Dr. James Cantor is a distinguished board member and advisor with more than 40 years of corporate executive experience leading large-scale operational and advanced technology organizations. Applying his deep strategic oversight in corporate governance, risk management, and operational excellence, Dr. Cantor has a proven track record of guiding enterprise-wide transformation and managing large complex portfolios within the technology and engineering services sectors.
Dr. Cantor spent nearly a decade at Leidos, Inc., a Fortune 500® global technology and engineering leader, where he served on the Executive Leadership Team and held multiple corporate officer roles. As Executive Vice President and Performance Excellence and Strategic Partnership Officer, he held corporate responsibility for enterprise risk management, program execution, mission assurance, and supply chain management. He also previously served as the company’s Chief Technology Officer, directing a $350 million organization focused on driving enterprise-wide differentiation in cyber defense, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital transformation. Prior to his tenure at Leidos, Dr. Cantor spent over two decades at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), serving in pivotal leadership positions including Senior Vice President and Deputy Group President, where he maintained profit-and-loss and operational responsibility for a 2,700-staff national security organization.
An active and dedicated champion of higher education and institutional stewardship in Maryland, Dr. Cantor brings extensive board governance experience to the University System. He currently serves on the University of Maryland, College Park Board of Trustees, where he served as a member of the Executive Committee and chaired the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee from 2022 to 2026, providing vital oversight for the university’s endowment and foundation governance. His previous leadership roles include serving as Chairman of the Maryland Chamber Foundation Board, and he continues to serve on the A. James Clark School of Engineering Board of Visitors.
Dr. Cantor holds a Ph.D. in Mathematical Statistics from George Washington University, and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Maryland, College Park.
James Cantor
