Fuse today announced that the San Diego Business Journal has named three company executives as 2024 Veteran Leaders of Influence. Fuse CEO Sumner Lee, Director of Operations Natalie Caruso, and Director of Programs Dennis Wojcik are among 50 individuals recognized this year. The annual SDBJ honor celebrates influential veteran leaders who live and work in San Diego County for their contributions and commitment.
“I am incredibly proud to stand alongside fellow leaders at Fuse in receiving this recognition from the San Diego Business Journal,” said Lee. “I can attest that Natalie and Dennis, as part of the Fuse team, are driven by a mission to advance the capabilities of our nation’s warfighters. This recognition honors the commitment, leadership, and service that our team brings to the defense technology field each day, and I’m grateful to be part of such a dedicated team.”
Lee started his career as a naval aviator. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, he graduated first in his class from flight school and flew H-46 helicopters through two deployments with the HC-11 “Gunbearers” out of San Diego. He later founded Fuse to deliver critically needed capabilities to the warfighter through the application of Design Thinking processes. Combining deep operational experience of veteran operators with exceptional engineering expertise, Lee assembled a team that successfully applies cutting-edge technology to real operational issues for Fuse defense customers.
Caruso served in the Navy, flying in the F-14 as a Radar Intercept Officer, completing two combat cruises in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. As a Strike Instructor and Adversary Lead at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, she completed the Adversary course at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). She then led F/A-18 test missions at the Advanced Weapons Lab in China Lake before joining Fuse. Today Caruso leads Fuse’s infrastructure and support functions with a long-term vision and focus on the Fuse team and culture.
Wojcik served in the U.S. Navy as an Advanced Development Integrated Product Team Leader focused on E-2C/E-2D network-centric warfare and a naval flight officer flying E-2C Hawkeye aircraft. Before joining Fuse, he served as Director of Programs Common Mission Management Systems and HALE Mission Control Systems at Northrop Grumman. Today, he oversees Fuse’s daily operations and runs Fuse’s CORE® solution program. His commitment to the warfighter and drive for systems engineering excellence shows through with every client served and his interactions with the Fuse team.
For more on the backgrounds of these three leaders, review the full list of SDBJ 2024 Leaders of Influence online.
About Fuse Integration
Fuse is a warfighter-focused engineering and design firm providing innovative communications, networking, and computing solutions for defense customers. The company’s virtualized network systems, tactical edge network and airborne networking gateway products improve the sharing of information, video, text, and voice among warfighters throughout airborne, maritime, and ground environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business with headquarters in San Diego and a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com
