Mr. Cunningham of Erie, Pennsylvania, enlisted in the United States Navy following high school in 1998 and served through 2008. He departed the Navy as a Machinist Mate 1st Class / Submarine Service. During his service, he served aboard the USS Newport News (SSN-750), the USS Hampton (SSN-767), and Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC) Submarine Repair Shop.
Mr. Cunningham is the Assistant Program Manager for Submarine Escape and Rescue Global Rescue responsible for foreign military sales and certification of Foreign Partner Navy Submarine Rescue Seats.
He has served in several roles throughout the Submarine Escape and Rescue enterprise since December 2012, most recently, as the Assistant Program Manager Acquisition and Certification leading the delivery of the United States Navy Submarine Decompression System in October 2019. He served as the Test and Evaluation Engineer for Acquisition and has had assignments throughout the In-Service Submarine Escape and Rescue Organization.
Upon departure from the United States Navy, he was a contractor providing support for Naval Sea Systems Command responsible for all Team Submarine In-Service Submarine Support Contractors at Perot Systems Government Services and Dell Services Federal Government providing engineering, test and evaluation, modernization, logistics, training development, and certification support.
Mr. Cunningham has received various awards, including the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award, Naval Sea Systems Command Team Submarine Excellence Award, Navy Commendation Medal, and Navy Achievement Medal.