John Leggieri

Senior Consultant
Washington, DC

John Leggieri

Senior Consultant
Washington, DC

Quick Facts

  • Proven leader with 18 years of experience and extensive expertise in the defense budgeting and appropriations arena
  • Expert in the development and implementation of results-oriented strategic engagement plans
  • 30-year United States Army veteran and retired Colonel
  • Adjunct professor at The George Washington University

John's Bio

John Leggieri is a proven leader with 18 years of experience and extensive expertise in the defense budgeting and appropriations arena. John joined the Cornerstone team in October 2014 after a 30-year career in the United States Army, retiring as a Colonel. Before joining Cornerstone, John served as Chief of the Army’s Congressional Budget Liaison Office, where he was the primary advisor to the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army on all Congressional Appropriations matters. In that role, he led the Army’s efforts in articulating the annual budget requests to Congress.

Preceding that position, John served as the Chief of Plans and Congressional Strategy for the Army. He directed the development of long-range Army-wide legislative goals and objectives as well as accompanying Congressional authorization and appropriations engagement strategies supporting annual budget requests in excess of $200 billion.

John’s initial Congressional experience was as an Army Congressional Fellow, serving for one year in a House Congressional office. In this role, John was the principal advisor to the Congressman on all defense, veterans, banking and health care issues. He drafted legislation, wrote speeches, developed hearing questions, marked bills, and fashioned press releases to support the overall legislative agenda.

John then served as a Legislative Liaison Officer, where he created and implemented engagement strategies for Congressional authorization and appropriations for an equipment portfolio valued in excess of $700 million. John later served for four years as a Congressional Budget Liaison Officer in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller (Army Budget Office). In that assignment he handled a diverse, multi-billion-dollar Army portfolio, interfacing directly with Members and staff on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. He also traveled worldwide with Members and staff on critical fact finding missions.

John began his career as an Air Defense Artillery Officer and later became a Quartermaster Officer and Multi-Functional Logistician. He served with distinction in the 2nd Infantry Division, 82nd Airborne Division, and in command and key positions in outstanding logistics units including the 413th and 809th Supply and Services Battalions. He is a graduate of the Army Airborne School, Pathfinder School, Logistics Executive Development Course, Defense Strategy Course, and the Army War College. John holds a Top Secret clearance with Secret Compartmentalized Information (SCI) designation.

John was a National Security Fellow at Harvard University’s prestigious John F. Kennedy School of Government. He was commissioned through ROTC at Sienna College in New York, holds a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at New Paltz and a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York.

John and his wife, Becky, herself a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, reside in Virginia with their two children, Olivia and Gabriel.

Services

Expertise

Education

National Security Fellow, Harvard University, MSEd, College of Saint Rose, BA, State University of New York