Ross graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1973. He retired after commanding both attack submarines and ballistic missile submarines.

His first civilian job was with Lockheed Martin, restarting the nuclear facilities at Y-12 after the self-imposed shutdown in 1995. Following transition to B&W at Y-12 in 2001, he became a contractor and has supported restarts (including ORRs), nuclear safety compliance, safety basis development and implementation as well as disciplined operations efforts at DOE sites in Paducah, Portsmouth, K-25, ORNL, WIPP, and most recently supporting CNS at Y-12 and Pantex.