses.  Mr. Vitale joined First Chicago Corporation in 1968 and was named vice president and treasurer in 1974. He managed foreign exchange and money market activities of the Bank’s London branch in 1979, was named executive vice president in 1986; head of the Corporate and Institutional Bank in 1991, director in 1992, vice chairman in 1993 and, following the merger of First Chicago and NBD in 1995, director and vice chairman of First Chicago NBD Corporation and president of The First National Bank of Chicago.

Mr. Vitale serves on the Boards of Directors of United Airlines, ISO New England, Wheels Inc., and DNP Select Income Fund (Chairman) and Ariel Investments. He also serves on a number of civic and charitable boards. Mr. Vitale is a graduate of Harvard University and earned an MBA from the University of Chicago.