About Maynard A. Holliday
Maynard Holliday is a prominent senior engineering and robotics professional applying over 25 years of expertise that spans both the government and private sectors into his current role as Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering where he he oversees investment and capability analysis of the Pentagon's critical technology areas.
Previously, Maynard was a Senior Engineer at RAND Corporation. He shares his passion for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) with the next generation of rising engineers through his volunteer work in STEM-focused initiatives.
Maynard leveraged his extensive experience managing interdisciplinary projects of international and commercial importance at Lawrence Livermore National Labs (LLNL) and Sandia National Labs as well as various robotics start-ups in Silicon Valley. From his pioneering robotics work with Chernobyl to being selected as an Obama administration appointee and senior technical advisor to the US Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition Technology and Logistics, Maynard's engineering innovations reverberate from Capitol Hill to the Silicon Valley.
View Maynard’s full LinkedIn profile here.
Maynard’s
Areas of Expertise
Autonomous Vehicles
Swarm Robotics
Artificial intelligence for Autonomous Systems
Machine LearningCounter Drone Technology
Defense Innovation
AI Bias
STEM Diversity Inclusion and & Equity
US Defense Policy
US/China AI Competition
Biden-Harris Administration
Maynard is currently the Director of Defense Research and Engineering for Modernization, a Biden-Harris Administration Presidential Appointee.
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Director of Defense Research and Engineering for Modernization
Maynard oversees investment and capability analysis of the Pentagon's modernization priorities outlined in the National Defense Strategy. He has oversight of the 11 principal directors assigned to those modernization portfolios and their roadmaps - the comprehensive strategies to manage, provide oversight and guide choices for each modernization priority area. These modernization priorities include 5G; Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; Autonomy; Biotechnology; Cyber; Directed Energy; Fully Networked Command, Control, and Communications; Hypersonics; Microelectronics; Quantum Science; and Space.
Career Stops
Chernobyl
Maynard was awarded the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences' (AAAS), Science Engineering and Diplomacy Fellowship. This fellowship would bring him to Washington DC to work in technology policy at USAID and DOE Headquarters. He is a three-time DARPA PI on tactical mobile robotics, visual pattern recognition, and micro air vehicle navigation programs.
Maynard convened and led the joint Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA International Pioneer Project Team. It designed and fabricated a radiation-hardened telerobotic mobile vehicle for site characterization and remediation tasks at Chernobyl unit 4.
Russian Nuclear Material Security
From 1996-1998, Maynard acted as a DOE project manager for the U.S./Russia Nuclear Material Security Task Force. He led interdisciplinary ten-person expert teams in Russia to negotiate and implement nuclear material security upgrades. For Maynard's exceptional service in helping to secure tons of weapons-grade nuclear material, Maynard was awarded the Department of Energy's Meritorious Service Award – its highest award, for his exceptional service in helping secure tons of weapons-grade nuclear material.
Awards of note
Maynard's achievements reflect his values and commitment to service and are a standout example of Black excellence.
Awards pictured from left to right: Department of Energy Meritorious Service Award and the Department of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service.
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or time. We are the ones we've been waiting for change we seek
— President Barack Obama
Obama Administration
2007-2014: Maynard was an Obama Administration Presidential Appointee and Senior Technical Advisor to Frank Kendall – the longest-serving Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition Technology and Logistics in the Pentagon history. There he helped advise the Undersecretary on investments the government needed to make to maintain US technological superiority while understanding how Autonomy and AI could impact operations.
Senior Technical Advisor
As the senior technical advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense, Maynard advised the technical and programmatic analysis for a broad range of R&D acquisition and sustainment issues to key government officials, including the Secretary, Service Acquisition Executives, Program Executive Officers, and Program Managers. He led OUSD (AT&L) analyses of commercial Independent Research and Development (IRAD) programs.
Defense Innovation Unit
Announced April 2015 at Stanford University, Maynard helped establish the Department's Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) in Silicon Valley that the Secretary of Defense. He was one of several government advisers to the 2015 Defense Science Board (DSB) summer study on Autonomy, where he used extensive industry and laboratory contacts to help inform the research. He helped formulate stretch problems and recommendations that are currently being operationalized by AT&L technical staff.
Education
Maynard holds a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Design with an emphasis in robotics and international security and arms control from Stanford University.
Maynard holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from
Carnegie Mellon University.
Maynard completed the Summer Space Engineering and Robotics Program at the International Space University.
Maynard is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc as part the Omicron Theta Lambda (OTL) Chapter based out of Oakland, California.
Championing stem initiatives
Maynard is passionate about Robotics and AI for underrepresented groups and has worked on a variety of groups and initiatives to mentor the next generation of engineering professionals.
Citizen Schools
Maynard partners with Bay Area public schools lecturing and teaching robotics through the Citizen Schools program in East Oakland, California. For his volunteer service, Maynard was named the 2012 Citizen Schools Volunteer of the Year. He was also recognized with a Presidential Volunteer Service Award from the White House for his efforts with Citizen Schools over the past several years.
My Brother’s Keeper
Maynard was also involved in the My Brothers Keeper task force initiative, where he helped implement programs that increased opportunities for all young people across the country, ensuring they could achieve their full potential regardless of who they are, where they come from, or the circumstances which they are born.
STEM White House
Diversity Initiatives
Maynard was called on by the White House to participate in multiple White House meetings on STEM excellence. These gatherings brought together top leaders from government, industry, and academia to address the STEM diversity pipeline. He also participated in the IMAGE of STEM event at the White House that discussed the portrayal of STEM professionals in the media and is a White House Leadership program participant.
Maynard is a Co-Founder of Robot Garden, the robotics themed hackerspace in Livermore, California.
Maynard is a co-organizer of Black in Robotics where he currently serves as the Industry co-lead.
