Bradley M. Berkson
Brad Berkson | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 26, 1963 Gallup, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Tulsa (B.S. petroleum engineering), Harvard Business School (MBA) |
| Occupation(s) | Executive, government official |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Known for | Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, U.S. Department of Defense; Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness; CEO of N12 Technologies; CEO of Miles Space, Inc. |
Brad Berkson (born February 26, 1963) is a prominent American executive and former government official who held the position of Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation within the United States Department of Defense. Additionally, he served as Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness, a role currently known as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment. Berkson was appointed by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to lead the Intelligence, Surveillance, & Reconnaissance Task Force. His tenure spanned the administrations of both George W. Bush and Barack Obama, concluding in April 2009.
Early life and education
Originating from Gallup, New Mexico, Berkson completed his Bachelor of Science degree in petroleum engineering at the University of Tulsa in 1985. He later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1991.
Career
Berkson’s professional journey began at Exxon Corporation, where he worked as an engineer on Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay oil field. Following his MBA, he joined McKinsey & Company, advancing to partner status by 1997. In 2000, he established a startup that was acquired within six months by N E W Customer Service Companies Inc., after which he assumed the role of president.
In February 2003, Berkson entered the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon. By 2004, he was appointed senior logistician for Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, a position now referred to as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment. In May 2005, Rumsfeld named him Director of Program Analysis and Evaluation—later renamed Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation—a role Berkson fulfilled through both the Bush administration and into the Obama transition until April 2009. In his final Pentagon year, Secretary Gates tasked him with leading the Intelligence, Surveillance, & Reconnaissance Task Force.
After departing the Pentagon in 2009, Berkson joined multiple corporate boards including Boeing Defense, Space & Security, DryFire, SecureNet, and GEM Mobile Treatment Services. He also chaired the National Defense Business Institute and CEVA Government Services, a subsidiary of CEVA Logistics. In 2014, Berkson took on the CEO position at N12 Technologies, driving industrial-scale manufacturing of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes to improve high-performance carbon fiber reinforced plastics. He left N12 in 2018 to provide advisory support to startups such as Wheeli—a long-distance ride-sharing platform—and SeatAssignMate.com, an interactive email SaaS provider.
In June 2021, Berkson was named President of RocketStar, Inc., and in 2022 became Chief Operating Officer at its partner company Miles Space, Inc., where he advanced to CEO in 2025.
Honors and awards
In recognition of his service, Berkson was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service in 2009 and was also honored as a Significant Sig by the Sigma Chi fraternity that same year.