KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- The Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate is pleased to announce that 1st Lt. Jacob Singleton has been chosen from a field of more than 120 nominees, as one of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International’s 40 Under 40 Award winners.
Singleton is the program manager for AFRL’s Center for Rapid Innovation that develops and transitions technology to meet urgent operational needs for the Air Force. In this capacity, he leads a defense and national security accelerator program for the Space Vehicles Directorate to accelerate commercial space technologies to close capability gaps for the warfighter.
The Space Technology Accelerator program is a new innovative platform to reach commercial solutions for defense technology needs with a new acquisitions strategy.
”Jake is becoming a recognized expert in creating and executing innovative acquisition methods with non-traditional commercial and allied partners," said Col. Russell Teehan, director of the AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate. “Although he is in the early stage of his career, Lieutenant Singleton has quickly shown himself to be a leader and innovative thinker. His selection as an AFCEA 40 Under 40 award winner validates my confidence in his abilities.”
Singleton explains that his energy is fueled by his experience as a student where he led a team to rapidly develop and demo a capability for the Air Force’s Pararescue program.
“Working with this student team, became a motivation for the impact I could make as an Air Force acquisitions officer,” he said. “I have learned that to generate this impact I have to disrupt the current culture in Air Force acquisitions.”
He said his job as program manager for the AFRL Center for Rapid Innovation has provided him the opportunity to work closely with the warfighter and transition solutions with a direct impact on today's mission.
“This is the type of work that motivates me,” Singleton said. “Being asked to be innovative can feel like standing at the foot of a mountain that needs to be moved. Over the last year I have learned that mountains can be moved!”
A native of Kaysville, Utah, Singleton received his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Utah State University. Following his commission through the university’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program, his first assignment was at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, where he received a Master of Science in astronautical engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology. He started at AFRL in 2016.
Singleton first got involved with AFCEA in their Young AFCEA program during his assignment at Wright-Patterson AFB where he helped coordinate their professional development programs. AFCEA International’s 40 Under 40 award winners will be recognized at a luncheon on May 16 as part of the association’s Defensive Cyber Operations Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland.