Mark is an active and valued member of the Congregation B’nai Tzedek community. He has served on the Board of Directors as Vice President of Ritual for five years and regularly serves in various other lay leadership positions to assist the clergy in making our services more enjoyable and welcoming for our congregation and its guests.

 

Mark Vandroff is the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG) USA.   In this position, Mark is responsible for the full range of senior customer and Congressional relations for Fincantieri businesses in the United States.  From July 2021 to March of 2025, Mark was Chief Executive Officer of Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM).  Prior to joining Fincantieri, Mark served as the Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Defense Policy on the National Security Council staff at The White House.  In this role, he served as the President’s senior White House advisor on a broad array of matters including defense capabilities, irregular and non-traditional warfare, strategic weapons, international security cooperation, military personnel, emerging defense technology, and space security. During this time he was part of the Abraham Accords negotiating team.  Prior to his time at the White House, Mark worked at Zenetex, LLC as Vice President of Maritime Programs.

Before his civilian career, Mark served in the United States Navy, retiring from active duty with the rank of Captain.  His command level tours included service as the Major Program Manager for ARLEIGH BURKE Class destroyers and Commanding Officer of Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock, Maryland.  He holds a B.S. in Physics from the United States Naval Academy and an M.S. in Applied Physics from The Johns Hopkins University.  He has been a frequent contributor to publications such as Proceedings of the Naval Institute, The Strategy Bridge, and the Center for International Maritime Security.  He has appeared on many national security related podcasts including Midrats, Acquisition Talk, Preble Hall, and The Joint Geeks of Staff.  He was awarded the Secretary of Defense Outstanding Public Service Award and the 2018 Gold Medal for Engineering Excellence by the American Society of Naval Engineers.