Dr. Randy “Laz” Gordon is a 26-year retired US Air Force Colonel and served as the Wing Commander of the Arnold Engineering Development Complex, a multi-billion dollar nationwide organization featuring more than 65 aerospace developmental test and evaluation facilities.  Prior to this role, he served as the initial cadre Director for the Secretary of the Air Force’s AI Technology Accelerator with MIT.  He also served on the Secretary of the Air Force’s initial cadre for the AFWERX Technology Innovation Team with business, academia, and Airmen. 

Dr. Gordon is a Presidential Fellow, Harvard Business School Alumnus, DARPA Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Fellow, and graduate of the US Air Force’s School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS), Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), and the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA).  He is an accomplished public speaker with appearances on CBS, Smithsonian Channel, Jay Leno’s Garage, and the TEDx stage.

He has over 3000 flight hours as an experimental test pilot and operational combat fighter pilot with experience in the F-22A, F-15C/E, A-10A/C, F-16A/C, T-38C, Bombardier BD-700 Global Express business jet, and 70 other military and civilian aircraft.