J Bennet Waters

President & CEO | Chief Operating Officer | Chief Risk, Strategy & Transformation Officer | Lifecycle M&A

Role
Senior Advisor at The Chertoff Group
Location
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, US
LinkedIn followers
500 followers
General Business & ManagementView LinkedIn profile

About J Bennet Waters

With more than 25 years of experience as a senior executive and trusted advisor, Bennet has operated at the highest levels of government and the private sector, helping leaders turn risk into strategic advantage. He has a proven ability to support boards and lead executive teams as they navigate disruption, uncertainty, and transformational change.Bennet served at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in two Presidential Administrations, where he held senior responsibilities encompassing counterterrorism, critical infrastructure protection, emergency management, and aviation, border, and transportation security. These roles shaped a pragmatic, operations-focused approach to risk under real world pressure.In the private sector, Bennet has held multiple roles as CEO, COO, and enterprise senior executive leading strategy, operations, finance, enterprise transformation, and lifecycle M&A across Fortune 500 and privately held companies. He has guided three organizations to successful liquidity events by aligning risk, capital, and execution with long-term strategic intent to create shareholder value.Prior to founding SixClear Advisors, Bennet was Principal and Global Head of Strategic Advisory Services at The Chertoff Group, advising boards, CEOs, and senior executives across the aerospace, defense, intelligence, and homeland security sectors. He remains a Senior Advisor to the firm. He is also an adjunct professor at UNC Chapel Hill’s Kenan Flagler Business School.Bennet is an Honors graduate of Davidson College, the Boston University School of Public Health (Health Law), and the Medical University of South Carolina, where he was an Honor Society inductee. His doctoral work focused on systems solutions to large scale biological events.A Louisiana native and instrument-rated pilot, Bennet brings a practitioner’s mindset to complex problems and values clarity, discipline, and execution.

Experience

  1. Senior Advisor

    The Chertoff Group

    Apr 2019 — Present · Washington, DC, US

Education

  • Medical University of South Carolina

    Doctorate in Health Administration

    1999 — 2003

  • Davidson College

    Bachelor of Arts - BA, Honors in Medical Ethics

    1989 — 1994

  • Boston University School of Public Health

    Master of Public Health - MPH, Health Law

    1994 — 1996

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J Bennet Waters — Senior Advisor at The Chertoff Group in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, US | Unifers