William LaPlante, formerly a senior executive at Mitre, will assume the president and CEO roles at Charles Stark Draper Laboratory on Oct. 7.
David Shedd, chairman of the board of directors at Draper, said in a statement published Thursday LaPlante will bring to the lab’s executive team his passion for innovation, strategic leadership and operational experience in government and industry.
LaPlante most recently served as senior vice president and general manager of Mitre’s national security sector. He has served on the Defense Science Board and is former assistant secretary for acquisition at the Department of the Air Force.
Francis Kearney, who is serving as interim president and CEO of Draper and a board member since 2015, will continue to serve on the board once LaPlante assumes his roles at the nonprofit organization. Kearney, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, also serves as president of Inside-Solutions-LLC and senior adviser at Thayer Leader Development Group.
