Brad Chedister is currently serving as the Chief Technology Officer of DEFENSEWERX, an innovation catalyst that works in partnership with the Department of Defense, where he leads multiple innovation facility locations and teams across the United States. He also serves as a Special Advisor for Bio-Tech / Med-Tech / Human Performance Optimization Technologies for SOFWERX, Special Operations Command’s partner.

Additionally, Brad currently serves as a Co-Chairman for the Warfighter Sustainment and Performance Working Group (NDIA / DOD entity); Co-Chairman of the Automobile Industry’s Exoskeleton Working Group (Current and Future Technologies Sub-group); and Advisory Member of the Cognitive Performer Working Group, Northwestern University’s Kellogg Institute TWIN Member, and member of ERGO Global Futures.

From 2013 - 2016, Brad was the Lead Engineer / Subject Matter Expert supporting USSOCOM HQ Commander’s Science and Technology Initiative, the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS) Joint Task Force. Before that, he spent 2004 - 2016 as a Technology Scout / Subject Matter Expert supporting multiple Special Operations Command (SOCOM) priorities. From 2005 to 2017 he served as the R&D lead for several R&D SOCOM programs including the Sensitive Site Exploitation (SSE) portfolio, Human Performance Program (HPP), TALOS, classified programs portfolio, Biomedical Initiatives Steering Committee (BISC), Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) portfolio, interagency Identity Dominance and Identity Superiority Programs, and Village Stability Operations Task Force for Credibility Assessment. Brad also held the position of Warfighter Systems Architect Director at MIT affiliated Draper Laboratories from 2016 - 2018.

Additionally, Chedister was selected to lead a brainstorming group for the Ebola crisis dealing with key technologies in collaboration with the World Health Organization and White House R&D leadership.

Brad is a Biomedical Engineer by training and holds a double Masters in Engineering Management and Technology Management. Before joining USSOCOM in 2005 – he played professional baseball for the Houston Astros MLB organization.