John B. MacLeod

John has been a technology leader since receiving his BSEE from the U of Washington (and graduate work at U of Houston, Clear Lake,UCLA and Rice University). He had a distinguished 20 year career at NASA including technical management responsibility for development of the Space Shuttle communications and data system and earned the NASA Exceptional Service Medal for design of the Space Shuttle Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, a system still in use today. He was honored with the National Security Agency’s Shuttle COMSEC (“communications security”) Award for Distinguished Service for design of the Space Shuttle’s encryption and command authentication system, a system he proposed to NASA.

John founded or co-founded four high tech start-up companies and has been the CTO of four companies, including Wrethink. His start-up company innovations include design and development of the first nationwide and international text messaging systems, the first direct broadcast satellite system, the first satellite-based nationwide remote learning system for schools and the first satellite communications system for semi-submersible drill platforms.

John also received the PCIA’s (Personal Communications Industry Association’s) Chairman’s Award. The Chairman’s Award is granted each year to recognize the person who made the greatest contribution to the wireless communications’ industry during the previous year.