Las Vegas Metropolitan Area
Three live autonomous integrations in a single Army rotation — including the first Bradley-mounted kinetic counter-UAS intercepts. That was April 2026 at JRTC. It's also a fair summary of how I work. I'm Mission Lead at NODA AI, where I own end-to-end execution of complex, multi-stakeholder defense engagements — from customer alignment and team formation through live field integration and after-action review. Today that means serving as the designated resident orchestrator for Task Force Free Safety at the Joint Readiness Training Center (Fort Johnson, LA) across the U.S. Army's 2026 rotation series, and leading NODA's first integration milestone within Project REYNARD / PCC6, a 12-month UK Army AI experimentation campaign run by the UK Army Experimentation and Trials Group. I work at the intersection of three worlds that rarely overlap in one person: the warfighter, the flight test engineer, and the AI integrator. Before NODA, I was Lead Flight Test Engineer on the F-22 Collaborative Combat Aircraft program at Booz Allen Hamilton. Before that, four years at General Atomics as a deployed MQ-9 Launch & Recovery Lead Pilot across multiple OCONUS sites. And before that, eleven years as a USAF officer — squadron command of the 12th Expeditionary SOS in Djibouti during the Horn of Africa campaign, MQ-9 combat flight leadership at the 33d and 12th SOS, AFSOC mission director, NATO/ISAF biometrics advisor in Kabul, and aerospace engineer at Tinker AFB. What I bring: — 2,000+ MQ-9 combat hours and a current FAA Private Pilot certificate — Active TS/SCI clearance — M.S. Space Studies (Aerospace Engineering minor, 4.0) · B.S. Mechanical Engineering · ACSC · SOS · DAU Engineer-II, PSE-II, PM-I, S&T-I — A track record of translating ambiguous operational requirements into executable plans in complex, austere environments — Senior military and customer relationships that survive contact with reality — Go/no-go decision authority earned in combat, in flight test, and now in autonomous integration Open to conversations about defense AI, autonomous systems, flight test, and aerospace program leadership. Reach out: [email protected].
I own end-to-end execution of complex, multi-stakeholder defense engagements at NODA AI — from customer alignment and team formation through live field integration and after-action review. Lead a small core team and serve as the primary operational lead for two flagship programs spanning U.S. and UK Army autonomous systems integration. JRTC | Task Force Free Safety (U.S. Army) — Lead NODA's role as the designated resident orchestrator at the Joint Readiness Training Center (Fort Johnson, LA) across the U.S. Army's 2026 rotation series. — Coordinate a 4–6 partner ecosystem of defense technology companies — including Corvus Industries, Hylio, and Tactian — spanning counter-UAS (C-UAS), autonomous UGVs, and heavy-lift UAS platforms. — Delivered three live URZA autonomous integrations in a single April 2026 rotation, including the U.S. Army's first Bradley-mounted kinetic counter-UAS intercepts — earning direct Army recognition and cementing NODA's designation as the resident orchestrator for the program. Project REYNARD / PCC6 (UK Army) — Serve as Mission Lead for NODA's first integration milestone within a 12-month UK Army AI experimentation campaign run by the UK Army Experimentation and Trials Group (ETG). — Personally led the initial site visit to Warminster, UK, scoped the live exercise (LivEx) architecture, and am overseeing onboarding of an allied robotics partner's autonomous ground vehicle into NODA's URZA orchestration ecosystem. — Established the pattern for NODA's integration into brigade-level C2 structures, with follow-on events scheduled at NTC Fort Irwin (2026) and Op Forceful / Polish Dragoon (2027). Across both programs: Hold go/no-go decision authority for all field events, own senior military and customer relationships, and translate ambiguous operational requirements into executable plans for engineering teams operating in austere, resource-constrained environments.
Lead Flight Test Engineer on the F-22 Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program — the primary engineering interface between Booz Allen, U.S. government program offices, and industry partners across the full flight test lifecycle. — Led test planning, test & evaluation (T&E) execution, data analysis, and systems validation for a strategically prioritized 5th-generation manned-unmanned teaming program. — Drove cross-functional alignment across pilots, engineers, program managers, and contractor stakeholders to keep mission-critical test objectives on schedule and within DoD and FAA compliance standards. — Applied structured root-cause analysis, risk management, and engineering judgment to resolve complex technical issues impacting aircraft performance and program execution. — Maintained strict adherence to DoD, FAA, and aviation safety protocols while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and engineering accountability. Departed at conclusion of contract cycle.
Founded and operated a leadership-development advisory firm serving small-business owners, with a focus on hiring, retention, and team-building frameworks for owner-operated companies. Hosted the Kale Houser Leadership Secrets podcast. Closed the business in June 2023 to return to full-time defense work.
Lead deployed MQ-9 pilot for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) on Department of Defense contracts at multiple OCONUS forward operating locations — directing Launch & Recovery Element (LRE) and Mission Control Element (MCE) operations supporting overseas intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. — Served as primary decision authority for time-sensitive launch, recovery, and combat ISR operations in high-pressure, contested environments — across nearly four years of continuous deployed operations. — Directed aircrews, mission scheduling, and operational readiness across deployed sites while ensuring airworthiness, safety, and security compliance. — Coordinated with maintenance, intelligence, and communications units to sustain mission continuity and aircraft availability at remote forward bases. — Trained and qualified upgrading aircrew on LRE and MCE operations, expanding deployed capability and crew resilience across the contract.