Employment History:
Telecommunications Chief, United States Army

Published Works:

Public Speaking Experience:

Why He is an Expert:
I learned from the ground up, which is how they teach in the military. If you go in a classroom and don’t learn that way, all you have is theory and no practical experience. I got the practical and hands-on experience as well.

Best Advice:
Learn all you can while you are in the academic world, but don’t put it all in the academic arena; you need the hands-on part as well. If you don’t have the hands-on experience, all you will be discussing is theory, and when all you have is theory, sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn’t.

Passionate about:
I love doing the work and love nothing better than helping someone to get a license and making sure that they are operating within the law. I’m a stickler for the law.

Biography Excerpt:
John F. Adams Jr. fell into the field of technology management when he enlisted in the United States Army more than 20 years ago. Although he initially wanted to pursue a position in the finance department, he found himself in radio communication instead, a coincidence that he parlayed into a successful career. As the Network Centric Systems Spectrum Manager for Raytheon Company, he evaluates radio systems to make them compliant with national standards while ensuring that they produce accurate sound. Founded in Cambridge, Mass., as the American Appliance Company in 1922, Raytheon Company is a technology and innovation company dedicated to government applications. It contributed to defense-applied technology during World War II and the mass production of what we know today as the microwave. During his 29-year career, Mr. Adams engineered a land mobile communications system for 442 airports throughout the United States. He also designed a satellite back-haul system for disaster areas after Hurricane Katrina.

     

Cambridge Who's Who: What is the most difficult obstacle or challenge you have faced in pursuit of your goals?  
MR. JOHN F ADAMS JR.:  The only obstacle that I have faced when I was working for Recron was being able to establish spectro-management in their common practice architecture when they didn’t have it at all. The hardest thing was having the managers see a need for it. Once you tell them about it and how it can help, you get their ear and they come on as a team and help you get it done.

What do you find to be the most rewarding about your profession?
The most rewarding part is when you are able to mentor children at a college and show them how to do what I do. I always tell the kids that if I bring you on my mentoring team and am giving you my time, when you get to your job you have to reach back and help somebody — it will keep the knowledge going.

What changes have you observed in your industry/field since you started?
There used to be amateurs who could turn on any electromagnetic device, but now we are at a point where you can’t do that anymore because it causes interference. You have to understand the environment. There are so many devices out there that you have to make sure that it is an accepted type so you don’t have the complications and interference problems.