John Young Receives Presidential Citation
John Young was honored at Georgia Tech on May 24, 2008 by President G. Wayne Clough, who presented Young with a Presidential Citation and hosted a luncheon in his honor. Clough acknowledged that by virtue of being a Georgia Tech alum, Young has helped put a “Washington” spotlight on the Institute, and in particular, the college of engineering, school of aerospace engineering.
In accepting the honor, Young cited GT was a “launch point” for his “incredible journey.” According to Young, his interest in Public Policy began when Sandra Day O’Connor, Chief Justice in the US Supreme Court, spoke at Tech and encouraged more engineers to get involved in public affairs and bring valuable technical information to Washington.
Young received his bachelor’s degree from The Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. At Georgia Tech, he participated in the cooperative engineering education program, working with what has become Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems, primarily in support of the F-16 program and advanced fighter technology efforts.
After receiving his master's degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University, Young joined the technical staff at Rockwell Missile Systems Division in Duluth, Georgia. In 1988, he became a member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories and was selected as an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Congressional Fellow. Young has also served as the assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition and as a staff member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
Currently, Young is the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. The Senate confirmed his appointment in November 2007. Young’s nomination by President George W. Bush placed him in the third-ranked position in the Department of Defense. Prior to this confirmation, Young served as Director, Defense Research and Engineering for the Department of Defense as the Principal Advisor to the Secretary of Defense and the Department’s Chief Technology Officer.
