John G. (Jerry) McGinn

Dr. Jerry McGinn is the Executive Director of the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting in the Costello College of Business at George Mason University.  In this role, he has established and is leading the first-of-its-kind university center for research, education and training, and collaboration on issues facing the $500B+ government contracting community. The Center has published over 70 influential reports, white papers, and commentaries on issues such as defense innovation, government contracting, intellectual property, budget reform, industrial resilience, collaboration with allies and partners, and COVID-19. The impact of the Center’s work led to recent $7 million naming gift, the largest-ever cash donation to the College of Business. The Center has also been awarded over $4 million in sponsored research and has had hundreds of interviews and media mentions with regional and national print, video, and audio outlets to date.

Dr. McGinn is also a trusted strategic advisor and board member sought after for his expertise in U.S. industrial policy, security cooperation, supply chain, industrial security, export control, foreign military sales, and industrial base policies. Prior to joining GMU, he served as the senior career official in the Office of Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy in the Department of Defense, leading efforts to analyze the capabilities and overall health of the defense industrial base, including the 2017-2018 interagency review of the manufacturing and defense industrial base. He also directed hundreds of reviews of high-profile mergers and acquisitions as well as transactions before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. 

Previous to DoD, he spent a decade in senior defense industry roles at McGinn Defense Consulting LLC, Deloitte Consulting LLP, QinetiQ North America, and Northrop Grumman. Before industry, he served in DoD as Special Assistant to the Principal Deputy Undersecretary (Policy) and as a political scientist at RAND.

Dr. McGinn is also a widely acclaimed thought leader and sought-after speaker. He has published influential George Mason reports and white papers, RAND monographs, and articles in The Hill, Business Insider, Defense News, Defense One, and other outlets.  He has also testified before the U.S. Congress and the UK House of Commons and he has participated in advisory studies for the Homeland Security Advisory Council, the NATO Industrial Advisory Group, the Defense Science Board, and the Professional Services Council.  He was the only university recipient of the prestigious Wash100 award in 2021 and 2022.

Dr. McGinn was commissioned into the U.S. Army and served with distinction as an infantry officer and is a graduate of Ranger and Airborne Schools. He has received numerous civilian and military awards and has earned a Ph.D., M.S., and M.A. from Georgetown University as well as a B.S. from the United States Military Academy.

Media Clippings

• April 8, 2024 - DefenseNews
  Stock buybacks in defense: What drives them, and how that can change?