Episode 5: Al Di Leonardo

Al Di Leonardo is an experienced intelligence and U.S. Special Operations officer who utilized his military training to successfully found and sell two companies in the private and public marketplaces. As a U.S. Army veteran, he earned the Bronze Star Medal from U.S. Special Operations Command for his work in Afghanistan and Iraq. Al is widely recognized as a subject matter expert in analytical tradecraft, and as an entrepreneur with expertise, vision, and leadership at the intersection of big data, analytics, and geography.  

 With more than 25 years of combined government and consulting experience, with a concentration in the Intel Community, he retired out of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) after his career as a United States Army Intelligence Officer. Prior to JSOC, Al specialized as a Signals Intelligence Officer and spent almost a decade inside NSA with three military tours.

 In 2019, Al co-founded an AI/Machine Learning company known as Black Cape, which develops unique AI/ML capabilities that serve the U.S. National Security community, and the U.S. Department of Defense.  

 Al serves as a board member on the following non-profit boards: The American Geographical Society; The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation; The Global Special Operations Foundation; The National Cryptologic Museum Foundation; and The George Washington University’s Data Analytics program. 

 Al holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Loyola University and a Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University. Originally from Connecticut, Al, his spouse Melissa, and their two daughters reside in Arlington, Virginia.