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Dedtrick Burton

@dedtrickburton

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Executive engineering and innovation leader driving AI-enabled mission solutions and transformation.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking to lead technology strategy and AI/ML delivery in high-security environments—building cloud-native platforms, strong governance, and high-performance teams that turn roadmaps into measurable mission outcomes.

I’m an engineering and innovation leader with 20+ years of experience guiding cross-functional teams, securing multi-million-dollar funding, and delivering mission-critical solutions in complex, high-security environments. I’m known for aligning technology vision with organizational objectives and building high-performance cultures.

In my current role as Chief Technology Officer, I direct technology strategy and digital engineering transformation for an AI-powered venture intelligence startup. I’m scaling a prototype into a cloud-native platform on AWS using .NET services, PostgreSQL, vector databases, and event-driven architecture—improving release frequency and reducing critical defects.

I architect and deliver AI-enabled capabilities, including document analysis, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), embeddings pipelines, recommendation engines, and predictive scoring. I also establish engineering operating models, technical governance, and DevSecOps practices to improve sprint predictability and time-to-market for new features.

Earlier, I led modeling, simulation, and intelligence analysis efforts at the Missile and Space Intelligence Center, improving survivability analysis accuracy and integrating multi-source intelligence to close capability gaps. Across leadership roles, I managed teams, secured funding, and drove enterprise-level collaboration—making data, security, and delivery outcomes consistently measurable.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Chief Technology Officer

Current

VentureFract

Jan 2026 - Present (6 months)

Directed technology strategy and engineering transformation for an AI-powered venture intelligence startup, scaling a cloud-native platform on AWS. Led distributed teams and built AI-enabled capabilities including RAG, embeddings pipelines, recommendation engines, and predictive scoring, improving release frequency and reducing critical defects.

technology strategy Engineering Transformation AWS .NET PostgreSQL Vector Databases Event Driven Architecture Distributed Teams DevSecOps AI ML RAG Embedding Pipelines Recommendation Engines Enterprise Architecture API governance Platform Resilience

Current

Branch Chief, Modeling & Simulation

Current

Missile and Space Intelligence Center

Jun 2024 - Present (2 years 1 month)

Directed engineering teams to increase project completion rates by 20% through strategic leadership and resource optimization. Integrated AI-driven predictive analytics and improved system survivability assessments by 20%, while advancing cross-functional collaboration.

Engineering Leadership Resource Optimization Cross Functional Collaboration Predictive Analytics predictive modeling Survivability Assessments

Senior Intelligence Analysis

Missile and Space Intelligence Center

Oct 2023 - May 2024 (7 months)

Led research and simulation projects on foreign missile systems, improving survivability analysis accuracy by 20% through enhanced modeling techniques. Integrated multi-source intelligence for capability assessments and developed detailed threat models to support strategic decision-making and defense planning.

Modeling and Simulation Threat Modeling

Innovation Lead - In-Q-Tel Partnership

Missile and Space Intelligence Center

Dec 2021 - Sep 2023 (1 year 9 months)

Secured funding and led a $5M+ innovation portfolio focused on AI/ML, NLP, and Explainable AI. Partnered with early-stage startups to integrate solutions into government systems, achieving 25% accuracy improvements and 30% operational efficiency gains.

Innovation Portfolios AI ML NLP Explainable AI

Deputy IFA Lead & Senior Engineer

Missile and Space Intelligence Center

Jan 2010 - Dec 2021 (11 years 11 months)

Managed teams of up to 22 personnel delivering multi-million-dollar simulation and systems integration projects on time and within budget. Improved inter-agency coordination by 30% and reduced deployment timelines by 18% through process innovation, and developed training programs to enhance team performance.

Team Leadership Simulation System Integration Process Innovation Training program development

Information Technology Specialist

U.S. Military Operations & MSIC

Aug 2001 - Jan 2010 (8 years 5 months)

Served as an Information Technology Specialist, improving forecasting accuracy by 20% and accelerating project delivery by 15%. Managed $100K+ contracts with 100% compliance and cost savings through scope control, directed secure IT operations maintaining 99.9% uptime for 500+ users, and led cross-agency data integration to improve accessibility and metadata consistency.

IT Operations Forecasting Contract Management Compliance Data Integration Resource Management