Sherman will transition from his presidentially appointed position in the Department of Defense to lead the Bush School beginning Aug. 1
Proving the adage that “Once an Aggie, always an Aggie,” John B. Sherman ‘92 has returned to Texas A&M University after graduating over 30 years ago and perfecting his craft as a statesman to become the new dean of the Bush School. By understanding Sherman’s journey before beginning the role on Aug. 1, one can see how this news almost seems like destiny, providing insight into how Sherman’s plans for the Bush School are built on a solid foundation to fulfill former President George H.W. Bush’s vision of public service as a noble calling.
A Statesman Working Across Administrations
After graduating from Texas A&M in 1992, Sherman would go on to serve as an Air Defense Artillery officer until 1998 while attaining a Master of Public Administration degree at the University of Houston in 1996. Thereafter, Sherman transitioned into the Department of Defense (DoD) through the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) as a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) imagery analyst. His continued advancement in the field of national security would lead to his second encounter with former President George H.W. Bush.
“When I was a White House Situation Room duty officer circa early-to-mid 2001 under President Bush 43, I walked out of the Situation Room to go to where the coffee was,” Sherman recalled. “And there was President Bush 41, but he was speaking to someone. I wanted to shake his hand, but I also didn’t want to interrupt his conversation!”
Sherman has served under various US Presidents in different capacities. As mentioned before, he worked in the White House Situation Room as a CIA duty officer for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush where he provided intelligence and communications support to senior administration leadership. Sherman helped support President George W. Bush on September 11, 2001 and navigate the 2001 Hainan Island Incident when a US Navy aircraft collided with a Chinese jet.
Sherman went on to work in various positions throughout the national security and intelligence field between 2001 and 2007. For example, Sherman became an intelligence manager for the NGA, providing imagery analysis to US military operations in Iraq and East Asia, amongst other duties. He then served as a principal deputy national intelligence officer for the National Intelligence Council producing intelligence support, such as for interagency decisions on national security risks of foreign entities acquiring US companies. Sherman’s journey coincides with the rise of the Bush School as a leader in developing public servants.
“Ground was broken for the Bush School by the time I’d graduated, and I was so proud when Texas A&M was chosen to host the library and school that would bear the Bush name,” he said. “Over the years, I’d seen Bush School graduates in places like the CIA, DoD and elsewhere and been blown away with the quality of the folks that had come through there.”
During President Barack Obama’s administration, Sherman would serve again in the NGA in different leadership roles, heading intelligence activities in global analysis, imagery collection and homeland security, before becoming a deputy director for the CIA’s Open-Source Enterprise. In 2017, Sherman would be appointed by President Donald Trump to be the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the entire US Intelligence Community (IC). He led major advancements to the IC’s cloud computing, cybersecurity and interoperability capabilities.
Sherman was then appointed by President Joseph Biden to be the DoD CIO and confirmed by the Senate in December 2021. He was charged with leading modernization in information technology, cybersecurity and military command, control, and communications, as well as leading senior groups of civilian and military officials in several committees and boards, such as the DoD Cyber Council, Military Department CIO Forum, Defense Business Council and others.
Throughout his career, Sherman’s many accolades would include the Distinguished and Meritorious Presidential Rank, the CIA Intelligence Medal of Merit, the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the National Security Agency Public Service Medallion, the Defense Intelligence Agency Director’s Award, the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service and the NGA Meritorious Civilian Service Medal.
“Working under different presidents with different parties, I always try to adhere to the ethos of Texas A&M’s honor code while serving the needs of our nation and fellow citizens,” Sherman said. “That’s what I’ve tried to do. Whether it’s going all the way back to being in the Situation Room and onward to a presidentially appointed official, I worked as a bipartisan leader not getting sucked into the worst part of the politics and just doing the right thing for the country.”
