Shands Pickett is a senior defense leader in Booz Allen’s Digital Battlespace business. He focuses on defense modernization efforts to deter or defeat near-peer adversaries. He advances our mission system integration and modernization business and directs growth and investments aligned to national defense priorities.
Shands has over 15 years of experience designing, developing, and delivering technical innovation, including mission systems, software systems, and analytical solutions. He shapes Booz Allen’s approach to emerging technologies and their mission applications in the context of U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) operational constraints, requirements, and dependencies.
In addition to technical delivery, Shands implements partnership strategies with non-traditional, dual-use technology companies. He identifies venture capital (VC)-backed startups, original equipment manufacturers, large technology companies, and other industry entities to accelerate the development of innovative solutions to address DOD’s most pressing mission challenges.
Before joining Booz Allen, Shands led defense and national security teams at two VC-backed startups. Earlier in his career, he directly supported global, on-the-ground U.S. government missions, including two deployments to Afghanistan as part of the U.S. Army’s Human Terrain System.
Shands holds an M.A. in U.S. foreign policy from The George Washington University and a B.A. in philosophy from Rollins College.
