2026 Virginia C-Suite Awards: JOHN STECKEL

Before leading a 2,100-person, employee-owned government contracting firm, Steckel spent 21 years as a naval flight officer, logging more than 4,000 hours on anti‑submarine warfare, counter‑ narcotics and maritime patrol missions.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Steckel joined American Systems in 2018 as vice president of business development following senior roles at BAE Systems, Vencore and Raytheon. In 2022, he was promoted to vice president of corporate development, a role that added oversight of legislative affairs and mergers and acquisitions to his responsibilities.

Since taking the helm at American Systems in 2023, Steckel has worked to grow a resilient, values‑driven company. In 2025, American Systems acquired Epsilon, a North Carolina-based cybersecurity company, in the company’s largest acquisition since its founding in 1975. Additionally, last year the company achieved the federal government’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Level 2 final certification with a perfect score.

In addition to serving as vice chair of the American Systems board, Steckel sits on the board of the Northern Virginia Technology Council.

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