Fire Mountain Labs

About · Leadership

Chris M. Ward

Founder · Chief Executive Officer

Chris M. Ward is the founder and CEO of Fire Mountain Labs. A veteran of the U.S. Navy and Federal Civil Service with over a decade in AI and AI security, he has coauthored 26 publications and held senior leadership roles in AI security research and red teaming, with a background spanning SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific, NIWC, the MITRE Corporation, and several AI startups. He operates as an honest broker, bridging government, industry, and academia for AI adopters navigating a hype-driven landscape.

His background spans operational technology, national security, and cutting-edge AI innovation. He champions pragmatic, secure, and trustworthy solutions that serve the public good and strengthen national resilience.

Before founding Fire Mountain Labs, Chris held senior leadership roles in AI security research and red teaming, where he shaped industry standards in AI risk assessment, penetration testing, secure AI governance, and adversarial threat modeling.

Also meet: Dr. Josh Harguess → · About Fire Mountain Labs →

Credentials

  • PECB ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor ISO/IEC 42001Lead Auditor
  • Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Product Owner Certified ScrumProduct Owner
  • Scrum Alliance Certified ScrumMaster CertifiedScrumMaster
  • University of California, San Diego BS, UC San Diego
  • United States Navy US Navy Veteran
  • The MITRE Corporation Assured AI Systems,Principal AI Researcher

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