Background
Appropriations strategist with decades of national security leadership. Utilized congressional savvy and technical credibility to negotiate billions in defense contracts. Translates complex defense programs into compelling, actionable strategies that resonate with decisionmakers.
John Lucio brings a distinctive combination of defense appropriations expertise, national security leadership and major acquisition experience to his government relations work. Over more than two decades in federal service, he has shaped funding for critical military programs, advised senior leaders on high‑stakes policy decisions and steered complex national security initiatives involving Congress, the Pentagon and the defense industry.
John’s federal career includes over half a decade on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Defense Subcommittee under Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), where he drafted annual spending legislation and oversaw portfolios spanning shipbuilding and ground systems to advanced research and defense‑wide procurement. Before moving to Capitol Hill, he spent more than a decade with the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, serving as a senior advisor to the four‑star director and leading negotiations for more than $35 billion in submarine and strategic deterrent contracts. His experience is further grounded by operational naval deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. John also served with the United States Air Force, supporting combat aviation, as well as training and readiness programs.
In the private sector, John guided defense and advanced‑energy clients through congressional strategy, authorization and appropriations cycles, and engagement with the executive branch. At BWX Technologies, he secured key funding outcomes for next‑generation nuclear manufacturing initiatives, and at Ervin Graves Strategy Group he provided strategic counsel across the defense industrial base. Combining early experience in state government and private legal practice, John offers clients a comprehensive understanding of how national security priorities are shaped, funded and executed, as well as how to position their programs for success.
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Credentials
EDUCATION
M.S., 2018, U.S. Air Command and Staff College
M.A., 2010, U.S. Naval War College
M.B.A., 2008, Florida State University
M.P.A., 2005, Penn State University
J.D., 2002, Penn State University-Dickinson School of Law
B.A., 1992, University of Michigan
ADMISSIONS
District of Columbia
