James F. Geurts '87 is an executive for U.S. Special Operations Command at Tampa's MacDill AFB
 
Lehigh graduate James F. Geurts '87 has been nominated to serve as an Assistant Secretary with the United States Navy.
 
Geurts was tapped by President Donald Trump to the position of Assistant Secretary of Development and Acquisition for the Navy. He currently works as a member of the Senior Executive Service within the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), where he is responsible for acquisition, technology and logistics for special operations forces.
 
Geurts began his career with the Air Force after completing the ROTC program at Lehigh, earning his B.S. in electrical engineering. He has held several positions during his 30 years with the Air Force, including Data Link Chief Engineer and Executive officer with the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System JPO at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts; Chief of Airborne Ground Surveillance Programs and Joint STARS Program Element Monitor at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.; and Commander of the Area Attack Systems and 308th Armament Systems Groups (Eglin Air Force Base, in Valparaiso, Florida) and Joint Acquisition Task Force - Dragon at the SOCOM Acquisition and Logistics Center, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
 
Geurts earned M.S. degrees in electrical engineering and national security resourcing from the Air Force Institute of Technology and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, respectively. He is the recipient of several honors, including the William J. Perry award, Legion of Merit, Louis F Polk Award for Outstanding Leadership and Academic Achievement, Air Force Outstanding Military System Program Manager of the Year and the Presidential Rank Award for the Air Force.
 
September 11, 2017