The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Rosslyn, Va., announces that, as of Aug. 4, Kevin J. Cosgriff will take office as president and chief executive officer. He replaces Evan Gaddis, NEMA’s current president and CEO, who is retiring. Cosgriff, a former vice admiral in the U.S. Navy, comes to NEMA after serving as senior V.P. of international business and government for Textron Systems Corp., a position he held from 2010 to 2013.
“We took our time and conducted an exhaustive search,” said NEMA Board of Governors Chairman Chris Curtis. “Kevin Cosgriff was the clear choice to lead NEMA as we approach our ninetieth year of operation.” Curtis added that Cosgriff is a proven leader with a command of policy issues important to NEMA members and has great business acumen for the manufacturing environment.
Cosgriff graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y., and began active duty with the Navy directly thereafter. As a vice admiral he commanded the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, overseeing roughly 30,000 sailors throughout a region encompassing 22 countries, and the U.S. Fifth Fleet, directing naval forces in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and off the coast of East Africa. Previously he commanded Cruiser-Destroyer Group 8, Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group. He also served as director of Warfare Analysis and Integration in Navy Headquarters, and his first Flag Officer position was as director, Office of Program Appraisal, reporting directly to the Secretary of the Navy. Earlier in his career, Cosgriff served as the director of the White House Situation Room and director of Systems and Technical Planning for the National Security Council.
He was among the first to receive a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from the Defense Intelligence College (now National Intelligence University). He also earned the Naval War College Foundation Award for Outstanding Performance. He is an alumnus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI Program, a nine-month educational program for senior military and government officials in the U.S. national security and foreign policy communities.
