Ms. Shitarria Battle is the Chief Engineer for the Command and Control, Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC) Systems Development branch within the Missile Defense Agency. Ms. Battle provides technical direction to over 250 military, government civilians and contractors dispersed in the United States while managing requirements, ensuring test quality, and overseeing integration across the entire program.…
David Boree is a mechanical consultant holding more than three decades worth of experience in engineering and construction. David began his mechanical contractor career as a summer laborer working for W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, Inc, serving in various capacities before becoming the company’s President in 1997 and CEO in 2018. David recently retired in December 2020 after 38 years of service.…
Ed Duran has over 40 years of professional experience in mechanical & aerospace engineering design, manufacturing, and product support. In 37 years at GE Aviation in Cincinnati, beginning as an Edison Engineer after graduation from UF, he led teams that design and support engines, nacelles, and the overhaul business for GE and its customers. In his last role, he was the Senior Executive responsible for technical support of GE’s commercial engine fleets, focused on reliability and customer cost of ownership for over 25,000 engines in service in the worldwide fleet.…
Gerald (Jerry) Feller is a Principal Key Expert at Siemens Energy focusing on energy conversion technologies. Jerry has been at Siemens Energy for 24 years and been active in the R/D and Innovation community for that entire duration. Prior to joining Siemens-Energy in 1999, Jerry’s work experience includes research at Pratt & Whitney on advanced upper-stage rocket engines and analysis at Southern Nuclear (Part of Southern Company) regarding core physics of operating nuclear power plants.…
Carlos Fernandez serves as a Technology Development Supervisor at the ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company in Houston, Texas. He started his career with ExxonMobil in 2005 after completion of his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Mechanical and Aerospace Department at the University of Florida. His initial roles had him supporting well completions and wellwork operations in Texas and California.…
Dr. Camila Françolin is the Division Leader for the Autonomy, Guidance, Navigation, and Control (AGN&C) Division at Draper Laboratory. Under her leadership, the AGN&C Division develops algorithms and software for a variety of applications: from autonomous underwater vehicles for the US Navy to the next generation of human lunar landers for NASA. Prior to her current role, Dr.…
Bill Gattle is the Chief Executive Officer of LightRidge Solutions, a space and
defense technology company that specializes in high-performance space and
air collectors and sensors as well as artificial intelligence and machine
learning. He brings over three decades of experience in the space, airborne,
and intelligence markets, driving innovation and change to help national
security customers solve their most challenging problems.…
Dr. Marcus Johnson serves as Project Manager in the Aviation Systems Division at the NASA Ames Research Center where he has conducted research on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) since 2012. Marcus also serves as Adjunct Professor in the Aviation Department at Everglades University – Boca Raton Campus where he has been a member of the faculty since 2019.…
As the senior manager for Sandia’s Advanced and Exploratory (A&E) teams, Marie Kane provides leadership for her management team and strategy development and execution for the Advanced and Exploratory Systems Departments that support technology development and maturation for the Nuclear Deterrence (ND) mission. The A&E program at Sandia is responsible for developing next generation weapon architectures that support anticipated adversarial threats and defend against technology surprise.…
Steve Kowkabany is a Florida native who graduated from UF in 1998 after completing his master’s degree in mechanical engineering while completing research in the CIMAR robotics program under Dr. Carl Crane. After working in the power generation, pulp and paper, and photographic film manufacturing sectors, Steve found his way into the field of fire protection and process safety. …
Gary J. Miller is co-founder and Executive Vice President for Research and Development of Exactech, Inc., Gainesville, Florida. Exactech was incorporated in 1985 and develops, manufactures, and distributes orthopaedic implants and biologic materials for orthopaedic applications throughout the world. Gary received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1970 from the University of Florida, a Masters in Mechanical Engineering (emphasis in Biomechanics) from MIT in 1972 and a Ph.D.…
Ryan Mitchell has been working in aerospace for over 20 years. For the first decade of his career, Ryan focused on technical aerospace systems expertise and operations. This past decade he specialized in leading people, growing teams, and managing programs from startup through initial production and flight.
Ryan currently works at Blue Origin as a Principal Technical Project Manager and is the strategic growth and capacity leader at for their manufacturing campus at the Kennedy Space Center.…
Matt is a co-founder and the Chief Technology Officer of Syntheon; a medical device invention, design and development firm. He has thirty-four years of experience working in product development and R&D in the medical device industry. His primary focus has been the development of disposable, minimally invasive surgical and vascular devices. Matt has worked in large corporations such as Cordis and Boston Scientific and held positions from Advanced Research and Development Engineer to Director of Research and Development; guiding a large engineering group responsible for multiple projects.…
Stephen Richmond is the Core Digital Program Director at SLB, where he is currently developing the strategy, portfolio, and commercialization of solutions that are differentiated by SLB’s leadership in domain expertise and technology. In his 19 years at SLB, he’s had a diverse experience – working boots on the ground on rigs, managing teams, implementing global management systems, developing unique initiatives, and growing various businesses.…
Louise Scott leads efforts to deliver world-class value to 4.2 million customers in four states served by utilities of Southern Company Gas. In this role, she has responsibility for customer care center operations, billing, payment, credit collections and remittance and supporting customer initiatives. Scott brings more than 30 years of experience to this role. Most recently, Scott served as the vice president of customer services for Southern Company’s Georgia Power subsidiary, where she was responsible for the company’s customer care center in Henry County, smart meters and eBusiness activities that supported 2.5 million customers.…
Tom Singer graduated with a B.S. from the newly merged Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in 2002, with an aerospace structures focus. Tom went on to work in the Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization and Advanced Composites labs while pursuing a master’s degree, but after accepting a job offer at United Space Alliance, he failed to complete his thesis, just as he was warned.…
Matt Sobieski is an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, based in Atlanta, Georgia where he lives with his wife, Katie, and son Peter. Matt graduated cum laude from the University of Florida in 2009 with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. After joining Lockheed Martin, Matt held various manufacturing roles in aerospace before starting his MBA.…
A UF Graduate: BME 65, MSE 67, Ph.D. 70 (Machine Design, Thermodynamics and Metallurgy) Professional Engineer in FL., AL., and MS., Registered Mechanical and General Contractor FL. In 1972, 15 months after graduation, Dr. Sparks with two investors formed Systems Engineering Research Facilities, dba as SERF as a Research Firm and has been President and Principal Engineer ever since.…
John Sullivan began his aerospace career 37 years ago, graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. His first role was at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft in analytical aerodynamics for jet engine compression and fan systems. In the next 17 years he expanded his aerodynamics and heat transfer expertise to include turbine systems, exhaust systems, inlets, and acoustics.…
Dr. Karlin Toner is the Senior Advisor for Data Policy Integration at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Aviation Policy and Plans. She champions digital transformation by developing people, processes and products at the enterprise level. From 2014 to 2021, Dr. Toner served as the Director, Global Strategy where she provided direction on FAA’s engagement with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to ensure a unified U.S.…
Mr. Travers is a recognized leader and entrepreneur having successfully created significant value for investors via business acquisition, integration, and organic growth. Most recently, Mr. Travers oversaw the integration and growth of a private equity-backed platform http://www.BattleInvestmentGroup.com of companies focused on full lifecycle support services to the aerospace and defense market. ARCTOS, LLC http://www.ARCTOS-US.com is the result of the acquisition and integration of six companies, the majority of which were sourced and captured by Mr.…
Mitchell “Mitch” Waldman is the Principal of MBarnet Advisors, LLC, where he provides strategic and advisory services to clients in the aerospace and defense sector. He retired in the fall of 2021 from Huntington Ingalls Industries, where he served for over a decade as executive vice president of government and customer relations and was a member of the corporation’s management team.…
I love to tackle problems no one else wants to touch. I enjoy digging into the complexities of a challenge to understand it, bringing a team together to address it, and delivering a groundbreaking solution to resolve it. I am honored to have been able to work on several projects throughout my career that each delivered a first-of-its-kind product, and in those situations, it’s the collaboration with talented teams, exceptionally hard work, and changing the landscape of an industry that gets me excited about going to work each day.…
