To strengthen small manufacturing for the defense industry

Meet the Team

With a breadth of expertise in defense, supply chain, government, and business, Knudsen’s team works to to strengthen America’s small-manufacturing defense industrial base.

Michael Morford

Founder and Chairman of the Board

Michael spearheads all policy efforts for The Institute where he seeks to guide discussions on manufacturing and supply chain initiatives in Congress specifically as it pertains to how the U.S. manufacturing sector engages integrates with the defense industrial base. He is a subject matter expert on SMMs engagement within the DIB where he is a oft-requested speaker at Defense and Manufacturing conferences as well as a frequently published author on the subject.

Prior to establishing Knudsen, he was the Co-Founder and visionary for Sustainment Technologies Inc., an AI-based software platform to alter the way in which the US manufacturing base engages with large industrial companies, primarily the DoD. This technology is being developed in partnership with the Air Force Sustainment Center, the organization for the Air Force that is responsible for acquiring replacement parts for the U.S.’s fleet of fighter jets, refueling tankers, and strategic bombers.

Michael is also a Founding Board Member for the Oklahoma Defense Industrial Association (ODIA); and as a National Security Fellow for the Truman National Security Project, a national organization focused on national security issues. He is a frequent university guest lecturer at institutions that include Georgetown, Boston University, Oklahoma City University, and Tulane and has been published in multiple media outlets to include the USA Today. Michael holds a BS in Engineering and an MBA, both from Tulane University, and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Logistics University and U.S. Army Finance School.

Michael served his country as a decorated U.S. Army logistics officer. In the Army, he was a US Army Captain and disabled veteran of the Iraqi War. He served as a war-planner for the 377 Theater Support Command and is a 2001 recipient of the Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award presented by the Chief of Staff of the US Army.

Loren Smith

Executive Director and Board Member

Loren is an accomplished professional with experience in policy, risk assessment, and strategic planning. Including his work in supporting Knudsen’s administrative side, he offers insight on diverse areas such as supply chain management, technology, and their impact on society.

Previously he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation and has also served at the U.S. Department of Labor and as a congressional staffer. During his tenure, he assumed crucial roles such as Chief Environmental Review Permitting Officer, Chair of the ROUTES Initiative’s management team, and policy lead on accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Moreover, Loren played a pivotal role in regulatory reform efforts, with a special focus on supersonic aviation. His exceptional performance during the 2016-2017 presidential transition earned him the leadership role of the landing team for the U.S. Department of Labor.

Prior to his time in government, Loren served as an analyst at Capital Alpha Partners, LLC, a respected research firm specializing in public policy analysis for investors. During his seven-year tenure there, he focused on transportation policy, particularly in the automotive and infrastructure sectors. Loren’s research prowess was evident through the publication of over 500 research notes, further establishing him as a thought leader in his field.

Loren holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Boston College.

Richard Leu PHD

Board Member

Richard Leu, PhD, is currently the director of emerging technologies and is a member of the board of directors for The Knudsen Institute, a nonprofit research organization developing solutions with emerging technologies to aid the defense industrial base and small manufacturers during a surge environment. He is also the co-founder and president of Space Cow LLC, a for-profit applied research company working on novel AI, data, and software solutions in the manufacturing space.

Dr. Leu’s 10+ years of industry experience as a data scientist and technology executive has spanned multiple domains such as aerospace & defense, logistics, manufacturing, and oil & gas and multiple business models such as eCommerce, physical asset management, platform models, and SaaS. Dr. Leu received his BS in Aerospace Engineering, BS in Physics, MS in Statistics, and PhD in Physics from The University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Leu’s career as a data scientist has spanned multiple industries such as aerospace & defense, logistics, manufacturing, and oil & gas and multiple business models such as eCommerce, physical asset management, platform models, and SaaS. His skill set includes artificial intelligence, machine learning, operations research, simulation modeling, and statistical analysis. As the top technology executive at a startup, he led the company’s software engineering, data science, and general IT divisions building a team up from 1 to 15+, bringing multiple products to market, and getting SOC 2 compliance. As a consultant, he has advised multiple early-stage startups on data science, data engineering, and software application development. His work has led to multiple patent applications.

One highlight of his career includes the development of a prognostic algorithm predicting time-to-failure of critical components for the US Army Aviation’s CBM+ program. This algorithm combined traditional reliability statistical analysis with a machine learning classification model based on historical sensor data. Another highlight is the development of the patent-backed Intelligent DispatchTM system, a real-time automated dispatch program for on-demand pickup-and-delivery. The algorithm behind the system was a combination of machine learning to reduce the problem size, a traditional discrete optimizer, and tunable decision trees to take into account business logic and specific market configurations. Another highlight is the development of a scalable predictive analytics system for an MRO client to predict demand on over 300,000+ components. This system included ways to balance predictive performance with training time and data pipelines & models that could deal with large amounts of missing data. A last highlight to mention is the executive leadership of the data science team that created an innovative patent-pending matching algorithm between manufacturing tiers. This algorithm included an AI module capable of ingesting CAD files and extracting important feature and geometric information necessary to determine precise manufacturing process requirements.

G. Carl Pickard

Board Member

G. Carl Pickard is a seasoned executive leader with over three decades of consistent, successful execution in challenging business environments. As a Master Black Belt in Policy Deployment lean process, he effectively enables organizations to deploy strategy through prioritized, disciplined action plans and metric-based initiatives.

Pickard’s recent employment includes his role as SVP Global Sales, Marketing, and Business Development at AllClear Aerospace and Defense, where he delivered top-line revenue and gross profit for a newly formed entity. Prior to this, he served as VP/SVP and General Manager at RelaDyne Reliability Services/CIRCOR/Colfax Reliability Services, transforming a demoralized and money-losing business into a double-digit EBITDA performer.

His career also features significant stints at Colfax Fluid Handling as Acting President, at Rexnord Industries as Corporate Vice President Sales, Marketing, and International, and at Danaher Corporation in several executive roles. In these positions, Pickard consistently delivered robust business growth and profitability, streamlined operational processes, built strong global teams, and developed impactful marketing strategies.

Beyond these roles, Pickard has held high-ranking positions at Newell Company, Revell-Monogram Inc., Sara Lee Corporation, Leo Burnett Company, Black & Decker, Inc., and PepsiCo, Inc. – Wilson Sporting Goods Division, each time leaving a significant impact on the company’s bottom line and strategic direction. His early career included a stint as Director of Sales at Harold Shaw Publishers while earning his MBA.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in History from Gordon College and a Masters of Management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Alex Gray

Board Member

Alexander B. Gray is Managing Partner of American Global Strategies LLC, an international strategic advisory firm that he co-founded with former National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien. His wide-ranging practice includes the defense, aerospace, maritime, and technology sectors.

Mr. Gray most recently served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff of the White House National Security Council (NSC), where he directed the daily operations of the National Security Advisor’s immediate office, as well as the budget, personnel, and security functions of the NSC.

Previously, he served in the White House as Special Assistant to the President for the Defense Industrial Base at the National Economic Council (NEC), the principal Executive Office of the President (EOP) official responsible for matters impacting the defense and manufacturing industrial base, and as the first-ever Director for Oceania and Indo-Pacific Security at the NSC.

Earlier, Mr. Gray was a Member of the 2016 Presidential Transition Team at the U.S. Department of State and served as Senior Advisor to former U.S. Congressman J. Randy Forbes (R-VA), a senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Mr. Gray, a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, is a Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC); a Senior Nonresident Fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute (GTI); a member of the Nixon Seminar on Conservative Realism and National Security, sponsored by the Richard Nixon Foundation; and a Senior Advisor at the Marathon Initiative. Mr. Gray was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) in Taipei, Taiwan.

Mr. Gray concurrently serves as a Strategic Counselor to Ballard Partners, a nationally-recognized government and public affairs firm, and sits on the Advisory Board of Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD).

His writings have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, National Review, Newsweek, The National Interest, The Hill, The Weekly Standard, Naval War College Review, Strategic Studies Quarterly, and the Proceedings of the U.S. Naval Institute. Mr. Gray has also appeared on television and radio programs in the U.S., Taiwan, Japan, India, South Korea, and Australia. He is currently writing a book on U.S. strategy in the Pacific Islands.

A recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service and the National Security Council’s Outstanding Service Award, Mr. Gray’s other recognitions include Maverick PAC’s “Future40” and OKC Friday’s “Oklahoma’s Most Powerful Young Professionals”. He is a Member of the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and serves on the Oklahoma Advisory Committee for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC).

He is a graduate of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University (B.A. International Affairs) and attended Oklahoma State University.

National Board of Advisors

Our board of advisors includes a diverse array of highly accomplished individuals that assist in promotion of the institute while also providing valuable advice to the team.