John M. Adams

A photograph of John M. Adams

John M. Adams is the Director of Finance and Head of the Financial Services Department at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. He is responsible for ensuring the expert stewardship of Lincoln Laboratory’s financial resources and leading its strategic financial planning, including annual operating budget development, financial forecasting, resource planning and analysis, and financial statement reporting.

Adams has more than 37 years of financial management experience. This experience extends to the enterprise level, directing financial management operations for large multibillion-dollar organizations with global operations. Before joining the Laboratory in 2022, Adams was Auditor General of the Department of the Navy, serving as the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Navy, Chief of Naval Operations, and Commandment of the Marine Corps on all audit-related matters. 

Adams has had a distinguished career in the U.S. Marine Corps, rising through the ranks to become Director for Financial Policy and Procedures. In 2014, he transitioned from the Service to ECS Federal, where he was a project manager spearheading engagement for the development and implementation of a U.S. Navy enterprise-wide integrated human resources and pay system. From 2016 to 2018, he served as Director of Corporate Travel and Charge Card Services at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2018, he was selected to the Senior Executive Service as the Director of Financial Systems Consolidation at the Department of the Navy. In this role, he led the consolidation and modernization of financial systems across the entire department. His success earned him a promotion in 2020 to Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Financial Management Systems. In 2021, he served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Financial Management and Comptroller.

Adams received his BS in business administration from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a Certified Defense Financial Manager and holds the Project Management Professional and Informational Technology Infrastructure Library Foundation certifications.