Executive Director

James “Jay” Bynum has a distinguished career marked by various executive roles, including President of Bynum & Bynum Consultants, LLC; Lead Consultant for mid-sized Defense engineering and manufacturing companies; and Senior Fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. He has also held positions at the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C., and served as a Military Legislative Assistant/Fellow on the Staff of United States Senator John S. McCain III, (R) AZ.

Jay graduated from the University of Oklahoma’s Navy ROTC program where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Management of Information Systems from the University of Oklahoma.  He completed the Capitol Hill Fellow program at Georgetown University, and received executive education from the Harvard Kennedy School, the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, and the Naval Post Graduate School. He holds subspecialties in financial management and strategy.

While in the Navy, his operational assignments included tours with several Navy F-18 Strike Fighter Squadrons and a tour under the services Personnel Exchange Program where he deployed with the U.S. Air Force’s 94th Fighter Squadron flying F-15s. He commanded the Royal Maces of Strike Fighter Squadron 27, as part of the forward deployed U.S. Naval Forces in Japan, and Carrier Air Wing 3 as part of the Harry S. Truman Strike Group where he deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom respectively.

As a flag officer, Jay finished his active duty career serving in a dual capacity as the Deputy and Director, Warfare Development, on the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations staff.  His previous flag assignments include: Director, Assessments Division on the Naval Operations staff; Chief of Naval Air Training; Commander, Carrier Strike Group 9, Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group; and Deputy Director of the White House Military Office.