Paul Gustavson

Paul Gustavson is a tech industry leader, speaker, and author with a passion for personal, technical, and cultural innovation. As the co-founder and CTO of SimVentions, established in 2000, Paul shapes the company's strategic vision and capabilities. SimVentions, recognized by the Virginia Chamber and Inc. Magazine as one of the best places to work, provides engineering solutions and services to support the military and decision-makers. With 35 years of engineering experience, Paul specializes in software design, M&S systems development, IR&D, DoD standards, and technical publications. His contributions to projects for the Army, Navy, Joint Forces Command, and other agencies highlight his expertise and leadership. Paul is not just a leader in the tech industry but also a key player in the development of industry standards. He advocates for Lean Agile and business model innovation and is actively involved in the simulation interoperability community, developing standards for Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) environments. His leadership in several SISO initiatives, such as the eXtended Reality (XR) Interoperability Study Group and Digital Engineering, and his contributions to various industry standards, including High-Level Architecture (HLA), Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS), Base Object Models (BOMs), Distributed Simulation Engineering and Execution Process (DSEEP), Simulation Reference Markup Language (SRML), and M&S Acquisition Profile Standard, demonstrate his commitment to quality and excellence. Paul's strengths lie in ideation, strategy, and connecting with other leaders. He is the author of Imagine, Breaking Average, Leaders Press On, and Speech Blueprint, writing from the perspective of real-life experience, relevant stories, scientific insights, including brain health, and practical applications. His forthcoming book, Face the Mountain, explores the powerful combination of faith and grit and how to leverage both personally and professionally. Paul co-hosts the Breaking Average Podcast and leads a weekly group of Thought Leaders discussing impactful books on leadership and life. Paul holds a degree in Computer Engineering from Old Dominion University and is SCORRE-certified as a public speaker. He is a founding member of Maxwell Leadership, previously known as the John Maxwell Team, joining in 2011. He has spoken at multiple leadership training events, represented a team of coaches in Guatemala in 2014, and speaks both nationally and internationally. Paul and his wife, Barbara, live in Virginia, where they enjoy kayaking, hiking, and exploring.