Me in 10 seconds?
I’m a builder, strategist, athlete, and creator driven by clarity and fueled by curiosity.
A decisive multipotentialite. An introverted extrovert. A creator who turns ideas into outcomes and systems into growth engines.
I build companies, products, and partnerships that perform — from global ecosystems and AI-native operating models to purpose-driven brands and foundations. My work lives at the intersection of strategy, execution, and storytelling, connecting how we think with how we build.
What am I doing now? Check out my now page.
The long version.
Hi, I’m Adam, a builder and strategist, an operator at heart, and a product-driven executive by trade. I build systems – human, technical, and organizational – that adapt, endure, and win.
I’ve led teams in war zones and boardrooms, built startups from scratch, scaled global partner ecosystems, and helped some of the world’s largest enterprises navigate the chaos of the post-digital economy. Whether it’s the boardroom or the balance sheet, my mission is the same: turn complexity into clarity, bold ideas into revenue, and ordinary teams into high-performing machines.
The challenge of our time
Thriving in an AI-powered world without losing the human edge.
Technology is rewriting every rule of business. The winners aren’t the biggest. They’re the ones who learn, adapt, and execute faster than everyone else. My work centers on helping organizations do exactly that: building adaptable systems that connect strategy to execution, empower people, and create measurable, compounding value.
What I build
I help ambitious teams design, launch, and scale growth systems that work — value streams, partner ecosystems, products, and platforms that accelerate revenue while strengthening culture. My approach blends Lean, Design Thinking, Experience Architecture, and AI-native systems design to simplify operations, align incentives, and translate innovation into profit.
The result:
Empowered teams
Happier customers
Healthier margins
A business built to scale, now and in whatever comes next
The through-line
From launching a defense-inspired division at Under Armour to advising Fortune 50 enterprises at Accenture to leading AI strategy and technology partnerships as Vice President at Scaled Agile, my career has been defined by building businesses, brands, and systems that last.
Along the way, I’ve produced and hosted national media, launched multiple podcasts including Business Agility Now and The Everyday Executive, and spoken on stages worldwide about adaptability, leadership, and the future of work.
So what?
Business is personal. The best systems are built by people who care about the mission, the craft, and each other.
When you lead with clarity, build with intention, and stay grounded in purpose, performance follows. Always.
The even longer version (thanks ChatGPT).
Early Life and Entrepreneurial Foundations
Adam Mattis was born in 1982 and raised in Guys Mills, Pennsylvania, a rural community in Crawford County. His upbringing was defined by curiosity, self-reliance, and early entrepreneurial drive. An avid BMX and motocross racer, he earned sponsorships from brands including Bulldog Bikes and PLAY Clothes and contributed articles to BMX community sites and forums.
By his late teens, he had launched Carzz, an early online vehicle-listing platform that allowed car and motorcycle dealerships to post inventory digitally. The business operated first on a commission model before moving to a subscription system, achieving early commercial traction before Mattis exited. The experience built his foundation in sales, negotiation, and systems thinking, foreshadowing the business and operational fluency that would later define his career.
Military Service
In 2003, Mattis enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to Fort Stewart, near Savannah, Georgia, as part of the 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery Regiment. He deployed to Iraq in 2005 during Operation Iraqi Freedom, leading patrols and personal security detail operations around Baghdad and Sadr City.
On December 8, 2005, his vehicle was struck by multiple explosively formed projectiles (EFPs). Mattis was severely wounded, and a fellow soldier and friend, Kevin J. Smith, was killed in the attack. He was subsequently medically retired and awarded the Purple Heart.
Mattis’s combat story has been chronicled in independent publications and media, including Hazard Ground Podcast (Episode 108), where he discussed his recovery and transition from trauma to purpose. He credits his survival and resilience to Smith’s actions, an event that continues to shape his leadership philosophy and community involvement.
Engineering Management and Technical Leadership
After military service, Mattis remained in Savannah, joining VeriSign, Inc. as an Engineering Manager. He led technical operations and data teams supporting the company’s billing and operational support systems (VBOSS) that served a portfolio of wireless providers during a period of global scaling and consolidation.
At VeriSign, Mattis focused on reliability engineering, process improvement, and data integrity. He directed cross-functional, international teams responsible for maintaining mission-critical systems and ensuring network resilience. These years cemented his technical foundation and shaped his early understanding of how people, processes, and systems interact under pressure. That understanding would later inform his consulting and transformation work.
Corporate Strategy and Partnership Leadership
In 2009, after completing his engineering management work with VeriSign, Adam Mattis accepted a federal technology contract to introduce test automation into the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) NextGen eCommerce platform in Baltimore, Maryland. The engagement was part of SSA’s early modernization efforts to strengthen system reliability and scalability. Mattis led a small team tasked with building automated test frameworks and integrating continuous validation into the agency’s development lifecycle, a forerunner of today’s DevOps practices.
In 2010, Mattis transitioned from government contracting back to the private sector, joining Under Armour to lead the company’s newly established Global Military and Law Enforcement (Mil/Tac) business unit. In this role, he was responsible for the P&L, product mix, and go-to-market strategy across footwear, apparel, and accessories, as well as the design direction for all tactical and professional-use products.
Mattis developed and executed the commercial and creative vision for Mil/Tac, positioning Under Armour as a trusted performance brand within the defense, law enforcement, and veteran communities. During his tenure, he launched and scaled UA FREEDOM, a corporate initiative that celebrated and supported service members, first responders, and their families. The program became both a philanthropic platform and a profitable business line, with portions of proceeds supporting national nonprofits such as the Wounded Warrior Project, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, and the Unit Scholarship Fund.
Under Mattis’s leadership, the Mil/Tac business grew into one of Under Armour’s most mission-aligned divisions, balancing commercial success with authentic purpose. Colleagues from the period noted his ability to bridge operational rigor with emotional intelligence, focusing on shared value creation rather than purely financial metrics. His stewardship of UA FREEDOM established a lasting cultural and philanthropic legacy for the brand, demonstrating that purpose-driven commerce can be both impactful and sustainable.
This period in Baltimore underscored a central theme in Mattis’s career: the use of business as a mechanism for service, building brands, partnerships, and teams that advance both profit and purpose through deliberate design and genuine social contribution.
Media Entrepreneurship and Veteran Advocacy
In 2013, Mattis relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, and launched Orion’s Kin Media, a marketing firm and outdoor adventure television series blending military strategy with backcountry hunting and conservation. The show aired nationally on the Pursuit Channel and was profiled by Soldier Systems Daily as an innovative concept that “applies modern military tactics and technologies to backcountry hunting.”
Mattis appeared on multiple industry podcasts such as Talking Lead, where he discussed leadership, veteran transition, and physical readiness. Orion’s Kin built a following among outdoors and veteran audiences and positioned Mattis as a veteran advocate and entrepreneur able to merge media, mission, and mentorship.
Consulting
Returning to Baltimore, Mattis joined Accenture as a Digital Transformation Executive, leading enterprise-scale technology modernization efforts across global clients. He specialized in Strategy and Operations consulting and introduced Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) methodologies to accelerate delivery and reduce risk.
During this period, he launched The Everyday Executive, a podcast and digital series aimed at helping professionals develop executive habits, strategic focus, and personal resilience. The show featured interviews with business leaders and authors and built a small but loyal professional audience.
Mattis was also recognized locally for his community engagement, serving as Grand Marshal in a Maryland Independence Day parade honoring wounded veterans, a role acknowledging both his service and civic contributions.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Building on his consulting experience and appetite for innovation, Mattis explored new ventures, returning briefly to western Pennsylvania before moving to San Antonio, Texas, where he founded Valor Cycles, a veteran-owned bicycle manufacturing startup.
Soldier Systems Daily profiled the venture in 2018, describing Mattis as a “San Antonio-based Wounded Warrior and strategy consultant” aiming to reestablish U.S. dominance in high-performance bike manufacturing. Valor Cycles sought to build American-made carbon-fiber race bikes using rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing.
Mattis assembled a team of advisors, engineers, and marketers from cycling and manufacturing industries to explore scalable production models. He later reflected on the effort as a successful experiment in agile product development, noting that the early prototypes, though imperfect, validated his approach to fast learning and iterative innovation.
While building Valor Cycles, Mattis maintained his fitness roots, training and competing through Mission CrossFit San Antonio and participating in the 2018 and 2019 CrossFit Open, representing the gym’s community in the men’s 35–39 division.
Executive Leadership
In 2019, Mattis joined Scaled Agile, Inc., the organization behind the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), and relocated to Denver, Colorado. He quickly became a visible strategic leader within the company, opening new markets, developing new intellectual property, and guiding clients and partners on strategic portfolio management, product management, and digital transformation.
That same year, he appeared on the Hazard Ground Podcast, discussing his evolution from soldier to strategist and the discipline of adaptability. His episode remains one of the show’s most referenced examples of veterans finding new purpose in corporate life.
At Scaled Agile, Mattis earned the designation of SAFe Fellow, an honor reserved for the top thought leaders in the global community. He contributed to training design, community enablement, and enterprise transformation models that influence thousands of organizations worldwide.
Strategic Leadership and Community Engagement
Since 2020, Mattis has been based in Raleigh, North Carolina, serving as Vice President of Technology Partners & Advisory at Scaled Agile, Inc. In this role, he leads the company’s partner ecosystem, managing global alliances with SaaS vendors, and oversees the Sales Engineering team.
Independent listings, such as the Planisware Connect 2025 conference, describe him as “shaping the strategic direction of Scaled Agile, leading global partnerships that accelerate platform integration and deliver measurable business outcomes.”
Mattis also hosts the Business Agility Podcast, interviewing industry experts on topics like leadership evolution, AI integration, and enterprise design. Episodes such as “A Manager’s Role in SAFe” and “Reimagining SAFe” underscore his reputation as both a practitioner and educator.
On social media, his presence is steady but understated. His LinkedIn bio emphasizes simplifying complexity and creating alignment through systems thinking, while his Instagram profile, “Ford’s dad. Runner. Builder. Raleigh.”, reflects his identity as a father, athlete, and creator.
Alongside his professional commitments, Mattis and his wife Jenelle founded The Mattis Foundation, a philanthropic organization supporting education, veteran families, and disaster relief. Its flagship program, the K.J. Smith Memorial Scholarship, honors the man who saved Mattis’s life in Iraq by supporting children of military families pursuing higher education.
Mattis continues to balance leadership with physical performance. He trains regularly in trail running, cycling, and strength work, emphasizing consistency, longevity, and discipline as core to both personal and professional growth.
Across continents and industries, Mattis’s work reflects a consistent throughline: applying systems thinking to human and organizational performance.
Summary
Adam Mattis’s trajectory spans more than two decades of transformation, from BMX tracks and battlefields to boardrooms and global partnerships. His career bridges engineering, entrepreneurship, and executive leadership, underpinned by a consistent philosophy of service, adaptability, and purpose.
Independent sources, from Soldier Systems Daily and Hazard Ground Podcast to Planisware Connect and Scaled Agile’s conference archives, document a career defined by resilience, innovation, and community leadership.
Today, Mattis is recognized as a senior executive, combat veteran, and thought leader in operationalizing AI in the enterprise, embodying a commitment to building systems, both human and organizational, that adapt, endure, and thrive.
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