David Zakar is the Air Force Portfolio Lead and a Principal Technical Program Manager at 540, where he oversees the delivery of mission-critical modernization programs across the Department of the Air Force. His work focuses on modernizing legacy systems through AI-enabled software engineering, API-first architectures, cloud adoption, and DevSecOps practices. David has led programs that bridge emerging technologies with operational mission requirements, helping Air Force organizations accelerate modernization while maintaining continuity of operations. His experience delivering complex digital transformation initiatives provides practical insight into how AI can reduce modernization risk and enable continuous mission evolution.