OUR TEAM LEADS

COL Robert J. (Jay) Wisham

AAL Director

Director Jay Wisham is leading the charge to reshape how the U.S. Army works with industry through our mission to connect the right people, problems, and organizations to drive innovation. His expertise in emergent technologies and outreach helps shape AAL's vision and strategy, strengthen relationships with industry, and foster connections with key stakeholders.

Prior to joining AAL, Jay was a Senior Army Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, a Lead for Artificial Intelligence Applications for Army Futures Command's Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team, and Program Director for Project Convergence.

Dr. Casey Perley

Deputy Director

Casey sustains strategic connections with military stakeholders, start-ups, VCs, universities, research labs, and other Army partners — all while managing a diverse team of military, science, tech, and academic professionals to answer the big questions about what’s possible.

With 10 years of experience in biodefense, Casey brings unique expertise to the challenge of rapid discovery of emerging and disruptive technologies. She has designed DNA vaccines and worked in the lab with bio threats like Ebola. Casey holds a PhD in molecular genetics and microbiology from Duke University and a BS in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale.

Casey's orchestral harp work can be heard on more than 120 recordings, one of which was nominated for two Grammy awards.

Julia McAdams

Director of Solution Innovation

Julia brings Army and industry connections together with relevant tech to solve real, relevant problems. Her team manages a wide range of tech development methods, including AAL’s Special Program Awards for Required Technology Needs (SPARTN) model and the AAL Cohort Program.

Her longstanding and diverse Army background — from her first days sewing tents in Iraq and Afghanistan to her experience running chemical warfare protection programs to her 16 years at the DEVCOM Soldier Center — enables AAL to create new relationships, connect perspectives, develop systems, and refine problems to overcome the Army challenges of the future.

Scott Stanford

Director of Communications

With a mission like ours, transparency and credibility matter. Count on Scott and his team to bring an expert hand to public and internal relations. Whether the focus is outward to industry, government, and media, or inward to Army stakeholders and AAL staff, Scott and his team focus on maximizing the reach and results of our engagements while assisting the director to guide AAL's strategic direction.

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LTC Andy Yakulis

Director of Corporate Ventures

Andy leads AAL’s corporate ventures team which finds and champions nontraditional businesses that provide the technology to solve the Army’s toughest problems. Andy holds a master’s in management from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, for which his thesis topic was stimulating defense innovation with venture capital.

Andy co-founded a startup that deals with data collection and analysis in the health and medicine space and still serves as an advisor to the CEO. He has led a variety of teams during his 16-year Army career — most notably as the deputy commander of a 250-person tactical unit of Soldiers, civilians, and contractors with a multimillion-dollar tech integration budget.

Lee Short

Director of Program Integration

Lee oversees AAL's experienced acquisition professionals in blazing a better path forward in agile contracting to make Army opportunities viable to the commercial tech ecosystem. His team is responsible for managing AAL's current contracts, while exploring future vehicles to accelerate the Army's processes to the speed of business.