Uptake has announced the appointment of Leo A. Brooks Jr. as an advisor. Recognized for leadership in industrial artificial intelligence (AI) by Gartner, the World Economic Forum, CNBC, and Forbes, Uptake is headquartered in Chicago with a presence in Canada, South America, Europe, India, and Australia.

“In his twenty-seven years of distinguished service to our nation, he built and led integrated operations,” said Uptake CEO Kayne Grau in a statement. “His national security expertise and experience strengthening public-private partnerships to enable digital transformation in the federal government will position Uptake to better equip the U.S. Military with insights that enhance operational efficiency and troop safety.”

Before his retirement from the U.S. Army in 2006, Gen. Brooks served as the vice director in the Office of the Chief of Staff. Earlier in his career, he commanded units across the Army, including as the deputy commanding general of the 1st Armored Division in Germany and commandant of cadets at the United States Military Academy.  After moving to Boeing’s defense business, he was the senior corporate liaison to the Pentagon, NASA, and Homeland Security.

“As part of the federal mandate to accelerate the adoption of AI, the DoD has an opportunity to leverage easily actionable insights on assets that are critical to preparing troops and supply chains on the frontline,” said Gen. Brooks. “The safe and secure use of powerful commercial software like Uptake enables commanders and asset managers to better protect their time, money, and ultimately, through more reliable operation and maintenance of heavy equipment, their troops.”

In addition to his new advisory role at Uptake, Gen. Brooks sits on the boards of Valiant Integrated Services, America’s Public Television Stations, and the District of Columbia College Access Program. He also chairs the Awards Committee on the Advisory Board of the Association of the United States Army and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Brooks has received numerous awards, notably the Army’s Distinguished Service Medal in 2006. In 2007, Brooks received the Freedom Team Salute Award for outstanding service to the nation by the Secretary of the Army. Additionally, he received the Black Engineer 2009 Military Leadership Stars & Stripes Award and was inducted into the Career Communications Group Hall of Fame in 2014. In February 2019, Brooks received the Black Engineer Career Achievement in Industry Award.