M6 Leadership Spotlight: John Hethcox

M6 Leadership Spotlight: John Hethcox

This week, we are sharing our leadership spotlight with John Hethcox. John brings over three decades of software development and systems integration expertise to his role as a Technical Lead with M6. John and his team are working on a project for the VA to modernize their software systems, ultimately making it easier for veterans to meet their VA benefits requirements.

Tell us about your background and your role at M6.

I’ve been doing software development and systems integration for 34 years. It’s been a while! I’ve worked on large and small software projects, and I did a lot of work in building custom communication systems and delivering those for DoD, DHS, and for the State Department. 

I’m currently working on a project for the Veterans Administration (VA) to modernize some of their software systems. It’s part of the modernization of the GI Bill, and it’s a large program – there are hundreds of people on this project. [The VA is consolidating GI Bill capabilities into a single digital platform, simplifying user processes, and eliminating the need to navigate multiple systems.]

I lead a team of roughly 15 people: developers, testers, and product analysts. We’re developing an application for processing several different types of benefits for active duty and reservist students.. This particular phase will replace a very old mainframe system  the VA has been trying to replace for decades. 

Why did you join M6?

I was excited about this project with the VA – we have a well known prime contractor that is first rate. The subcontractors are just as much part of what’s going on as their direct employees – they’re terrific to work with.

How long have you been at M6? 

I have worked with Morgan 6 a few times. I was first with Morgan 6 from 2015-2017. Then, I joined another company that Gavin, our President, was associated with. Towards the end of 2021 [after Gavin had joined Morgan 6], he reached out to talk about this VA project. So I rejoined M6 in December of 2021 and I’ve been there ever since. 

What has been your most rewarding experience so far with the company? 

My team has made it easier for our veterans to meet their VA benefits requirements, and that feels good. There’s a legal requirement for these benefits where veterans have to confirm they’re still enrolled in their classes every month. In the past, you’d have to call into the VA and confirm or submit a form. We built a software system that sends a text and email depending on someone’s preferences where they can digitally confirm their enrollment so they  continue to get their benefits. Our program helps 200,000-250,000 claimants every month. It’s very gratifying to meet people out in the world who have benefitted from this program – it really makes their lives easier.  

Is there a project that you’d like to highlight that you’ve worked on? What was the impact it had?

Well, in my previous stint, I worked on a large VA project for veterans health that helped veterans who were injured or who had any health related problems related to their service get whatever benefits they were due. That was a very interesting project as well because, again, this helped people get the care they needed and the benefits they deserved.

How do you personally resonate with M6’s values?

The Warriors First slogan has always resonated with me because it’s such a great encapsulation of the work that we do both in the DoD and the VA. It really does capture what we’re trying to do. That’s a slogan I’ve always been happy to have on my shirt.

How does working at M6 align with your career goals?

It’s rewarding to be involved in something that’s impacting not just the veterans but also the people at the VA, who are fantastic clients. They’re constructive, and everything’s very positive. I hope that we get into other work like this at Morgan 6. 

What’s something interesting or unique about you that others might not know about you?

I was a DJ at my college radio station at UCF! I was the jazz programming director, and back then we had a variety of formats. I played all straight ahead stuff, maybe a little fusion. Someone had donated a large library, and they gave us several thousand jazz LPs. What’s interesting now is that the station is only jazz – I was listening to it when I was down in Florida this week. They’re having their 45th anniversary right now. 

I also coach my granddaughter’s soccer team. It’s always interesting to work with a dozen six year-olds. It requires different kinds of patience than when working with adults, but that’s been a lot of fun. 

Is there anything else about M6 you’d like to share that we haven’t covered already?

Morgan 6 is a small company, but we have a lot of expertise around and a lot of people that have done a lot of different things. The people from Morgan 6 that work on enterprise software development are very talented and capable. 

One of the great things about working here is the culture of flexibility and willingness to listen that starts at the top with Gavin. It’s exciting to know that if someone has an unconventional idea, Gavin is always willing to listen and seriously consider what they have to say.

Rapid Fire Questions

What’s the best title you’ve ever had – personal or professional?

In the 90s, I worked at a startup as the Vice President of Engineering, and I was responsible for the hardware and software systems that we built and sold.

What can we find you doing in your free time? 

Well, if I’m not coaching soccer, I read a lot, watch TV. and cook. 

What’s your go-to news source? 

There’s a website called The Dispatch that was started by a couple of guys that used to be at National Review. I really think it’s a valuable and balanced source for news.

Are there any books or movies that you’ve watched or read lately that you think are amazing that you want to tell people about? 

I read Modern Times by Paul Johnson, and that’s still a really fine book. I just reread East of Eden after 30 years, and thought it was just as great as the first time I read it. And, on the TV side of things, I really like Slow Horses on Apple. I always like spy stuff. If you’re not watching it, you should definitely give it a try. 

Who would you most like to have dinner with or be stuck on a desert island with? 

I’d love to have dinner with Steve Jobs. I’m finally reading the Isaacson biography about him. I was around for early Apple, and for the company he started after Apple called NeXT. I was an enormous fan of NeXT computing back in the 90s. And then, of course, he went back to Apple, and I think we all know what happened after that. So it really was, despite some very hard bumps, a remarkable career.  

Also – and I’m cribbing off of Gavin here – but my founding father of choice is James Madison. I’ve always thought he was really interesting partly because he was too young to fight in the Revolutionary War, but he still made such a huge contribution, wrote most of the Constitution, and really was a remarkable person. He just didn’t get to actually fight, but I think he more than made up for it with the opportunities he had later. That would be a great conversation.