Daniel T. Rust
Summary
Has worked defense acquisition from every side: operator, lawyer, program office, and contractor. Most recently built the business-development operation at a defense modeling-and-simulation firm: capture process, opportunity pipeline, partner agreements, and a three-year go-to-market proposal. Before that, an Air Force JAG prosecutor and then the first Judge Advocate selected to become an RPA pilot, flying the RQ-4 Global Hawk. JD (Vermont Law); completing a part-time Hybrid MBA at UW Foster. Passed FINRA Series 7, 66, and SIE.
Expertise
Business Development & Partnerships | Go-to-Market Strategy | Pipeline & Proposal Management | Program Management | Negotiation & Contracts | Data Analysis & Automation | Risk & Compliance | Stakeholder Management | Financial Markets
Experience
Fort Walton Beach, FL | Reported to the CTO of a small defense modeling-and-simulation firm. Earned the role through a personalized cold-email campaign to local contractors.
- Built the company's business-development function from the ground up: a seven-phase capture process, CRM pipeline, competitive intelligence, executive reporting, and same-day alerts for new federal contract opportunities.
- Restarted a dormant relationship with a Navy modeling-and-simulation office and developed it into a two-hour capability demonstration, after three internal dry runs.
- Pulled research-institution and major-prime partners together on a tight deadline for a federal R&D (STTR) proposal, then guided an Anyar engineer and outside contributors through the technical volume.
- Wrote go-to-market proposals for leadership: a three-year strategic ambition, priority market segments, and partnership options.
- Helped negotiate teaming and nondisclosure agreements with major defense primes.
- Sent 231 personalized LinkedIn invitations to prospects.
Fort Walton Beach, FL | Part-time; co-founded and operate a consulting firm, handling entity formation, strategy, and growth decisions.
Remote | AI and computer-vision company. Part-time internship alongside final Air Force assignment, then a paid role for the last month.
- Supported 15 federal and defense proposals, and tracked allied innovation programs (NATO DIANA, UK DASA) for international openings.
- Built AI-assisted personalized email workflows for prospect outreach.
Remote | Military transition internship; connected private-equity firms with business owners for M&A deal flow, refining prospect targeting, lead qualification, and the CRM workflow.
Eglin AFB, FL | Full-time
- Indexed 13.8K program data files before key munitions programs moved to a sustainment center in Utah. Wrote the script that built the inventory, delivered it as searchable Excel workbooks, and taught other divisions the method.
- Reworked the scanning process for more than 4,000 aperture cards and microfiche, moving legacy engineering drawings into digital records.
- Led planning for Dronecon, an Air Force drone hackathon, coordinating 78 stakeholders from 23 organizations plus Air Force headquarters. A modified version was later held.
Grand Forks AFB, ND | Full-time
- Qualified as aircraft and mission commander; flew reconnaissance missions supporting multiple combatant commands.
- As Flight Safety Officer, consolidated years of scattered risk-management worksheets into one searchable workbook used for risk analysis and safety decisions.
- Originated the idea for Narrative Buddy, a writing tool others built that went on to serve nearly 30,000 Airmen and Guardians.
- Evaluated 20 small-business proposals in data science, machine learning, and neural networks as an AFWERX SAGE Fellow.
Remote, Grand Forks, ND | Part-time; passed the FINRA Series 7, Series 66, and SIE exams and held securities registrations (CRD# 7325902).
Barksdale AFB, LA | Full-time
- First Judge Advocate selected to become an RPA pilot.
- As Chief of Legal Assistance, ran the office named Air Force Global Strike Command's top legal assistance office for the year. Also served as Chief of Operations Law and Chief of Administrative Actions, and supervised two paralegals.
- Prosecuted five fully litigated courts-martial and 21 federal cases as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney.
The Pentagon, Arlington, VA | Full-time; supported the General Counsel's office on personnel and health policy during a law-school semester-in-practice.
Chattanooga, TN | Full-time; introduced disabled veterans across the region to a free assistive-technology lending program.
Jacksonville, FL | Traditional Guard; maintained and launched F-15s, reaching Staff Sergeant.
Projects
- Built and operate Coastal Haven Partners, a finance recruiting platform with candidate, recruiter, and school workflows and an early user base.
- Built Facilide (facilide.com), an AI-assisted workspace that turns workshop notes and whiteboard photos into structured ideas, recommendations, and assigned actions.
Education
Completed in 2.5 years; semester-in-practice at the Pentagon.
Model UN President; Student-CEO of a campus furniture enterprise managing 10 employees.
Additional
- Built a finance and market-analysis Android app selected by Samsung for its “Apps for Professionals” category; a companion app reached 44,000+ installs across 120 countries.
- Certified Fraud Examiner (ACFE), 2021 to 2026; not renewed for cost while unused, and eligible for reinstatement. Licensed attorney: TX, MA, MO (inactive). Past CAMS and CFCS. Published in The Strategy Bridge (2021). Held TS/SCI clearance, 2020 to 2025.