About

About William J. Weber

William J. Weber is an experienced business leader, having served as CEO for five notable companies and demonstrating over 30 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions. 

 

Throughout his career, Bill has led teams and individuals in high-growth technology environments, helping solve some of the world’s most challenging technical problems.  

 

Background and Education

 

Bill grew up and spent his formative years in St. Louis, Missouri. He was active in varsity sports throughout high school and was an active Eagle Scout. He later attended and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Washington University, and then attended the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, where he graduated from the Executive Program.  

 

Bill is also known for his service as an Airborne Ranger and Captain in the U.S. Army. He was awarded the Bronze Star for combat operations during Operation Desert Storm.  

 

Professional Accomplishments

 

Bill has dedicated the majority of his career to leadership, serving as CEO five times between 2011 and 2024. 

 

He’s been an accomplished company director and business manager, with an extensive background in complex mergers and acquisitions. To date, he has completed over twenty acquisitions and divestitures of varying sizes and has four liquidity events to his name.  

 

Bill has played a major role in raising over $2.5 billion in capital across nine separate equity and debt-raising events, in five separate companies.  

 

He also has a consistent and extensive track record in mentorship, team building, and personnel development. Dozens of former members of his leadership teams—many who received their first executive opportunity to lead under Bill—later went on to serve in C-level positions in various firms in the defense, intelligence, and aerospace technology sectors. And many are among the top leaders in those sectors today. One of his greatest joys is following their success and staying in touch throughout the years.

 

Bill Weber, CEO: Career History

 

Bill’s professional career spans thirty years in various leadership and management roles. He served as the President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of XLA, Inc. in Washington, D.C. As the architect and leader of the executive management team, he played a significant role in shaping strategy, executing plans, and delivering operational objectives.  

 

Bill also served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of KeyW Corporation from 2015 to 2019. With a workforce of 2,000+, the $500+ million publicly traded company was a key player in the cyber operations sector, providing cutting-edge data analytics and geospatial intelligence solutions for intelligence and defense customers and commercial enterprises in the United States.  

 

Under Bill’s leadership, KeyW entered into a successful merger with Jacobs Engineering Group. As with his other positions, Bill proved to be a vital and inspirational leader in his C-level and director roles at KeyW.  

 

With WJW Advisors, LLC, Bill served as a Managing Principal, a position he has held from 2019 to the present. As a director and advisor on multiple boards, Bill actively works on various merger and acquisition strategy engagements across multiple industries. With his guidance, WJW has addressed the business and organizational challenges of dozens of modern clients.  

 

From 2020 to 2022, Bill Weber held the Chairman and CEO position at a company he founded called First Light Acquisition Group (FLAG). A special purpose acquisition firm, FLAG completed a $230M public raise by September 2021 thanks to Bill’s capital-raising expertise.  

 

Among Bill’s most notable accomplishments at FLAG was assembling an extended team of operating partners, board directors, and advisor partners to invest in the company and support its market opportunity. First Light ultimately completed a successful de-SPAC transaction in Q3 and Q4 of 2023.  

 

Personal Details

 

While CEO is the most common title he is associated with, Bill is also a passionate advocate for armed forces personnel’s health and well-being, owing this to his own military experience and extensive ties to the military, special operations, and intelligence communities.  

 

Bill’s years as an Airborne Army Ranger have given him insight into and compassion for the challenges faced by military personnel and veterans. 

 

He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the nonprofit America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP). Among other pursuits, AWP has made inroads into using generative artificial intelligence and machine learning to build predictive models that will identify potential veteran suicides before they happen, with the aim of reducing such tragedies.

 

Close friends of Bill know him as a passionate sports fan. If there are two teams competing in almost anything, chances are, he’ll be in attendance, appreciating the strategy and enjoying the thrill of competition. Much like his time in the military, the field of sports relays many valuable lessons that apply to life’s challenges, as well as business. 

 

When he isn’t solving complex technical problems, spearheading technological growth, or maneuvering tricky mergers and acquisitions, Bill enjoys spending time with family and friends, backpacking, canoeing, skiing, snowboarding, or simply enjoying time on the beach or lake.