VT Halter Marine, Inc. (VT Halter Marine) announced the appointment of Rear Admiral (Ret.) John J. Prendergast, III to the position of Executive Vice President (EVP).
Mr. Prendergast will be responsible for a broad range of functions including Government Contracts, Organizational Excellence, Human Resources and DoD/DHS Interface, Procurement and Inventory Management.
Prendergast holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and is a distinguished graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School; where he earned a Master of Science in Management with a subspecialty in contract and acquisition management. Prendergast is also a graduate of the Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Northwestern University) Executive Education Program. Prendergast spent over 30 years in the Navy. He earned his Navy commission in 1979 through the Naval ROTC Program at the University of Notre Dame. He served on board the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER (SSBN 656); Submarine Squadron 1; USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70) and USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN 71). He also served ashore in a variety of challenging assignments including the Navy Supply Corps School, Athens, Naval Supply Systems Command, Mechanicsburg, and as the Commanding Officer of the Fleet and Industrial Supply Center, Jacksonville, FL.
Prendergast was selected to Rear Admiral in 2004, and was assigned as Deputy Commander (Logistics), U.S. Pacific Fleet. He subsequently served as the Vice Director for Logistics (VJ-4) on the Joint Staff, Washington, DC.
While on active duty, RADM Prendergast’s personal awards included the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, three Legions of Merit, five Meritorious Service Medals, six Navy Commendation Medals, two Navy Achievement Medals and various campaign and unit awards. He was the recipient of the 1989 Navy League Award for outstanding support of the operational forces of the U.S. Navy and was awarded the Naval Supply Systems Command Award for Academic Excellence.
Upon his retirement from the Navy, Prendergast was named as the Director, Sustainment Business Operations for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter within Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. He is married to the former Mary Ellen (Mimi) Slaght of Rocky River, Ohio. They have three sons, John, a U.S. Navy pilot flying the E-2C Hawkeye with VAW-113; Brian, a consultant working for Accenture; and Mark, an eighth grader.