John E. McGunnigle JR.
-
John McGunnigle is the cofounder, executive chairman and chief technology officer of Spear AI, a national defense-focused artificial intelligence company. A native of Boston, MA, he graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy. After more than 30 years of service, including command of the USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) and Submarine Squadron FOUR, he moved into the private sector. He has served as an advisory board member and consultant to energy, AI, and data science firms, as well as a Special Government Employee for the Chief Digital and AI Office.
-
John McGunnigle is the cofounder, executive chairman and chief technology officer of Spear AI, a national defense-focused artificial intelligence company.
After more than 30 years of service, including command of the USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) and Submarine Squadron FOUR, he moved into the private sector.
He has served as an advisory board member and consultant to energy, AI, and data science firms, as well as a Special Government Employee for the Chief Digital and AI Office.
A native of Boston, MA, he graduated with distinction in 1992 from the U.S. Naval Academy with a B.S. in Computer Science and holds an M.S. in Operations Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School.
John served in a series of senior leadership roles at the Undersea Warfighting Development Center (UWDC) in Groton, CT, including: Chief of Staff, Director of the Tactical Analysis Group (TAG), and Director for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. In these roles, he led tactical development and validation efforts, managed real-world operational analysis, oversaw the Submarine Operations Research Group (SORG), and drove systems and capability innovation for the U.S. Submarine Force.
As Director for AI/ML at UWDC, he co-founded and led Project Harbinger, a multi-agency artificial intelligence initiative executed in partnership with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence under Project Maven, NAVSEA, the Digital Warfare Office, and the Office of Naval Research. This effort applied machine learning to undersea acoustic data across a range of sensor types and platforms.
John’s final position in the Navy was as Special Assistant for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to the Commander, Submarine Forces (CSF). In that role, he also served as the Functional Data Manager for the Undersea Enterprise and Deputy for Task Force Turing, where he led efforts to develop and implement the Navy’s artificial intelligence and data strategy for the undersea domain.
After retiring from the Navy, John served as Director of Acoustics and Undersea Systems at Saildrone, where he led the development and deployment of acoustic systems for unmanned surface vessels.
He currently sits on the Connecticut Nuclear Energy Advisory Council.
Visit: Spear.ai
John R. Ranelli
-
John Ranelli is a transformational leader known for driving bold turnarounds. After serving as a submarine officer on the USS Jallao, he enjoyed a five-decade career in business, where he led 6-for-6 successful corporate turnarounds of iconic brands, such as Timberland, Woolrich, Foster Grant, and Central Garden & Pet. He serves on Boards and is a trusted mentor to fellow executives. Together with his wife, he established the Ranelli Cancer Innovation Scholar™ endowed fund to support cutting edge research at Massachusetts General Brigham Hospital.
-
John Ranelli is a transformational leader recognized for driving bold turnarounds, revitalizing and growing iconic brands. Over a five-decade career, he has led six-for-six successful corporate transformations, including Timberland, where he drove performance improvements that lifted the stock price from $7 to $95 in three years, and Central Garden & Pet, where earnings quintupled under his leadership. He has served as CEO or chairman for Central Garden & Pet, Mikasa, FGX–FosterGrant International, and Woolrich, among others. He has served on boards for OrthoLite and Trilantic Capital Partners. Currently, he is on the Central Garden & Pet board and Massachusetts General Brigham Cancer Institute Advisory Board.
As a Vietnam and Cold War-era submarine officer, Ranelli learned early that effective leadership depends on relationships. He and Captain (Ret.) John McGunnigle bonded over this shared leadership approach that was forged under water and under pressure, then refined in the boardroom. Their framework—Relationships Before Issues™ (rB4i™)—offers a timeless, proven approach for building high-performance teams through deep relationships.
Ranelli is a Fulbright Scholar and graduate of Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. His leadership insights have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNN, and Bloomberg TV, among other outlets.
Today, he continues to serve on boards and mentor CEOs and executive teams, while also contributing to nonprofit and philanthropic efforts.
He and his wife co-founded the John and Ashley Ranelli Scholar in Cancer Innovation™, an endowed fund supporting next-generation cancer researchers and doctors at Massachusetts General Brigham Hospital.
Visit: johnranelli.com
