James G Smart in

James G Smart

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Director of Engineering at Shield AI
📍 Washington DC-Baltimore Area, United States

James is a Director of Engineering at Shield AI, leveraging a distinguished 19-year career with the US Air Force and US Space Force. His background includes roles as Chief of Staff and Chief Engineer, and he holds a Master’s in Engineering Management from The Johns Hopkins University.

After nearly two decades in public service, he recently transitioned to the private sector to lead engineering innovation at Shield AI.

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Experience
20 Years
Current Role
Director of Engineering
Job Level
Mid-senior
Location
Washington DC-Baltimore Area, United States
Personality Overview

How James shows up

Communication Style
Decision Approach
Work Preference

Behavioral traits and communication patterns that shape how this person evaluates opportunities, builds trust, and makes decisions in professional settings.

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Priorities

Topics James cares about

Hiring Top Engineers
He is aggressively recruiting "rockstar" systems and mission systems engineers for what he calls the cutting edge of new offsetting capabilities and the future of AirPower.
Defense Innovation
He left a long-term military career to join Shield AI, a company he feels is at the forefront of designing the future of defense technology.
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Career

Work history

8-2025
Director of Engineering
Shield AI
7-2024 - 8-2025
Chief of Staff
United States Space Force
4-2022 - 7-2024
Joint Integration Division Chief
United States Space Force
1-2022 - 3-2022
Chief Engineer, DAF Rapid Capabilities Office
United States Air Force
10-2020 - 1-2022
Program Manager, DAF Rapid Capabilities Office
United States Air Force
In the press

Media appearances

Shield AI Demonstrates AI‑Enabled Autonomy for Future Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Featured in Shield AI Newsroom
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Education
2024 - 12-2026
Master’s of Engineering Management
The Johns Hopkins University
Professional Miltary Education
USAF Air War College
Social presence
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Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

DISC behavioral profile

Dominance, influence, steadiness, and calculativeness scores with guidance on how this person prefers to communicate and decide.

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