Craig Palmer

About Craig Palmer

I lead business development operations at the intersection of AI and federal acquisitions. As a Certified Responsible AI Leader (CRAIL™), Chief AI Officer Certified Professional (CAIO-CP), and APMP Foundation Certified proposal executive, I architect AI-powered BD workflows that translate directly into competitive wins.With 27+ years driving federal contract wins across DoD, Civilian, Intel, and international markets, my track record includes direct contributions to $10B+ in aggregate contract value: a £6.7B UK government win, a $2.5B DoD program, a $265M award, and recent wins including OASIS+, DLA JETS 2.0, and MDA SHIELD.What sets me apart: I don’t just manage proposals—I integrate AI responsibly across the full BD lifecycle. I’ve deployed LLM-based workflows to accelerate content development, established responsible AI usage standards aligned with emerging federal policy, and coached executive teams through high-stakes oral presentations that move the needle.I’ve built and co-founded three Proposal Development Centers (Leidos, CSRA, L-3 Communications), directed teams from 2 to 70+ people, and led competitive bids from a tactical “shoot-the-moon” FEDSIM to a 6-volume, 4,267-page UK government submission.If your organization is seeking a BD executive who can bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI capabilities and proven federal proposal tradecraft—let’s connect.

Experience

1. Proposal Director

   Zantech

   Nov 2022 — Present · McLean, VA, US

   Lead all proposal operations for Zantech’s BD Group, managing concurrent bids while integrating AI-powered workflows (LLMs, Generative AI) across the full submission lifecycle.• Serve as the organization’s AI subject matter expert—evaluating emerging tools and establishing responsible AI usage standards aligned with CRAIL™ certification and federal AI policy.• Delivered wins on DLA JETS 2.0, MDA SHIELD, and OASIS+ Government-Wide IDIQ.• Architect and maintain a growing reusable content library, reducing cycle time on future competitive bids.

Education

• Averett University

  Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.), BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES

Skills

• Proposal Support
• Rfp
• Technical Writing
• Government Proposals
• Dod
• Requirements Analysis
• Leadership
• Editing
• Photography
• Business Process Improvement
• Project Planning
• Program Management
• Proposal Leadership
• Government Contracting
• Process Improvement
• Newsletters
• Training
• U.s. Department of Defense
• Management
• Layout
• Proposal Writing
• Illustrator