Aviation & ISR Committee
Mark Clark retired from the Marine Corps in 2014 after 33 years of Service. Clark’s assignments in the Marine Corps and special operations ranged from the tactical to strategic level. As an aviator, his experience included flying the CH-53E helicopter, the MV-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotor, and the Air Force Special Operations MH-53J Pavelow. As a General Officer, his assignments included a Pentagon assignment as the Marine Corps’ Director for Strategy and International Engagement, and as the J3 Director of Operations and Chief of Staff for US Special Operations Command. His most recent Active Duty assignment was as the Commander of Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC). His post-military activities have included senior-level consulting/trusted advisor for small businesses as the owner/manager of Resolute Solutions LLC; board member for profit and non-profit companies, and as an Outside Director/Government Security Committee member.
He is also on the Advisory Council for the Global SOF Foundation and an advisor for the Aviation & ISR and Maritime Committees. He lives in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Maritime Committee
Jim Emmert has more than thirty years of proven performance supporting the United States and International Defense and Special Operations communities. He spent twenty-seven years as a SEAL in the United States Navy, with extensive experience as a swimmer delivery vehicle pilot and navigator, open & closed-circuit diving supervisor, and hyperbaric chamber operator and supervisor. He also served as test and acceptance Co-pilot for the Advanced SEAL Delivery System, the first dry combat submersible prototype, developed by U.S. Special Operations Command. He commanded Special Boat Team TWENTY-TWO, the only U.S. riverine-focused special operations organization with multiple deployments to the Middle East, Africa, and Central and South America.
Jim has significant U.S., Joint, and international experience, having been posted to the Joint Special Operations Command, the NATO Special Operations Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command, and U.S.-Theater Special Operations Command North. While assigned to these organizations, he supported Capability Assessment & Program Evaluation, development and delivery of emerging SOF capabilities, and budget (POM) formulation. He is a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School and was a Federal Executive Fellow at the RAND Corporation.
Since leaving the Navy in 2015, he has been a Dept of the Army Civilian, working a second time at the NATO Special Operations Headquarters, led US market development for James Fisher Defense (JFD), and is currently Senior Director for Capability Development and Delivery for Teledyne Brown Engineering.
Small Business Committee
Jake Waddell commissioned from Georgia Military College as an Infantry Officer where he received the Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award and Special Forces Association Award of Excellence. Jake has spent the last 10 years within the SOCOM enterprise in a small business capacity, conducting multiple deployments with tiered elements at both the strike force and sensitive activities levels. Jake’s roles have spanned from Senior Operations and Integration Advisor, Targeting Officer, and ISR Tactical Controller. In these roles, Jake gained extensive experience deploying new technologies across various branches and levels of SOCOM, sourced from both government and commercial entities. During this tenure, Jake received two Awards of Excellence from the National Mission Force.
After his last deployment to EUCOM focusing on current and ongoing conflicts, Jake was selected for a National Security Fellowship at a strategic advisory firm, where he transitioned to Second Front Systems immediately after. Second Front specializes in rapid software accreditation and deploying capabilities (both software and hardware) to government networks and end users. As a Program Manager, Jake led the first classified deployments of Second Front catalog companies while securing new contracts. He was promoted to Director of Federal Delivery, where he continued expanding capability delivery to interagency partners and building the edge portfolio. Currently, Jake focuses on tech scouting for combat development directorates, JGTM, and federal account expansion.
Jake lives in Virginia Beach, and he holds a Master’s Degree in National Security Policy from Duke University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from Auburn University.
Committees
Corporate Partner-Only Committees