A native of Teaneck, N.J., Rear Admiral Bill McCarthy, USN (retired) is a 1976 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA, where he was commissioned through the NROTC program. Designated a Naval Flight Officer in 1977, spent the majority of his Navy career flying the E-2C Hawkeye. Following squadron command and participation in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he completed the Navy's nuclear power training program. He subsequently served as the Commanding Officer of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). As a flag officer, he served as Commander, GEORGE WASHINGTON Carrier Strike Group/Commander, Carrier Strike Group EIGHT with additional responsibility as Commander, Task Force FIFTY while conducting operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. A U.S. Naval Test Pilot School graduate, his shore duty assignments included the Naval Air Test Center, the USNTPS faculty, Naval Air Systems Command and the Joint Staff. From July 2005 until May 2007, he commanded the Navy’s Operational Test and Evaluation Force. He retired from active duty in May 2007 having flown over thirty different military aircraft, accumulating over 4,000 flight hours and 700 arrested landings. His decorations include the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. Since leaving active service, he has served as a member of the Senior Executive Service and as a member of the professional staff of the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. From September 2007- January 2010, he served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Director Operational Test & Evaluation as Deputy Director, Net-centric and Space Systems/Missile Defense. In January 2010, he was detailed to the Navy under the Inter-governmental Personnel Act as the Deputy Director, Operational Test and Evaluation Force. In 2013, he was appointed as an Adjunct Professor of Public Administration and Procurement at the Old Dominion University and transitioned to a new career teaching in the Master of Public Administration program. He is a member of the adjunct faculty at Christopher Newport University where he teaches in the American Studies program. He is also an adjunct faculty member in the Robertson School of Government at Regent University where he has taught the Presidency, Congress, American Politics, U.S. Foreign Policy, International Organizations, Public Management, and Program Evaluation.