🚀 I'm excited to share that I've been selected for a 12-month detail as the Executive Fellow to the Director of the U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory. For the next year, I'll be stepping away from my role as the xTech PM to support ARL, gain a broader perspective on the Army's science and technology enterprise, and then return to with new experiences and insights. Supporting xTech over the past 7 years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. I'm incredibly grateful to have worked alongside startups, small businesses, researchers, investors, and government partners who are committed to delivering innovative technologies to the Army—and ultimately to our Soldiers. While I'll miss working with the xTech community every day, I'm excited for this opportunity to learn, contribute, and stay engaged here on LinkedIn. I'll be sharing what I'm learning, highlighting opportunities to connect with ARL, and continuing conversations about defense innovation. One of my goals during this detail is to better understand how ARL can strengthen its engagement with the broader innovation ecosystem. 💬 If you're in industry, academia, venture capital, or the defense innovation community, I'd love to hear your perspective: How can ARL better engage with you? Please share your thoughts in the comments or send me a direct message. I'm looking forward to listening, learning, and helping strengthen these connections over the coming year. Looking forward to the journey ahead! 🚀 #ArmyResearchLab #ARL #xTech #Innovation #DefenseInnovation #NationalSecurity #ScienceAndTechnology #Research #Startups #SmallBusiness #DualUse #VentureCapital #Entrepreneurship #Technology #STEM #GovernmentInnovation #Collaboration #Army #FutureForce #Leadership
I have never seen much transition from ARL to the field. All I see is numerous PoR fits and starts across the Army. It's not clear how ARL works with other elements of DEVCOM. Whatever happened to CFTs? How does ARL work with PAEs. It's all very confusing and I have been following all these Agencies for decades...
Congratulations! You will be a great addition to the ARL team. Synchronizing our innovation efforts is a must if we are going to provide the technology our Warfighters need.
Congratulations!!!
Jessica Stillman Congratulations! Looking forward to getting a time on the books to discuss!
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Congratulations Jessica! Well deserved
Congratulations Jessica!!
Congratulations Jessica — ARL is getting someone who's spent seven years on the receiving end of what makes engagement work. From a Canadian SME perspective, the single biggest improvement would be earlier visibility into the operational problem behind a topic, not just the solicitation text — plus pathways that let allied small businesses plug in without a US entity as a prerequisite. There's proven Five Eyes technology sitting outside the fence for exactly that reason. Happy to share what we're seeing from the allied side if useful.