Col. Nathan Stuckey was officially appointed director of AFWERX during a change of leadership ceremony held on June 17 at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
The Air Force Research Laboratory said Tuesday that Stuckey will also serve as the chief commercialization officer for the Department of the Air Force. In his new role, Stuckey will spearhead AFWERX’s initiatives to drive rapid development and meet critical national defense needs. He succeeds Col. Elliott Leigh, who has held the dual role since December 2022.
Col. Stuckey’s Career Highlights
Prior to his appointment, Stuckey served as the military deputy director for the Rapid Sustainment Office, where he oversaw the rapid fielding of sustainment capabilities by utilizing advanced technologies to enhance mission readiness and minimize lifecycle costs.
Stuckey was also the deputy chief of the C-5M Super Galaxy Division, materiel leader of the B-1 Systems Engineering Branch and project manager of both the Protected Tactical Enterprise Service and Future Systems of the White House Communications Agency. The new director also held leadership roles with the 46th Test Squadron and the Directed Energy Directorate.
AFRL commander Brig. Gen. Jason Bartolomei presided over the event and said, “We’re already in a serious science and technology competition with some pretty competitive people on the world market. Our job is to win that fight — and we can’t do it without working together with the innovation ecosystem and without AFWERX doing what it does best.”
