BLAKE ATKINS
Clarksville,TN
Summary
Contract strategy, risk, and operations professional with a Juris Doctor and 6+ years of experience supporting highly regulated organizations across SaaS, federal innovation, and academic research environments. Proven negotiator trusted with high-value, high-risk agreements, including oversight of more than $2B in federally funded and commercial contracts. Known for translating complex legal, regulatory, and policy requirements into practical business solutions, partnering cross-functionally to protect organizational interests while enabling efficient, sustainable operations.
Overview
1
1
Certification
7
7
years of professional experience
Work History
Commercial Title Officer
Fidelity National Financial
05.2026 - Current
- Review commercial title commitments, exception documents, surveys, and vesting documents to identify underwriting concerns, title defects, and curative requirements.
- Perform title risk assessments involving liens, easements, encroachments, survey matters, ownership interests, and lien priority.
- Prepare and revise title commitments, pro formas, endorsements, and policy documents consistent with underwriting guidelines and transaction requirements.
- Partner with escrow teams and customers to resolve title issues and support efficient commercial closings.
- Analyze payoff and recorded document matters while maintaining accurate records and compliance with underwriting standards and risk management policies.
Contract Manager
Built Technologies, Inc.
05.2025 - 05.2026
- Led negotiations for enterprise SaaS agreements as primary negotiator on complex, non-standard transactions.
- Draft, review, and negotiate MSAs, SOWs, Order Forms, DPAs, NDAs, and amendments while balancing legal risk, business objectives, and compliance requirements.
- Apply internal policies, security standards, and governance frameworks throughout the contract lifecycle.
- Partner with Sales, Product, Security, and Finance to resolve negotiation challenges and align deal structures with organizational risk tolerance.
- Advise stakeholders on negotiation strategy, escalation decisions, and risk posture.
- Support contract governance through template refinement, workflow improvements, and documentation standardization.
Senior Contract Specialist
National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL)
11.2023 - 05.2025
- Served as lead negotiator and contracts lead for federally funded innovation programs utilizing OTAs.
- Managed more than $2B in contract value, overseeing execution across high-visibility, classified government-sponsored programs.
- Drafted, reviewed, and negotiated prime agreements and modifications.
- Interpreted federal regulations and organizational policies to ensure compliance, governance, and audit readiness.
- Maintained detailed documentation and reporting to support transparency, oversight, and sponsor requirements.
- Collaborated with government sponsors, industry performers, and executive leadership on negotiation strategy and risk assessment.
- Developed standard operating procedure guides to streamline onboarding for new employees.
- Onboarded and trained new staff members through structured development activities.
Contracts Officer
Vanderbilt University
06.2022 - 11.2023
- Negotiated and administered highly complex sponsored research agreements within a heavily regulated academic environment.
- Applied institutional policies and federal regulations when advising faculty and administrators.
- Highly versed in FAR/DFAR contracting.
- Identified compliance risks and resolved contractual and policy conflicts.
- Improved turnaround times through process improvements and clearer communication of requirements.
General Contracts Analyst
Vanderbilt University
09.2020 - 05.2022
- Drafted and reviewed research-related agreements while ensuring compliance with sponsor and institutional requirements.
- Supported implementation of contract management systems and standardized documentation practices.
- Assisted with policy interpretation related to data rights, export controls, and reporting obligations.
Contracts Coordinator
Vanderbilt University
01.2020 - 09.2020
- Managed initial contract intake, triage, routing, and record maintenance.
- Performed FATA reporting and maintained contract data in institutional systems.
- Served as an initial point of contact for faculty and administrators regarding processes and timelines.
- Supported workflow improvements and system transitions.
Education
Juris Doctor - undefined
Nashville School of Law
05.2023
Bachelor of Science - Political Science
Austin Peay State University
05.2019
Skills
- Negotiation Strategy & Deal Structuring
- Process Improvement & Documentation
- Federal, Academic & SaaS Contracting
- Risk Analysis & Issue Resolution
- Compliance & Governance
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Regulatory & Policy Application
- Contract Lifecycle Management
Certification
Active Secret Security Clearance
Timeline
Commercial Title Officer
Fidelity National Financial
05.2026 - Current
Contract Manager
Built Technologies, Inc.
05.2025 - 05.2026
Senior Contract Specialist
National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL)
11.2023 - 05.2025
Contracts Officer
Vanderbilt University
06.2022 - 11.2023
General Contracts Analyst
Vanderbilt University
09.2020 - 05.2022
Contracts Coordinator
Vanderbilt University
01.2020 - 09.2020
Bachelor of Science - Political Science
Austin Peay State University
Juris Doctor - undefined
Nashville School of Law