HANOVER, MD--(Marketwired - Feb 15, 2017) - D-Wave Systems Inc., the leader in the development and delivery of quantum computing systems and software, announced the addition of two new directors to the board of D-Wave Government Inc., a subsidiary formed to provide D-Wave's quantum computing systems to the U.S. government. Joining the board are Letitia "Tish" Long, former Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the first woman to lead a major U.S. intelligence agency, and Steven M. West, D-Wave Systems Inc. board member and a 30-year veteran of the information technology marketplace.
Ms. Long has had a distinguished and decorated career in government. She served as a civilian in the U.S. Navy and the Intelligence Community from 1978 to 2014, retiring as the fifth director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Her other senior executive roles included Deputy Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence (Policy, Requirements and Resources), and Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence. Ms. Long is currently the Chairman of the Board of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, and sits on the boards of Raytheon Company, Urthecast Corporation, Noblis, Inc., the Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs and the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation. Ms. Long is the recipient of the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service, the Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive, the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive (two awards) and the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal (two awards).
Steven M. West is the founder and a partner in Emerging Company Partners LLC, a capital investor and a provider of advisory services to technology firms. Over the course of his career he has held many executive positions including CEO of nCUBE Corporation, a provider of on-demand media systems; president and CEO of Entera, an Internet content delivery firm (acquired by Blue Coat Systems, Inc.); CEO of Hitachi Data Systems, and Group Executive of EDS. Currently Mr. West serves on the boards of directors of Cisco Systems and D-Wave. He was formerly on the board of Autodesk, a 3D design software; Delta-Q Technologies, makers of power management and power conversion solutions; and Bycast Inc., advanced storage virtualization software for large-scale digital archives and storage clouds.
"Adding such impressive executive leadership to the board of D-Wave Government Inc. speaks to the growing importance of quantum computing for government," said Robert "Bo" Ewald, president of D-Wave International. "Ms. Long's career includes nearly four decades of outstanding service to the U.S. government. Mr. West is a highly regarded technology executive and has been a valued member of the D-Wave board since 2008. We are very fortunate and appreciative that both have agreed to join the D-Wave Government board to lend their expertise to our government operations."
"Quantum computing will provide an unprecedented new resource to solve important problems we face," said Ms. Long. "As the industry leader in quantum computing, D-Wave will help shape how this exciting technology will aid the defense and intelligence communities. I look forward to working with the D-Wave team to make continued progress supporting our national priorities."
Long and West join current board members with deep experience at U.S. government agencies including the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense and the National Science Board. These include Jeffrey K. Harris, chairman of the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation and former president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space; Dr. Delores Etter, who served as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology and Assistant Secretary of the Navy; Frances Fleisch, former Executive Director of the National Security Agency and special advisor to the U.S Strategic Command; and Dr. Donald M. Kerr, former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence and Director of the National Reconnaissance Office.
About D-Wave Systems Inc.
D-Wave is the leader in the development and delivery of quantum computing systems and software, and the world's only commercial supplier of quantum computers. Our mission is to unlock the power of quantum computing to solve the most challenging national defense, scientific, technical, and commercial problems. D-Wave's systems are being used by some of the world's most advanced organizations, including Lockheed Martin, Google, NASA Ames and Los Alamos National Laboratory. With headquarters near Vancouver, Canada, D-Wave's U.S. operations are based in Palo Alto, CA and Hanover, MD. D-Wave has a blue-chip investor base including Goldman Sachs, Bezos Expeditions, DFJ, In-Q-Tel, BDC Capital, Growthworks, Harris & Harris Group, International Investment and Underwriting, and Kensington Partners Limited. For more information, visit: www.dwavesys.com
