Marine Corps Veteran Michael Groen Joins Zapata Computing as Adviser

Michael Groen, a former lieutenant general with the U.S. Marine Corps, has been named an adviser at Zapata Computing, a software development company located in Boston, Massachusetts that specializes in offering quantum capabilities to enterprises. He will contribute to Zapata’s public sector product and go-to-market strategy.

In Zapata’s press release, Groen, a former Potomac Officers Club speaker and 2021 Wash100 awardee, talked about the potential of quantum computing to uplift defense capabilities, underlining his career experience driving the transformation of military technologies. He most recently served as director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center and senior executive for AI at the Department of Defense, Zapata said.

At JAIC and DOD, Groen headed AI development and integration efforts in joint warfighting and department operations. He was the deputy chief of network operations at the National Security Agency, directing strategy, operations, resourcing, technology and training activities. He regularly advised the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs from 2018 to 2019 as the Joint Staff’s director of intelligence.

He occupied a variety of leadership positions during his time at the Marine Corps, including directorial roles in intelligence, integration and strategic initiatives. Groen served as the First Marine Division’s chief of staff and colonel commander as well as lieutenant colonel commander for the Third Radio Battalion.