Michael Hamilton

Executive Profile

Executive technology leader and product leader (Founder/CEO) with a track record of aligning enterprise architecture, AI-enabled workflows, and cross-functional execution to measurable business outcomes. Known for decisive prioritization, strong judgment, and building high-performing teams that ship under pressure. Hands-on leader who quickly identifies root causes (technical, process, people), strengthens governance, and delivers secure, scalable platforms that improve reliability, speed to market, and customer experience.

Leadership Highlights

• Led company-defining pivots and platform builds—architecting API-first, microservices-based systems that accelerated delivery and improved operability at scale.
• Established enterprise-grade release governance (OTA, rollback discipline, observability) across deployed systems—reducing operational risk and improving reliability.
• Built AI-ready products and workflows, including secure document processing and applied AI in production environments; defined quality gates and controls to support trustworthy automation.
• Trusted executive stakeholder partner—translating customer discovery and business objectives into roadmaps, resourcing plans, vendor decisions, and shipped outcomes.

Core Competencies

• Technology Strategy & Digital Transformation
• Enterprise Architecture
• AI Product Strategy & Governance (LLM/RAG-ready workflows, evaluation, guardrails)
• Platform Modernization (Microservices, APIs, CI/CD)
• Data & Analytics Strategy
• Cybersecurity & Risk Management (AuthN/AuthZ, auditability, least privilege)
• Vendor & Partner Management
• IT/Engineering Operating Cadence (KPIs, governance)
• Cross-Functional Delivery
• Reliability Engineering / Observability
• Organizational Development & Mentorship
• Budgeting & Resource Planning
• Executive Communications & Board/Stakeholder Management

Experience

• Founder; Fractional CEO; Chairman of the Board, Autojuris AI, Inc. April 2025–Present
  • Founded and lead Autojuris AI, setting vision, governance, and executive priorities across product, GTM, security, and operations for an AI-enabled legal workflow platform.
  • Own go-to-market for a Microsoft Word add-in + cloud service: positioning, pricing hypotheses, ICP definition, and customer discovery translated into a delivery roadmap and launch plan.
  • Direct AI product development for contradiction detection and document intelligence (LLM/RAG-ready workflows, retrieval strategy, evaluation/quality gates, and guardrails) within a security-first architecture for sensitive document handling.
  • Lead cross-functional execution from concept to alpha/private preview, establishing release discipline, observability expectations, and production-grade controls (authentication/authorization, auditability, least-privilege access).
• Chief Executive Officer, PreAct Technologies May 2025–Dec 2025
  • Led strategic alternatives to protect customer commitments, preserve IP, and safeguard key contracts while maintaining executive control of priorities, communications, and decision-making cadence.
  • Stabilized operations and liquidity through disciplined cash management, contingency planning, and risk-based prioritization across programs, vendors, and obligations.
  • Positioned core LiDAR + edge AI perception technology for continued commercialization via licensing/spin-out pathways and partnership exploration, aligning applied AI capabilities (real-time sensing, detection/awareness workflows, and embedded analytics) to marketable use cases and defensible differentiation.
  • Maintained operational continuity during transition: aligned stakeholders, clarified ownership/decision rights, and ensured critical technical knowledge was captured to support downstream commercialization efforts.
• Director of Software Engineering, PreAct Technologies Nov 2023–May 2025
  • Led strategic pivot to vehicle-based LiDAR protection system; coordinated multidisciplinary teams from concept to implementation.
  • Architected microservices-based system for scalability and efficient integration of new features.
  • Implemented OTA update process and rigorous release governance for high-quality deployments.
• Engineering Manager, PreAct Technologies Nov 2022–Nov 2023
  • Drove core product pivot to LiDAR-based protection system, combining embedded AI with sensor fusion.
  • Built and led cross-functional team through rapid prototyping and integration cycles.
• Earlier Technical Roles, Sigma Design, Polaris, RealWear, nLIGHT 2017–2021
  • Delivered advanced software, automation, and analytics solutions for manufacturing, test, and deployment environments—leveraging modern stacks and automation to drive efficiency, quality, and cost savings across multiple industries.
• Gunnery Sergeant, US Marine Corps Jun 1993–Jun 2013
  • Served in leadership and technical roles; recognized for operational excellence and team development.

Education

• BS Electrical Engineering, Minor in Computer Science, Washington State University Vancouver — Graduated magna cum laude; President, IEEE Student Branch

Community

• Appointed Member, Ridgefield High School Career & Technical Education (CTE) Advisory Board
  Support workforce development by helping align CTE programs with real-world industry needs—providing employer perspective on STEM pathways, job-ready skills, and curriculum relevance. Partner with educators and community stakeholders to strengthen the connection between classroom learning and local opportunity, with an emphasis on practical technical skills, career awareness, and long-term talent development.
• Founder & Organizer, Ridgefield Live & Local Music Festival
  Founded and built a multi-venue city festival that showcases local musicians and activates the downtown community. Led end-to-end planning and execution—stakeholder coordination across venues and partners, event operations, scheduling, and volunteer/logistics orchestration—delivering 1,500+ attendees at the first annual festival and establishing a repeatable community event that supports local arts, small businesses, and civic engagement.