James Richardson

Before joining Carnegie Mellon, Jim was an accomplished senior executive whose service in the U.S. Army has afforded him four decades of applied leadership experience. Throughout his career, Jim was consistently at the cutting edge of historical shifts occurring in the Army landscape, where he established personal and professional relationships throughout the U.S. government, Industry, and leaders of academia.

Prior to working in the private sector, Jim served as the Deputy Commanding General and Acting Commanding General of Army Futures Command, a 4-star organization he designed. Jim oversaw eight cross-functional teams responsible for the Army’s 31 signature modernization efforts, the Army’s Artificial Intelligence Integration Center at Carnegie Mellon University, and the Army Application Lab in Austin, Texas, which revolutionized the way the Army interacts with nontraditional small businesses in the innovation marketplace. Through the implementation of Project Convergence—a technology experimentation and demonstration that highlights emerging technology—he drove experimentation that provided compelling data to inform future resourcing decisions.

He additionally oversaw all science & technology for the United States Army, directing a 25% increase in emerging technologies transitioned into tangible capabilities.

Jim enjoyed an impeccable career as a combat aviator. Of note, Jim was selected to be a Strategic Advisor to both the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Army. He authored the most comprehensive reorganization of capability and materiel development since the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986. He successfully commanded Soldiers & Civilians from Battalion through 4 Star level command. Jim is a native of Myrtle Beach, SC and a graduate of the University of South Carolina and holds multiple graduate degrees.

His responsibilities include working with the leaders of CMIST and Heinz to enhance Carnegie Mellon's thought leadership and impact as a critical source of transformational research and policy development in global technologies like Artificial Intelligence (Al). Additionally, he advises on the continued evolution of Carnegie Mellon as a valued source of education to senior leaders and provides guidance to maximize the value of Carnegie Mellon's training and education courses for the Department of Defense.  Jim also provides advice to maximize the strategic value and impact of projecting a coherent and cohesive vision of the future of critical technologies, one that is informed by DOD efforts to maintain technological superiority.