Born in 1959 to Joan and William Hilarides, my father spent his early years between Chicago and Michigan. One of four children, the family spent a lot of time outdoors. My father recalls a road trip where the entire family fit into a Volkswagon Beetle, with the tent strapped to the top of the car. Traveled across the country and had a true adventure. Other stories include summers on the beaches of Michigan, wandering through fields, and plenty of fires, sunsets, and lots of snow. My father and my uncle both attended the Naval academy, but my father found his true passion and calling in the Navy. In his time at the Naval Academy, he was a company commander, Trident Scholar, all while participating on the swim team and sailing teams at a high level. Post graduation, he served as the master of the Naval Academy Sailing Squadron where he continued building on his leadership capabilities.
His Naval Career lead him into submarines, working his way up the chain of command. He took command of the USS Key West from 1998-2000, deploying out of Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii. In 2001 he took a position in acquisitions in the Pentagon, and was on-site for the attack on September 11th. Luckily made it out safely, and continued on. While working in a totally different capability, he worked hard and eventually took command of NAVSEA (Naval Sea Systems Command) in 2013. Shortly after taking command, tragedy befell the building in which NAVSEA resides, but yet again William remained resilient in the face of everything. He retired three years after that, and has taken up consulting, when he is not playing tennis and spending time with his family and working on projects.