General John W. Nicholson Jr. (US ARMY, R.)
RAINCLOUD DEFENSE Advisor
General John Nicholson is a distinguished military and business leader with global relationships and experience, now sharing that expertise as a strategy, leadership and business consultant with the Nicholson MacDonald Group. He is also an advisor to and investor in RAINCLOUD DEFENSE, the premier business and knowledge ecosystem for the defense technology sector.
As a business leader, between December 2021 and January 2026, General Nicholson was the Chief Executive for Lockheed Martin Middle East, based in Abu Dhabi. During a very challenging period, he led the company’s strategy, operations, and growth in the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Iraq, and Pakistan. In this role, he was consistently selected among the top regional business leaders on the Forbes Global Meets Local List.
As a military leader, General Nicholson was a four-star U.S. Army General who last served as the Commander of all U.S. Forces and the 41-nation NATO-led Coalition in Afghanistan from 2016 to 2018. Before that, he served as Commander of NATO’s Allied Land Command and Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division. Commissioned in 1982, he served as a U.S. Army Airborne Ranger infantry officer at all levels with over six years in combat. He lived in Europe and the Middle East for more than twelve years, forging close relationships with security leaders in these regions.
General Nicholson was also a leader in the non-profit sector as President of the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Foundation from 2019-2021.. The PENFED Foundation was selected as the top non-profit in the DC regional area for its work supporting post-9/11 combat veterans, service members, caregivers, and their families. Under his leadership, the foundation created an educational program and venture capital fund which trained and invested in veteran entrepreneurs. They also assisted dozens of Afghans, including many former women Commandos, who had served alongside US Forces to resettle in the United States.
In August 2022, General Nicholson became a member of the Board of Directors of Veteran Coalition International, a registered US public charity organization supporting those who served in combat alongside US forces across the NATO alliance and partner nations to ensure their continued contribution to society.
In September 2022, he became a Member of the Board of Trustees of the UAE’s top-ranked Khalifa University of Science and Technology, which is one of the leading regional and global universities in developing the next generation of Emirati scientists, engineers and leaders.
He has been a mentor to U.S. General Officers through the U.S. National Defense University CAPSTONE program and to NATO officers through various fora. He is a member of Harvard’s Belfer Center Elbe Group which maintained a track two dialogue between retired Russian and American senior officials until Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. He has previously been an adjunct faculty member in leadership at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School Senior Executives in National and International Security Program and is a frequent speaker on security, leadership and business across the Middle East and Europe.
General Nicholson holds Bachelor’s Degrees from the United States Military Academy and Georgetown University and Master’s Degrees from the School for Advanced Military Studies and the National Defense University as well as two honorary doctorate degrees.
General John Allen
US Marine Corps (Retired)
RAINCLOUD DEFENSE Advisor and Investor
General Allen is a retired US Marine Corps four-star general. During his nearly four-decade military career, Allen served in a variety of commands in the Marine Corps and the Joint Force. Allen commanded the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and United States Forces in Afghanistan from July 2011 to February 2013. As such, he was the first Marine Corps general officer to command a theater of war.
Allen served as the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense on Middle East Security, and at the request of President Obama as Special Presidential Envoy to the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL. He was President of The Brookings Institution from 2017 to 2022.
General Allen is one of the originators of the term “hyperwar.” In 2018, he co-authored the book Hyperwar: Conflict and Competition in the AI Century. As a co-inventor, Allen shares five AI related patents. He advises several tech startups.
In addition to being an advisor to RAIN, Allen is a Strategic Advisor to The Microsoft Corporation, a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is a permanent member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Naval Academy’s Board of Visitors.
John Allen is a reader of history, particularly about the American Civil War, and is an enthusiastic, but by no means expert, cyclist. He has two rescue hounds, Buttons and Cammie, and while he’s certain they’re dogs, he’s uncertain of their lineage.
Lieutenant General Gwen Bingham
US Army (Retired)
RAINCLOUD DEFENSE Advisor
Lieutenant General (LTG) Gwen Bingham is a US Army retired 3-star General and a native of Troy, Alabama. She graduated from Army ROTC as a Distinguished Military Graduate from the University of Alabama in August 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce and Business Administration. She was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps. Lieutenant General Bingham has a Master’s degree in Administration from Central Michigan University and a Master’s degree in National Security Strategy and Resources from the National Defense University. LTG (R) Bingham deployed to Kuwait and Afghanistan in April 2010 in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. She has been a trailblazer serving as the first woman to hold numerous positions as a General Officer.
They include: The Army’s 51st Quartermaster General and Commandant of the US Army Quartermaster School; Commanding General, White Sands Missile Range; and Commanding General, Tank-automotive and Armaments Life Cycle Management Command. On 30 June 2016, she was confirmed by the Senate for promotion to Lieutenant General and assignment in the Pentagon as the Army Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management.
LTG (R) Bingham’s professional affiliations include: Council on Foreign Relations, member; National Association of Corporate Directors; Blue Star Families Board of Directors (Vice-Chair); Owens and Minor, Incorporated Board of Directors; Military Child Education Coalition, Life Member; Association of the United States Army, Life Member; ROCKS, Incorporated, Life Member; and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Life Member.
LTG (R) Bingham was named a 2021 “CNN Champion for Change” and is the recipient of the 2019 White House Correspondents “Be Fearless” Award; the 2019 Joint Women’s Leadership in Excellence Meritorious Service Award; the 2018 Ellis Island Medal of Honor; the 2018 Women in Defense Service to the Flag award and the 2014 Rock of the Year award. She and her husband, Dr. Patrick J. Bingham, have two adult children: Dr. Tava M. Bingham and Mr. Phillip J. Bingham. She is the President and CEO of P B J & G, LLC and resides with her husband in Austin, Texas.
David Boies
RAINCLOUD DEFENSE Investor
David Boies has been the Chairman and a Managing Partner of Boies Schiller Flexner since its founding in 1997.
Mr. Boies is the author of numerous publications including Courting Justice (2004), Redeeming the Dream (with Ted Olson), and Public Control of Business (with Paul Verkuil), published by Little Brown in 1977. He has taught courses at New York University Law School and Cardozo Law School. David has been selected as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time Magazine (2010) and has received various awards as a litigator and antitrust lawyer.
David served as Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the United States Senate Antitrust Subcommittee in 1978 and Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee in 1979. In 1991-1993, he was counsel to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, recovering $1.2 billion from companies who sold junk bonds to failed savings and loan associations.
Mr. Boise received a B.S. from Northwestern University (1964), an LL.B., magna cum laude from Yale University (1966), and an LL.M. from New York University (1967).
Mary McInnis Boies
RAINCLOUD DEFENSE Investor
Mary McInnis Boies is an American attorney working as counsel to the American law firm Boies Schiller Flexner. Her specialization is antitrust and corporate commercial litigation, and advising companies on complex commercial litigation. She serves on numerous prestigious boards including the Council on Foreign Relations, where she served two terms and chaired its Committee on Nominations and Governance.
Mrs. Boies also served on the board of MIT’s Center for International Studies Advisory Committee and the Dean’s Council of the Harvard Kennedy School. She served on the Board of Visitors that oversees the US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies; and the Air Force Research Institute, the Air War College, the National Security Space Institute and the Air Force Institute of Technology.
As a triathlete, Mary has competed in Long Island, New York; Key West, Florida; Napa, California; and New York City.
Dr. Ilya Feige
Global Head of AI, Cerberus Technology Solutions
RAINCLOUD DEFENSE Advisor
Dr. Feige is the Global Head of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Cerberus Technology Solutions, a subsidiary of Cerberus focused exclusively on leveraging emerging technology, data, and advanced analytics to drive business transformations. Based in London, Dr. Feige leads the platform’s AI and machine learning practice to apply data-driven solutions across Cerberus’ portfolio of investment as well as analyse value creation opportunities during diligence processes.
Prior to joining Cerberus in 2022, Dr. Feige was an executive with Faculty, one of Europe’s leading AI companies, and most recently served as Director of AI. During his tenure, he founded the company’s AI research lab and subsequently built and led a team of 25 applied AI practitioners.
Dr. Feige brings together a potent combination of research-frontier AI expertise with the ability to influence profound change within organisations through technology. He has published papers in all of the top AI conferences, including a single-author paper in ICML and a breakthrough AI Explainability paper published in NeurIPS.
Dr. Feige received his undergraduate degree with the highest honors from McGill University and his PhD in Theoretical Physics from Harvard University, where he was awarded the Goldhaber Prize as the top PhD student in physics.
Major General Robin Fontes
US Army (Retired)
RAINCLOUD DEFENSE Advisor
Major General Robin Fontes retired from the United States Army after almost 35 years of service. She most recently served as the Deputy Commanding General of the US Army Cyber Command where she was responsible for synchronising cyberspace operations in pursuit of Department of Defense and Army strategic priorities. As a General Officer, she also served as the Commander of the multi-national Combined Security Transition Command overseeing the training and equipping the army and police, and advising senior leaders in the Ministries of Defense, Interior and Finance in Afghanistan.
Over the course of her career, Robin commanded several units in Afghanistan and held several senior policy and US Embassy diplomatic positions focusing on US relations with the countries of South and Central Asia and with our NATO and Coalition partners. She is recognised as an accomplished soldier-diplomat and as leader with strategic vision able to navigate complex and sensitive diplomatic issues.
Fontes is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point (BS), the University of Washington (MA International Studies), and the National War College (MS National Security Strategy). She was also a post-graduate research fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University.
Lieutenant General Giles Hill
British Army (Retired)
RAINCLOUD DEFENSE Advisor
Giles Hill served for 35 years in the British Army and is one of the UK’s most experienced operational leaders. Commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst into the Parachute Regiment he has held command positions from 2LT to 3-Star General and served on every major operational mission the UK has conducted in the last three decades, including multiple tours in Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. He commanded the British Army’s Ranger Regiment equivalent, the UK’s 16 Air Assault Brigade and the 25,000 strong UK 1st Division. He also served 2 years as the first UK Deputy Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division and co-led the UK-FR Combined Joint Expeditionary Force. His last appointment was as the Deputy Commander of the International Coalition in Afghanistan from 2019-2021.
He has extensive cross-government, inter-agency, international policy and strategy experience. He has worked in US CENTCOM and in the UK Permanent Joint Headquarters on operational policy and plans. For three years as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff he led the UK MOD’s International Policy and Plans teams for the Middle East, Africa, Asia, South America, Latin America and the Caribbean. In this role he was responsible for developing the UK’s regional defence policies and plans and the UK’s International Defence Engagement Strategy.
He has been awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service, the CBE in 2014, the CB in 2020 and the US Legion of Merit in 2021 for his leadership.
Following retirement from active duty in December 2021 he now runs an international consultancy business as well as providing advice to the boards of several public and private sector organisations. He is a frequent speaker to international military and academic audiences on security and leadership issues.
Amir Husain
Founder & CEO, SparkCognition
RAINCLOUD DEFENSE Advisor and Investor
Amir Husain is a serial entrepreneur, technologist, and author based in Austin, Texas. He graduated from UT Austin in 1998 with a B.S. in computer science and has received widespread recognition for his work in artificial intelligence. Amir is the Founder and CEO of the award-winning AI company, SparkCognition, the founding CEO of SkyGrid, a Boeing and SparkCognition company building the aerial operating system to power the next century of aviation and Chairman of Navigate, a global, crowdsourced data ecosystem company.
An avid inventor, Amir has been awarded over 30 patents in AI and distributed systems. He serves on NATO’s Innovation Advisory Board and on the Board of Global Venture Bridge, bringing together international entrepreneurs. His work has been featured in world-leading outlets such as the BBC, Fortune, Forbes and Proceedings from the U.S. Naval Institute, among many others. He is the author of the best-selling book “The Sentient Machine”, a co-author of the compilation “Hyperwar: Conflict and Competition in the AI Century”, and has recently published two new books, “Generative Art” and “Generative AI for Leaders.”
Zaib Husain
RAINCLOUD DEFENSE Advisor and Investor
Zaib Husain runs her family office, Hyder Ventures and is also a founding partner at Global Venture Bridge. She invests in and advises startups across the globe. Mrs Husain is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and London University and has over 25 years of experience in the financial realm.
Rob Kee
Former Senior National Security Official
RAINCLOUD DEFENSE Advisor
Robert “Rob” Kee Jr. is a seasoned intelligence professional with more than three decades of federal service. Over his distinguished 31-year career, Rob completed ten operational field assignments, including three tours in Afghanistan and extensive deployments to active war zones in the Middle East and South Asia. As a four-time Chief of Station and later an Assistant Director, Rob worked at the highest levels of the intelligence community, engaging directly with the White House,
Congress, and inter-agency leadership. His exceptional contributions earned him numerous commendations, including the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, the Intelligence Medal of Merit, and the Director’s Award.
General Joseph L. Lengyel
US Air Force (Retired)
RAINCLOUD DEFENSE Advisor
General Lengyel retired from the Air Force as a four-star General. His final military assignment was as the 28th Chief of the National Guard Bureau, where he also served as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he was a military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council and was the Department of Defense’s official channel of communication to the Governors and the State Adjutants General on all matters pertaining to the National Guard. As the most senior National Guard Officer in the nation, Lengyel was responsible to oversee the $28B Army and Air National Guard budgets making sure 450K members of the National Guard were trained and ready across the spectrum of all National Guard military capabilities.
Lengyel was commissioned in 1981 as a graduate of the ROTC program at the University of North Texas in Denton. He served in the United States and around the world, primarily as an F-16 Fighter Pilot. In 1991, General Lengyel joined the Texas Air National Guard and simultaneously started a civilian career as a pilot for Delta Air Lines. General Lengyel held multiple commands in complex environments. Prior to serving at the National Guard Bureau, Lengyel was the Senior Defense Official and Defense Attache in Cairo, Egypt during the Arab Spring.
Lengyel received an MBA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He mentors new startups at the Capital Factory in Austin, Texas. He Chairs the Board of Directors of the Cohen Veterans Network and is on the Board of Directors of the Space Force Association. He is an Executive in Residence at the University of Texas, San Antonio, and he is providing services as a consultant for several clients.
General Lengyel retired from the Air Force as a four-star General. His final military assignment was as the 28th Chief of the National Guard Bureau, where he also served as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he was a military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council and was the Department of Defense’s official channel of communication to the Governors and the State Adjutants General on all matters pertaining to the National Guard. As the most senior National Guard Officer in the nation, Lengyel was responsible to oversee the $28B Army and Air National Guard budgets making sure 450K members of the National Guard were trained and ready across the spectrum of all National Guard military capabilities.
Lengyel was commissioned in 1981 as a graduate of the ROTC program at the
University of North Texas in Denton. He served in the United States and around the world, primarily as an F-16 Fighter Pilot. In 1991, General Lengyel joined the Texas Air National Guard and simultaneously started a civilian career as a pilot for Delta Air Lines. General Lengyel held multiple commands in complex environments. Prior to serving at the National Guard Bureau, Lengyel was the Senior Defense Official and Defense Attache in Cairo, Egypt during the Arab Spring.
Lengyel received an MBA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He mentors new startups at the Capital Factory in Austin, Texas. He Chairs the Board of Directors of the Cohen Veterans Network and is on the Board of Directors of the Space Force Association. He is an Executive in Residence at the University of Texas, San Antonio, and he is providing services as a consultant for several clients.
Jenn Loges
CEO One Degree Financial
RAINCLOUD DEFENSE Advisor
A fierce supporter of US veterans, Ms. Loges served as the founding board of directors and president for Patriots for Disabled Divers, a nonprofit organisation teaching disabled veterans how to scuba dive. Currently, Ms. Loges is developing a nonprofit initiative to support veteran-owned, US-based manufacturing efforts.
Lieutenant General Olivier Tramond
French Army (Retired)
RAINCLOUD DEFENSE Advisor
With 38 years of service in the French Army, Olivier Tramond has served in a wide range of military roles, including operations, intelligence, strategy, and long-term planning. His experience includes multiple tours overseas, ranging from the Middle East, the Balkans and Sub-Saharan Africa to the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific. He served in all ranks in Airborne Infantry combat units. As Colonel, he was commanding the 3 rd Airborne Marine Regiment, and as Brigadier General was French Joint Commander South Pacific.
Tramond has also held various national political-military roles. He advised the French Minister of Defense, oversaw the cross-government counter terrorism planning in the French Prime Minister’s office, the NSA equivalent, and led the French Army TRADOC.
Upon military retirement in 2015, he held various positions in the private sector, advising French and US defense tech companies. In the non-profit sector, Tramond has been Co-chair of The First Alliance, an American foundation dedicated to the US-French military alliance. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the American Battle Monuments Foundation.
A graduate from the Saint-Cyr Academy and the French War College, Tramond also holds a degree from the US Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies. Currently he is Associate Researcher of the Geopolitics Center of the top French business school HEC.
For his military service, Tramond has been awarded Commander of the Legion of Honor.
Brett Vaughan
US Navy Chief AI Officer (Retired)
RAINCLOUD DEFENSE Advisor
Mr. Brett Vaughan is retired from federal service and currently serves on the advisory board of
RAIN Defense + AI. Mr. Vaughan completed a 34-year career of federal service, retiring from the
Navy as US Navy Chief AI Officer and ONR AI Portfolio Manager on 30 June, 2023. Mr.
Vaughan assumed the role of Navy Chief AI Officer in December 2019 under the Navy’s Office
of Digital Transformation (OPNAV N09D) and Chief Digital and Innovation Office (SECNAV).
Prior to that and con-current with duties as Navy Chief AI Officer, he held the position of Artificial
Intelligence Portfolio Manager for the Office of Naval Research (ONR). As Chief AI Officer he
was responsible for shaping and informing Navy plans, policies and position on Artificial
Intelligence and the alignment and coordination of AI work across ONR and was the principal
agent for AI-focused engagement on behalf of ONR, the Chief of Naval Research, the Chief of
Naval Operations and the Secretary of the Navy.
Prior to joining ONR, Mr. Vaughan served as Science and Technology Integration and
Innovation Lead on the Chief of Naval Operations Staff, OPNAV N2N6FX, Information Warfare
from 2010 – 2019. Responsible for driving science and technology (S&T) gain across the
Information Warfare portfolio, support to strategic S&T decision-making and related technology
outreach and engagement. His previous assignment was Section Head for Technology
Outreach under the Knowledge Dominance Directorate of N2N6. Mr. Vaughan entered Navy
civilian service in June 2009, attached to the Strategy and Concept Development branch of
OPNAV N20, where he was responsible for technology strategy development and concept
innovation.
Prior to joining the Department of the Navy, Mr. Vaughan spent a twenty-year career with the
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Prominent assignments with NGA included:
NGA Pentagon Liaison Division Chief, NGA Defense (2009-2010); NGA Liaison to the CNO N2
Staff (2003-2009); NGA Liaison to the JCS Joint Staff (1997-2002) and Operations Engineer
(1995-1997). Mr. Vaughan entered federal service in 1989 after working as a cartographer for
the City of Virginia Beach Mapping and Surveying Department.
Mr. Vaughan is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval War College, earning a Masters of
Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies. He also holds a Masters Degree in
Environmental Science from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelors Degree in Geography
from the University of Mary Washington where he also completed five semesters of Russian
language studies.
His honors and awards include the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, the Joint Meritorious Unit
Citation (two awards), the James V. Forrestal Award for Excellence in Strategy and Force
Planning, the Marine Corps Association Writing Award, the NIMA Superior Service Medal, the
DCI Meritorious Unit Citation and several letters of appreciation and commendation from OSD
and the JCS Joint Staff.
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