Max Nelson

Hi, I'm Max Nelson. Welcome to my profile!

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As the Vice President of Strategic Marketing Intelligence, Max Nelson iwas the founding Vice President of the Group tasked with developing the tools, processes and personnel necessary to provide the actionable evidence-based marketing insight necessary to help clients like Office Depot, Party City, hhgregg, Papa John's, Nissan, and White Castle optimize their marketing and business objectives -- including strategic analyses and forecasts of market conditions, sales results and investment ROI analyses and dashboard systems, competitive intelligence and statistical media optimization models, wargames and scenario planning, etc... Nelson has over 20 years of strategy and analysis experience with leading organizations including General Dynamics, Lucent Technologies/OFS Fitel, Faith Popcorn's BrainReserve, the White House National Space Council, U.S. Department of Commerce, NASA and the RAND Corporation; and has started two companies including Paragon Space Development Corporation. Nelson received his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago; his Master's degree in Science, Technology and Public Policy at George Washington University; and his doctoral training in Policy Analysis from RAND Graduate School. He has authored numerous articles, white papers, studies and conference presentations, and has been involved with many trade associations, public policy debates, and industry and financial analyses.

Vice President, Strategic Marketing Intelligence at Zimmerman Advertising

November 2009 - November 2011

Director, Strategic Planning and Market Intelligence at General Dynamics - Advanced Information Systems

March 2006 - November 2009

Responsible for creating and managing an independent intelligence competency in the customer, competitor, government and economic factor arenas - to advise and support business development activities and investment decision making - and for developing and implementing an AIS strategic planning process that is tightly linked to operations, technology, HR, the strategic business units and the strategic business development group. Responsibilities include providing decision-makers with independent analysis and synthesis of market intelligence, competitive intelligence, government intelligence, and price-to-win analysis; acting as a trusted advisor to the executive leadership team; and developing and managing an organization of senior personnel knowledgeable in the areas of market, competitive, and government intelligence to support all levels of AIS.

Vice President, Public Policy and Strategic Business Planning at Lucent Technologies/OFS Fitel

February 2001 - August 2005

Broadly responsible for strategic business, governmental, technology, and market planning at OFS (formerly Lucent Technologies Optical Fiber Solutions) by developing and managing a variety of cross-functional teams to determine and implement OFS' strategic business plans. Working directly for executive management to develop sell and implement business strategies including market sizing and capacity planning, government policy positions and relations, competitive intelligence response strategies, sales and marketing planning, technology development and planning, and alteration of business models and organizational structure and culture. Working directly with customers to research and analyze their strategic directions, network plans, public policy support needs, and key future needs and spending plans.

Director of Trend Research at Faith Popcorn's Brainreserve

2000 - 2001

o Conducted innovative consumer trend research for P&G, Nordstrom's, Motorola, McDonalds using survey's, focus groups, and other tools o Developed a range of online web-accessible knowledge management products including a trend KnowledgeBank and consultant TalentBank

Technology and Market Strategist at Eaton Corporation

1998 - 2000

o Identified RFID as the key logistics industry market trend 7 years prior to its realization

Business Analyst at Donnelly Optics Corporation

1997 - 1998

o Developed the Product and Market Strategy for Digital Camera lens product line that captured 80% market share

Co-Founder & Vice President, Policy & Analysis at Paragon Space Development Corporation

1992 - 1994

o Founded this entrepreneurial startup that has launched experiments on Mir, the Space Shuttle, and the Space Station o Developed the popular BioSpheres catalog and retail terrarium products

Researcher at White House National Space Council, Executive Office of the President

1989 - 1992

o Redesigned NASA's Global Change satellite program saving $20B o Developed rationale to make Moon and Mars exploration a National priority

Director, Market Intelligence at USAble Life

July 2012

Director, Board of Directors at Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.

January 2012

Rand Graduate School

1991 – 1997

Ph.D. (ABD)

The George Washington University

1989 – 1991

MA

Concentration: Science, Technology & Public Policy

International Space University

1990 – 1990

Diploma

Concentration: Space Policy

University of Chicago

1985 – 1989

AB

Concentration: Behavioral Science

Society for Creative Anachronism (Medieval Swordfighting)