Alexis Lasselle Ross

Alexis Lasselle Ross is the President of Apex Defense Strategies, a strategic advisory firm that guides companies as they navigate the defense market. Ross founded Apex after more than two decades as an executive in both the public and private sectors.

Most recently, Ross performed strategic planning at General Dynamics, advising corporate leadership on managing critical issues and navigating government business. Previously, Ross served in a variety of senior positions in both the executive and legislative branches of the US government. She served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Strategy and Acquisition Reform, the acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, and a professional staff member writing acquisition law on the House Armed Services Committee. Ross also worked at the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission as a deputy director responsible for designing alternatives to the Department of Defense healthcare system. Prior to her work on the Commission, Ross served for seven years as a civil servant advising senior Army leadership in the Pentagon. Ross began her career at the Armed Services Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives where she served in several capacities, including as a professional staff member on the Readiness Subcommittee.

Ross is a member of the Army Science Board and a non-resident senior fellow at the Center for Security and International Studies (CSIS) and the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA). She is also a member of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security (LCWINS), and a principal at Pallas Advisors.

Ross received a doctorate in public policy from George Mason University, a Master of Science degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations from Bucknell University.