Leadership Shaped by National Service

Executive leadership across government, academia, and industry for nearly five decades. 

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Austin K. Yamada

Principal, the Yamada Group

Austin provides strategic consulting at the intersection of industry, academia, and government. His work focuses on national security research, institutional partnerships, regulatory navigation, and government engagement.

Leadership Across Government, Academia, and Industry

With nearly five decades of executive experience, Mr. Yamada has served in senior leadership positions across the U.S. Department of Defense, major defense contractors, research organizations, and higher education. His career has been dedicated to advancing national security initiatives and strengthening collaboration between public and private institutions.

Public Service and National Security Leadership

Mr. Yamada served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Combating Terrorism within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, he oversaw policy, resource management, and interagency coordination supporting national security and special operations missions and was instrumental in developing and implementing acquisition policy supporting the special operations community.

Education

Mr. Yamada holds a Master of Engineering from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor of Science from Montana State University. He also completed executive education through the Harvard Kennedy School's Senior Officials in National Security program and the Federal Executive Institute.

Building National Security Research Organizations

As the founding president and CEO of the University of Arizona Applied Research Corporation (UA-ARC), Mr. Yamada established the independent nonprofit research corporation to expand the university's participation in the national security market. During his leadership, the organization generated more than $100 million in research revenue and established one of the nation's few university-affiliated Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs).

Advancing Research and Institutional Growth

Prior to UA-ARC, Mr. Yamada founded the University of Arizona's Defense and Security Research Institute, helping secure approximately $16 million in Department of Defense funding while advancing defense research consulting, national security research consulting, and government research funding advisory initiatives. He later served in executive leadership roles at Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation, QinetiQ North America, ManTech International, and Lockheed Martin, where he led strategy, academic-government partnership consulting, and Industry Academia Government consulting efforts in support of national security programs.

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