- Parry Labs has named Don Claussen CEO
- The veteran defense technology executive will lead operational growth and execution
- Founder JD Parkes will shift focus to long-term strategy as executive chairman
Parry Labs has appointed defense technology executive Don Claussen as CEO as the company restructures its leadership team to support continued growth in mission systems, edge computing and command-and-control technologies.
The company said Wednesday that founder John “JD” Parkes, a two-time Wash100 Award winner, will transition to executive chairman and focus on long-term strategy, investor relationships and corporate direction.
Who Is Don Claussen?
Claussen brings more than two decades of experience leading defense and communications technology organizations.
Before joining Parry Labs, he served as CEO of ST Engineering iDirect, a communications technology company focused on commercial and government satellite networking systems. He also held senior leadership roles at L3Harris Technologies, Viasat, Intelsat General Communications and Cisco.
Earlier in his career, Claussen served in the U.S. Army and supported tactical communications programs in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In his new role at Parry Labs, Claussen will oversee day-to-day business operations, organizational alignment and execution across the company’s sites in Virginia, Alabama, Maryland, Texas and Iowa.
“I came to Parry because I believe the mission needs Parry Labs’ technology,” Claussen said. “The defense industry needs exactly these capabilities right now: open architecture, edge compute, C2, and integrated systems with the warfighter at the center.”
“My job is to help scale the company while preserving the speed, technical excellence, and mission focus that made Parry successful in the first place,” he added.
Why Is Parry Labs Restructuring Its Leadership Team?
According to the company, the transition reflects a leadership structure Parry Labs has been building toward as it scales its defense technology business.
“For the past decade, as a founder and CEO, I have been focused on building a defense technology company to solve our nation’s security challenges,” Parkes said.
“As we, Parry, have continued to grow, I am happy to bring a new CEO and leader that will help us do that,” he added, noting Claussen’s experience leading technology-driven organizations through periods of growth and operational transformation.
