Chief Executive Officer, NCSI
After working together for a national trade show production company for several years, John Skipper and his brother Jim co-founded National Conference Services, Inc. (NCSI) in 1997 to expand on their entrepreneurial skills in running trade shows, conferences, and special events. Based in Columbia, Maryland, NCSI has grown from 10 to more than 50 employees and has become an integral part of the federal government Intelligence Community.
One of John's best attributes is his ability to manage risk. NCSI lives and dies on its ability to market, promote and sell events. He thrives on high stakes situations and that helps set the tone for the entire organization. The final grade on NCSI products is customer satisfaction and NCSI's unique ability to bring government and industry together in face-to-face, targeted forums, creating the ideal opportunity for strong relationship building. The results are solutions to government technology challenges and sales for NCSI exhibitors.
John oversees the operations, business development, marketing, and event logistics for NCSI, which conducts more than 150 events annually. He has been directly responsible for pioneering new events for NCSI, which include on-site technology expos at U.S. military bases and agencies all over the United States and Europe, federal conferences, government career fairs, college campus career fairs, and sales of NCSI services to the federal government from the GSA Federal Supply Schedule.
John Skipper began his career in 1988 setting up on-site computer technology expositions at federal and DoD agencies in the Washington, DC area. His event planning, sales, marketing, and promotion skills helped bring federal technology buyers together with small and large businesses in cost-effective forums. The events resulted in countless I.T. solutions to the federal government and millions of dollars in sales to the corporate participants. By 1990, he was traveling all over the United States organizing these events at military bases, laboratories, and civilian agencies, and was named vice president of his company at age 24.
John holds a bachelor's degree in Communications/Public Relations with a minor in Marketing from Virginia Tech. He has served as Vice President of the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Virginia Tech Athletic Fund (raising money for student scholarships) and as board of directors member for various philanthropic organizations.
