William J. Toti

William J. Toti is a retired U.S. Navy captain, defense industry executive, author, and public servant whose career spans more than four decades at the intersection of military service, national security, and corporate leadership. Toti began performing the duties of the Under Secretary of the Navy on May 1. With more than 40 years of experience in defense, he spent 26 years on active duty in the United States Navy, followed by 17 years in the defense industry. He originally enlisted in the Navy as an electronic technician and later commissioned through the U.S. Naval Academy, where he earned a bachelor's degree in physics, a master's degree in spacecraft systems engineering, and an electrical engineer degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Toti's naval career included a series of submarine commands and staff assignments. After commissioning, he completed key submarine assignments at sea, including junior officer aboard USS Omaha, weapons officer and later navigator aboard USS Indianapolis, engineer officer aboard USS Buffalo, executive officer aboard USS Florida (Gold Crew), and commanding officer of USS Indianapolis. He retired from active duty as a captain after completing seven operational deployments. His crews earned the Battle Efficiency "E" Award five times, the 7th Fleet Surface Warfare Award, and multiple Navy Unit Commendations. Ashore, Toti served as special assistant to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, head of requirements for Commander, Submarine Forces, and deputy director of the Navy War Plans Cell, Deep Blue. He also served on the Joint Staff and received the Action Officer of the Year award from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Toti is the creator and author of the U.S. Navy's "Full Spectrum Antisubmarine Warfare" concept of operations, a maritime doctrine that influenced how naval forces counter submarines and received international attention.

During his career, Toti contributed to efforts to address historic injustices. While commanding officer of USS Indianapolis, he was recruited by survivors of the World War II cruiser USS Indianapolis to assist in clearing the name of Captain Charles B. McVay III, who had been court-martialed after the ship's sinking. Toti played a key role in the exoneration of McVay and was later named an honorary survivor and honorary captain by the ship's survivors. He has been featured in documentaries including "USS Indianapolis: Live from the Deep" (PBS), "USS Indianapolis: Legacy Project" (Tiny Horse Productions), and "USS Indianapolis: The Final Chapter" (PBS). Toti was present at the Pentagon during the September 11 terrorist attacks; one of his seven Legion of Merit awards recognized his coordination of Pentagon recovery and continuity operations as special assistant to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations following the attacks.

After retiring from active duty, Toti transitioned to the defense industry, holding executive positions including vice president of Raytheon Mission Support Operations, vice president of the defense segment at Hewlett Packard, president at Cubic Global Defense, and president of the Navy sector at L3 Technologies. He concluded his industry career as CEO of Sparton Corporation, where he restructured and doubled the company's value, leading it through its sale. Toti served as a Federal Executive Fellow at Brookings Institution and as a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI Fellow in International Affairs.

Toti is also an author and public commentator on military affairs. He wrote "From CO to CEO: A Practical Guide for Transitioning from Military to Industry Leadership." He has authored op-ed pieces published in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun, Orlando Sentinel, The Hill, and Foreign Affairs. Toti has more than 30 published articles and op-eds and was recognized as U.S. Naval Institute Author of the Year. He has served as a commentator on naval and military matters on Fox News and NewsNation. Toti is a seven-time recipient of the Legion of Merit, a recipient of the Wash 100 list of influential leaders in the government contractor sector, HP Executive of the Year, the FedScoop 50 Industry Leadership Award, and the Rear Admiral John J. Bergen Industry Award from Navy League of the United States.