Past MORS-Talks

Content Marketing Data Analyst at RepRisk AG

Ms. Lucia is a data visualization expert with experience implementing analytical models in a variety of environments, including healthcare, manufacturing, defense, and finance. An industrial engineer by training, Lucia also has extensive experience with Lean and modeling complex systems. She was introduced to the MORS community in her four years as an Operations Research Analyst with CANA Advisors. She holds a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Oregon State University and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Dickinson College. Lucia is currently a Content Marketing Data Analyst with RepRisk AG, an environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) data science company based in Zurich, Switzerland.

Director of Analytics Capabilities at CANA Advisors

An Operations Research Professional with experience in Government, Industry and Academia. He is the Chair of the MORS Continuing Education Committee and the INFORMS SpORts Section as well as a MORS Board of Directors member. He is also on faculty and teaches at the University of Arkansas and serves as an Executive Practicum Advisor at the NC State Poole School of Management. In his role as a Principal Operations Research Analyst at CANA Advisors, he leads the sports analytics research area.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Katherine A. McGrady is President and Chief Executive Officer, CNA, which operates the Institute for Public Research and the Center for Naval Analyses, a federally-funded research and development center (FFRDC) that pioneered the field of operations analysis in support of the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Dr. McGrady began her career with CNA as an analyst in 1988. As the field representative to the Commander of Marine Forces Central Command and Commander, I Marine Expeditionary Force, she served in the Persian Gulf during the first Iraq war (Desert Shield and Desert Storm). Dr. McGrady received the Department of Navy’s Superior Public Service Award for her contributions during Desert Shield/Desert Storm. She also deployed as part of the Unified Task Force to Mogadishu, Somalia.

Subsequent assignments led to her selection as Vice President and Director, Integrated Systems and Operations (ISO) Division, where she led a team focused on issues at the interface between the Navy and Marine Corps, including analysis of expeditionary systems, logistics, operations and tactics, and training for expeditionary operations. Simultaneously, she directed CNA’s Marine Corps Program, where she developed the annual research program and was the primary interface between CNA and the senior Marine Corps leadership.

From 2004 through 2009 Dr. McGrady held a variety of positions at CNA: In 2004, she became CNA’s Senior Vice President for Research; in 2006, she was promoted to Executive Vice President; in June 2009, she was appointed CNA’s first Chief Operating Officer. In that role, she was responsible for the execution of CNA’s strategy and business processes, assuring consistency of policy and approach across the organization, and maintaining an environment of accountability and high research performance.

Dr. McGrady earned her Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Macromolecular Science and Engineering (Polymer Chemistry) at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, and a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry (cum laude) from Smith College, Northampton, MA.

LTC David Beskow is currently the Chief Data Scientist at the Army Cyber Command Technical Warfare Center.  From 2001 to 2009 LTC Beskow served as an Infantry leader in the 82nd Airborne Division and 4th Infantry Division as well as a platoon trainer at Infantry Basic Officer Leader Course.  Since 2009 LTC Beskow has served as an FA49 Operations Research and Systems Analyst at several organizations.  LTC Beskow previously served at the lead data scientist at the Intelligence and Security Command where he assisted the Army OSINT Office in introducing advanced analytics.  LTC Beskow has a Masters Degree in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School, and recently completed a PhD at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science where he focused on developing machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms to help understand information warfare.

LTC (R) Ashok Deb is a former Operations Research / Systems Analysis who served as a Senior Combat Analyst at The Research and Analysis Center—Monterey, CA. He received a Bachelor's degree in Mathematical Sciences from West Point, Master's degree in Operations Research from Georgia Tech and a PhD in Computer Science from USC. His research interest includes computational social science, modeling and simulation of information diffusion on networks, and social media analysis.

LTC Christy Licklider is an Operations Research / Systems Analysis Officer at Center for Army Analysis.  She received a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Management from West Point, a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Webster University, and two Master’s degrees from Air Force Institute of Technology, Systems Engineering and Engineering Management.  She is currently leading a team focused on readiness modeling but has also served as an Army Program integrator, forecasted personnel strength, and conducted joint strategic logistical analysis. 

Mr. Jed Richards is an Operations Research Analyst in the Institute for Systems Engineering Research (ISER) at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Engineer Research and Development Center. He received a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from West Point and Master's degree in System Design and Management from MIT.   He is active within MORS and is currently a member of the MORS Board of Directors.  His research interests include military acquisition life cycle cost analysis to support early systems engineering and concept development as well as modeling and simulation to support military system analysis.

Dr. Andrew J. Turner ‘Andy’ is an manager of operations research at the Northrop Grumman Corporation and works out of the D.C. area. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. while studying Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where his dissertation and research focused on the development and validation of models and simulations. He spent 4 years at MITRE working with the Systems Engineering Technical Center before moving over to Northrop to work on campaign analysis. He currently serves as the Vice-President of Meeting-Operations for MORS, is the chair for the 2022 Campaign Analysis Workshop, is the co-lead for the Campaign Analysis Community of Practice, and was the 89^th MORS Symposium Chair. Beyond the professional world, Andy is an avid music lover, a long distance runner, and a clumsy yet committed dancer.

Ms. Angela M. Sheffield is the Senior Program Manager for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) at ment of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development (DNN R&D) and an internationally recognized expert in nuclear nonproliferation and AI. She leads the U.S. government’s premier program to develop the Next Generation of AI to transform national security and fulfill mission requirements across the U.S. government to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

Prior to joining DOE, Ms. Sheffield worked as a scientist at DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), where she led project teams to develop predictive modeling and analytics methodologies to reduce the threat of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Ms. Sheffield has dedicated her career to driving science and technology innovations to address the toughest challenges in national security. She joined PNNL after a distinguished career as an active-duty officer in the U.S. Air Force, where she specialized in the research and development and technical intelligence of U.S. and adversary weapon systems.

Ms. Sheffield holds a B.S. in Economics from the United States Air Force Academy and an M.S. in Operations Research from Kansas State University. She is currently on detail from DOE to attend the Eisenhower School at National Defense University.

RADM Harris is a long time member of the military operations analysis community and MORS. While on active duty, he served on Navy staff in the Assessment Division (OPNAV N81) Campaign Analysis, Modeling and Simulation branch and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (J-5) Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate as the Global Security Affairs Division chief for Security Assistance. He was a senior fellow in the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group (SSG XXVI). He commanded Expeditionary Strike Group FIVE, Naval Forces Southern Command, and the U.S. FOURTH Fleet.

Jerry Hendrix was the Senior Fellow and the Director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security.

A retired Captain in the United States Navy, his staff assignments include tours with the Chief of Naval Operation’s Executive Panel (N00K), where his efforts centered on Homeland Defense, Naval Aviation, and Navy Missile Defense, the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (Force Development) where he served as Executive Secretary for the Irregular Warfare Quadrennial Defense Review cell, and the OSD Office of Net Assessment where he assisted the Director on topics related to forecasting future capabilities and alternative security environments. Read More.

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Dr. Jerry Hendrix

Jerry Hendrix was the Senior Fellow and the Director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security.

A retired Captain in the United States Navy, his staff assignments include tours with the Chief of Naval Operation’s Executive Panel (N00K), where his efforts centered on Homeland Defense, Naval Aviation, and Navy Missile Defense, the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (Force Development) where he served as Executive Secretary for the Irregular Warfare Quadrennial Defense Review cell, and the OSD Office of Net Assessment where he assisted the Director on topics related to forecasting future capabilities and alternative security environments. From 2011-2012 he served as the Director and Designated Federal Officer of the Secretary of the Navy’s Advisory Panel. In this position he assisted the Advisory Panel in their deliberations on the Department’s energy policy and its approach to the Asia Pacific region. He also contributed to the 2012 Department Posture Statement to the Congress. Following the fall, 2011 Navy Inspector General’s Report on the state of the Naval History and Heritage Command, he was verbally ordered by the Secretary to assume the position of Director of Naval History.

Hendrix previously served as the Navy Fellow to the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University where he focused on the use of naval power as an instrument of coercive diplomacy. He has been awarded a Bachelor Degree in Political Science from Purdue University, Masters Degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School (National Security Affairs) and Harvard University (History) and received his doctorate from King’s College, London (War Studies). His awards include two Legion of Merit awards, and the Defense Superior Service Medal. He has twice been named the Samuel Eliot Morison Scholar by the Navy Historical Center in Washington, DC, and was also the Center’s 2005 Rear Admiral John D. Hays Fellow. He also held the Marine Corps’ General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. Fellowship. He authored the book Theodore Roosevelt’s Naval Diplomacy and received a number of awards, including the United States Naval Institute’s Author of the Year and the Navy League’s Alfred T. Mahan Award for Literary Achievement.

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After 26 Years in the Navy, and eight years conducting Net Assessments, Mr. Pournelle joined Group W. He constantly seeks to analyze national defense strategies and conduct Net Assessments employing multi-method approaches.

Mr. Pournelle has extensive experience in analytic and managerial aspects of strategic studies within the national security apparatus. His national security experience includes expertise in contingency planning, wargaming, modeling, simulation, & analysis and assessment and he received his Master's degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in Operations Research.

Director, Business Enterprise Data Analytics (EDA), U.S. Army Office of Business Transformation (OBT)

Mr. Dale is responsible for planning and coordinating capability requirements for business enterprise data analytics and advising the OBT Director and other staff elements in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science. He leads the Army’s Deep Green Data Science Competition, EDA Data Science Team, Innovation Technology Team, and the Army Headquarters Analytics Lab.

Mr. Dale has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Norwich University, a master’s in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and a master’s degree in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Mr. Dale’s career began in the Navy as an Enlisted Air Traffic Controller. He later Commissioned as an Officer and became a Naval Aviator upon completing the U.S. Naval Flight School in Pensacola, FL. Throughout his naval career, Mr. Dale served as a Branch and Division Chief, Department Head, Executive Officer, Officer in Charge, and Task Unit Commander. Upon completion of his naval career, Mr. Dale worked in the civilian sector as the Lead Operations Research Analyst at Booz Allen Hamilton.

Mr. Dale began his civil service career in 2012 working for the Office of the Secretary of the Army. Prior to being selected to the position of Principal Data Scientist and standing up the Office of Enterprise Data Analytics, Mr. Dale served as an Operations Research Analyst, Cost Team Lead and Program Manager, Technical Advisor, and Chief Data Scientist.

Dr. Anne Robinson is Chief Strategy Officer at Kinaxis, Inc. Tasked to accelerate strategy development to help Kinaxis add further value for its customers, Robinson works closely with customers, external stakeholders and the rest of the senior executive team on the strategic roadmap, emerging technologies, thought leadership and new industry opportunities. She also supports and enhances the company's continued leadership in its core market segments. Read More.

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Dr. Anne Robinson

Dr. Anne Robinson is Chief Strategy Officer at Kinaxis, Inc. Tasked to accelerate strategy development to help Kinaxis add further value for its customers, Robinson works closely with customers, external stakeholders and the rest of the senior executive team on the strategic roadmap, emerging technologies, thought leadership and new industry opportunities. She also supports and enhances the company's continued leadership in its core market segments.

Robinson had spent seven years at Verizon, with her last role being Executive Director, Global Supply Chain Strategy, Analytics and Systems. In this role, she was responsible for the strategic vision of Verizon's global end-to-end supply chain, driving excellence through world-class data-analytics, process innovation and employee empowerment. Her work at Verizon markedly improved supply chain execution, working capital optimization and shareholder value.

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Neil Johnson is a professor of physics at GW and heads up a new initiative in Complexity and Data Science which combines cross-disciplinary fundamental research with data science to attack complex real-world problems. His research interests lie in the broad area of Complex Systems and ‘many-body’ out-of-equilibrium systems of collections of objects, ranging from crowds of particles to crowds of people and from environments as distinct as quantum information processing in nanostructures through to the online world of collective behavior on social media.

Norton A. Schwartz serves as President of the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), a nonprofit corporation operating in the public interest. IDA manages three Federally Funded Research and Development Centers that answer the most challenging U.S. security and science policy questions with objective analysis leveraging extraordinary scientific, technical, and analytic expertise. At IDA, General Schwartz (U.S. Air Force, retired) directs the activities of more than 1,000 scientists and technologists employed by IDA.

Author of The Art of Wargaming and Internationally Recognized Game Designer

Dr. Peter P. Perla III has been involved with wargaming, both hobby and professional, for over forty years, an involvement that sparked a lifelong interest in military history and games of strategy. A frequent player of commercial wargames as a youngster, he had already published articles in the hobby press before he was an undergraduate. After earning a PhD from Carnegie-Mellon University with his thesis on Lanchester mathematical combat models, he joined the Center for Naval Analyses in 1977 as a naval operations research analyst.

Dr. Ed McGrady writes, speaks, and teaches on the design of professional games. He is an adjunct senior fellow in the Gaming Lab at CNAS, teaches and manages game design courses for MORS/Virginia Tech, and runs a business devoted to using games and game techniques to bring innovative experiences in new areas. In the past, Dr. McGrady built and directed a team of 10-20 analysts at CNA devoted to the design and execution of professional games devoted to chemical and biological response operations, including domestic response operations. His team constructed exercises, games, and analyses on a broad range of homeland security, counterterrorism, and chemical, biological, and radiological defense operations. Read More.

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Dr. Ed McGrady

Dr. Ed McGrady writes, speaks, and teaches on the design of professional games. He is an adjunct senior fellow in the Gaming Lab at CNAS, teaches and manages game design courses for MORS/Virginia Tech, and runs a business devoted to using games and game techniques to bring innovative experiences in new areas. In the past, Dr. McGrady built and directed a team of 10-20 analysts at CNA devoted to the design and execution of professional games devoted to chemical and biological response operations, including domestic response operations. His team constructed exercises, games, and analyses on a broad range of homeland security, counterterrorism, and chemical, biological, and radiological defense operations. As part of that effort, he deployed analysts in support of the analyses of real-world events. Dr . McGrady also deployed as an analyst with US Forces in Haiti during operation Uphold Democracy, onboard USS Nimitz for Desert Storm and with operational E-2C squadrons.

Dr. McGrady holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan and has published extensively in the Chemical Engineering, physics, and national security literature and is the author of Roll to Save: Gaming Disease Response (2021).

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Dr. Ralph D. Semmel became the eighth director of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory on July 1, 2010. As director, Dr. Semmel leads the nation’s largest university affiliated research center, which performs research and development on behalf of the Department of Defense, the intelligence community, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other federal agencies. The Laboratory has almost 8,000 staff members who are making critical contributions to a wide variety of nationally and globally significant technical and scientific challenges.

Ms. Kristina M. O’Brien was appointed to the Senior Executive Service on November 12, 2019 as Principal Deputy Director for Logistics, Joint Staff, The Pentagon, Washington D.C. In this role she supports the Director for Logistics, J4 in integrating logistics planning and execution in support of global operations to drive joint force readiness, maximize the Joint Force Commander's freedom of action and advise the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on logistics matters.

Prior to her SES appointment, Ms. O’Brien supported the U.S Department of Commerce, where she led a multi-organizational team to coordinate, integrate, test and deploy the Remote Alaska Operational Delivery supporting the 2020 Decennial Census System of System architecture.

Ms. O’Brien previously served in the United States Air Force as a Logistics Readiness Officer. Her joint experience includes serving as Chief of Logistics Operations at Headquarters United States Indo-Pacific Command; Chief of Logistics, Plans Programs and Operations at Headquarters United States Africa Command; and Chief of Knowledge Based Logistics, Joint Staff J4. She has also served in multiple command and deputy command roles at the group and squadron level, to include while deployed supporting operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.

MAJ Matthew R. Webb, from Greenville, SC, commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army upon graduation in May 2007 from the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY. After attending the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course in Fort Sill OK, he was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Warner Barracks, Germany. Upon arrival, MAJ Webb deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom VIII and served as an Assistant S4 for 4th Battalion 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment. Upon return from deployment, MAJ Webb moved to a firing battery where he served as a Fire Direction Officer, Platoon Leader, and Battery Executive Officer for 22 months and deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom IX‐X. In July of 2010, MAJ Webb returned to the United States and attended the Field Artillery Officer’s Captain’s Career Course in Fort Sill, OK.

In April of 2011, MAJ Webb arrived at Fort Campbell and was assigned to HHC, 3BCT, 101st Airborne Division as the Assistant Brigade Fire Support Officer for 9 months. He was then assigned as the Squadron Fire Support Officer for 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry for 17 months and deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom XII‐XIII. Upon return from deployment he was assigned to A/3‐320th FAR, 101st Airborne Division where he commanded for 16 months. From 2015‐2017, MAJ Webb completed Advanced Civil Schooling earning his master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. MAJ Webb subsequently served as an Assistant Professor for the Department of Mathematical Sciences from 2017‐ 2020. MAJ Webb is currently assigned to the Directorate of Logistics (J4), Joint Staff as an Operations Research Systems Analyst.

Dr. Steve Riese currently serves on the principal staff at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab located remotely at Headquarters, US Strategic Command in Omaha, Nebraska. Dr. Riese served for 24 years as a US Army officer, both as Combat Engineer and as Operations Research Analyst.

Dr. Riese has vast Operations Research experience with improvised explosive device (IED) defeat activities, future Joint C4ISR and planning system development, and strategic deterrence analysis. Dr. Riese’s research interests include geospatial forecasting, strategic deterrence, human-machine interfaces, cognitive behaviors, data mining, and search theory.

Ms. Colleen Keller Sterling is an Operations Research Analyst at Metron, Inc., a DoD consulting firm specializing in mathematical software applications to real-world problems. Colleen became involved in search analysis starting with the search for missing aviator Steve Fossett in 2006; she produced probability maps to guide search efforts for the Fossett family and friends. Colleen was subsequently part of the Metron team that performed probability mapping for the French government in the 2009 search for Air France 447, and she was a Metron spokesperson for the MH370 searches in 2014.

Patricia has been with the Australian Department of Defence at the Defence Science and Technology Group for over 20 years. With a background in the physical sciences and spectroscopy, she has spent her Defence career in Operations Research and Analysis with the majority of her time in qualitative and judgement based OR&A specializing in futures research. This has led to her developing strong skills in the Adaptive Red Teaming capability at DSTG and working towards educating others in this domain. Having undertaken OR with a focus on the Land Domain, she has spent the last few years bringing together a strong OR&A background, and passions for Red Teaming, Futures and emerging technologies and the methods used to explore these, working as part of a team undertaking Technology Foresight for Australian Defence and national security.

George Akst received his PhD in Mathematics from the University of Illinois in functional analysis under Neal Rothman. He then went on to teach at the University level for the next five years before switching fields to military operations research. For the following 19 years, he was a researcher at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) in northern Virginia, working predominantly on Marine Corps problems. This included a two-year deployment to Headquarters of the Fleet Marine Corps, Pacific, in Hawaii.

After working indirectly for the Marine Corps, George then moved over to work directly for the Marine Corps as a Federal employee at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Virginia. He started out as the Deputy Director of their small operations analysis group, and as that grew into the 70-person Operations Analysis Directorate, he was promoted into the senior ranks and became the director until his retirement in 2019. During that time, he earned both the Meritorious and Distinguished Presidential Rank Awards.

Timothy P. Alben was appointed to the Massachusetts State Police on May 7, 1983. Over the following three decades, Alben rose through the ranks, culminating with his appointment to the department’s top position of Colonel/Superintendent on July 13, 2012. Over his career, Alben served as Commander of the Division of Field Services; Commander of the Tactical Operations Section; Deputy Division Commander of the Division of Standards & Training; and spent 16 years as an investigator with the department’s Division of Investigative Services.

On April 15, 2013, working with local and federal law enforcement partners, Alben lead the Massachusetts State Police response and investigation into the deadly bombing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

After 32 years of service, Mr. Alben retired from the state police in July of 2015. He currently operates a security and law enforcement consulting business.

Mr. Alben holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Westfield State University; a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Western New England University; and a Master’s Degree in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School – Monterey, California. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at Harvard’s Kennedy School.

Rear Admiral Jesse Wilson retired from the U.S. Navy in 2019, with his last active duty assignment being U.S. Navy 57th Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic. Admiral Wilson is currently the Maritime Navy Lead, U.S. Government Integrated Solutions for Raytheon Intelligence & Space at Raytheon Technologies.

Rear Adm. Jesse A. Wilson Jr. is a native of California, Maryland, and the son of a retired Navy master chief petty officer. He received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the United States Naval Academy in 1986. He also attended the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, earning a Master of Science in Operations Research in 1991 and is a graduate of the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, where he received a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies in 2001.

Since her selection as a Senior Executive in May 2004, Ms. Beall has served as Head, Campaign Analysis Branch in the Assessment Division (N81), in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Integration of Capabilities and Resources). In that capacity, she manages development of the joint campaign analyses key to Navy investment decisions as well as representing Navy at the Flag level in OSD and Joint Staff Support to Strategic Analysis (SSA) deliberations, ensuring that Navy capabilities are accurately characterized in scenarios and studies, including Quadrennial Defense Reviews (QDRs). She also leads the award-winning World Class Modeling initiative, dedicated to improving modeling and simulation supporting decision making across the OPNAV enterprise.

Dr. Angela P. Giddings, a Senior Level leader, is the Technical Director and Acting Principal Deputy Director for Studies, Analyses, and Assessments, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. She is responsible for developing and sustaining strong technical capabilities for the Air Force to conduct operations research and data science analyses that inform Air Force leadership decisions concerning current and future warfighting capabilities and resource allocation.

Prior to assuming her current position, Dr. Giddings was a Specialist Leader within Deloitte’s Artificial Intelligence Insights and Mission Analytics offering to the Government and Public Service sector. While there she led teams supporting the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation), US Transportation Command, and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center. This followed her long career as an active duty Air Force operations research analyst with analytic assignments at multiple echelons and across operations planning and assessment, personnel analysis, and long-range acquisition portfolio planning. Additionally, she commanded the 27th Intelligence Squadron which provides command, control, coordination, and global communications for the Distributed Common Ground System enterprise as well as the Headquarters Squadron for United States Air Forces Europe.

Dr. Jacqueline R. Henningsen was the Director for Studies and Analyses, Assessments and Lessons Learned, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. until her retirement in 2014. She was responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force for analytic and Air Force Lessons Learned policy oversight and implementation. She ensured comprehensive, defendable and time-sensitive processes underpin Air Force warfighting and force structure capability and sufficiency assessments; informed and illuminated leadership on emerging issues; fireproofed resource investment decisions; and rapidly collected, disseminated, implemented and tracked lessons learned.

Dr. Henningsen has contributed analytic leadership during all of the Department of Defense's Quadrennial and other major defense reviews from the end of the Cold War to the present. She received the 2005 Presidential Meritorious Executive Rank Award for her analytic leadership in the Department of Defense. She also received Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Awards in 2001 and 2009. She was recognized with the 2012 Distinguished Executive Rank Award.

Susan K. Reardon joined the Military Operations Research Society as the CEO in October of 2011. Prior to joining MORS Susan served as the Vice President and Executive Director of the National Chamber Foundation, the public policy think tank of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Executive Director of the American Foreign Service Association, the professional association representing U.S. Foreign Service employees of the Department of State, USAID, the Foreign Commercial Service, Foreign Agricultural Service and Voice of America and as the Director of Finance and Administration for the League of Women Voters of the United States. Susan has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California-Santa Cruz and a Masters in Business Administration from Virginia Tech.

COL Matthew Dabkowski is an Academy Professor in the United States Military Academy’s (USMA’s) Department of Systems Engineering (DSE), currently serving as the Director of the Systems Engineering Program. A 1997 graduate of USMA, COL Dabkowski received his commission as an Infantry Officer, and his first assignment was with the 1-508th Airborne Battalion Combat Team (Vicenza, IT), where he served as a rifle platoon leader, an anti-tank/heavy weapons platoon leader, and a company executive officer. He subsequently commanded rifle and headquarters and headquarters companies in the 5-20th Infantry Regiment (Fort Lewis, WA), the first battalion in the Army to field the Stryker combat vehicle. In this capacity, he deployed between November 2003 and November 2004 in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.

In 2007, COL Dabkowski obtained an MS in Systems Engineering from the University of Arizona (UA), and he transitioned to the Army’s Operations Research / Systems Analysis Functional Area (FA49). His first FA49 tour was in USMA’s DSE as an instructor and assistant professor. Following this teaching assignment, COL Dabkowski was assigned to the Army Training and Doctrine Command Analysis Center (TRAC; Fort Leavenworth, KS), where he deployed in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM as the Chief of TRAC’s Data Cell Forward. In 2016, COL Dabkowski received a PhD in Systems and Industrial Engineering from the UA, where he deployed in support of Operation FREEDOM’S SENTINEL as the Military Assistant to the Commanding General of Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa.

In recognition of his contributions to military operations research over the past decade, COL Dabkowski has received the Army’s Dr. Wilbur B. Payne Award, TRAC’s LTC Paul J. Finken Memorial Award, the Military Operations Research Society’s (MORS’) Wayne P. Hughes Junior Analyst Award, and MORS’ David Rist Prize.

Lieutenant Commander Jeffrey Lineberry is currently instructing mathematics at the United States Naval Academy while working part-time on dissertation efforts as an Industrial and System Engineering Doctoral Candidate at the University of Oklahoma. LCDR Lineberry has been involved in leadership and operations research analysis in both the professional business and academia landscapes. He has performed many individual and recurring assignments in support of critical projects utilizing a broad range of scientific methodologies necessary for the development of reports and models used to review and evaluate a multitude of unique operational investigations successfully.

Professor Ian Frommer joined the Coast Guard Academy Mathematics Department in 2005. He teaches a wide range of courses in mathematics and operations research, is an active advisor in the senior capstone course, and coordinates the Department of Mathematics program review activities. Professor Frommer's research interests include project-based learning and the application of mathematics and operations research to crowdsourcing and to music. He earned the Certified Analytics Professional (C.A.P.®) certification and in his spare time, Professor Frommer works as a consultant applying operations research and analytics methods to problems in industry.

General Richard D. Clarke currently serves as the 12th Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base, FL. Prior to assuming command of USSOCOM, General Clarke served as Director for Strategic Plans and Policy (J5), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

General Clarke has led Soldiers at all levels in Airborne, Ranger, Mechanized and Light Infantry units in five different divisions, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and the 75th Ranger Regiment in the United States, Europe, Iraq and Afghanistan. His deployments while serving in the aforementioned positions include Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Joint Guardian in Macedonia, three deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, four deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and one deployment as the commander of the Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command - Operation Inherent Resolve.

Mr. W. Kulzy is a Senior Operations Research Scientist with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab. He previously served 21 years in the United States Navy as an Operations Research Analyst and Logistics expert. His experiences include Readiness Officer with Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR), M&S team lead with US CENTCOM, Chief Analytics Officer for Naval Weapon Systems Support (WSS), Operations Officer for US SOCOM Wargame Center, and Logistics Lead for Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSW DevGroup). He earned a Masters in Science in Operations Research from Naval Postgraduate School (NPS); Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Virginia Tech. He also accomplished the Supply Chain Management Executive program at the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University; and the Executive Program for Business and Innovation Strategy at Harvard University.

Dr. Suzanne Beers is MITRE Corporation’s Defense Systems Engineering Department Manager, responsible for leading, mentoring and developing department staff and portfolio management of six OSD-level test and evaluation (T&E), systems engineering and strategic analysis projects. Suzanne joined MITRE in Colorado Springs, Colorado after retiring from the USAF, in October 2008. Her final assignment was as the Commander, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center’s Detachment 4 at Peterson AFB responsible for OT&E of new space, missile, and missile defense systems. At MITRE, in addition to her Department Manager responsibilities, she has done “real work” supporting DOT&E, leading the DTE&A Unified Evaluation Framework initiative and developing S&T roadmap visions for the Test Resource Management Center.

Doowan Lee is a strategic advisor to the Institute for Security and Technology (IST) and adjunct professor of politics at the Univ. of San Francisco. Working at a Silicon Valley tech company, he leverages emerging AI technologies to empower open society & support national security. He is a national security expert specializing in disinformation analysis and great power competition in the information environment. Before joining IST, he taught at the Naval Postgraduate School for more than 11 years as a faculty member and principal investigator. There he developed and executed operational and communications technology projects with federal R&D agencies to support the U.S. government’s efforts to combat violent extremist networks and authoritarian regimes. In particular, he has closely worked with the US Special Operation community to support overseas operations. Central to this work is a focus on how China and Russia exploit social media and emerging technologies to undermine organic political processes.

Bob Prescott is the Capability Leader, leading Dstl’s 600 analysts and human scientists annually delivering in excess of £100M of research in collaboration with a wide range of academic and industry partners. Dstl delivers high impact Science and Technology for the United Kingdom’s defence, security and prosperity. Bob has been at Dstl for fifteen years prior to which spent five years in the airline industry and eleven years with BAE Systems working with fast jets and weapon systems.

Mr. McEntee is currently the Director for the Operations and Requirements Analysis Division within the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T’s) Office of Science and Engineering. He oversees all department research and development requirements collection and prioritization, S&T’s customer engagement Integrated Product Teams and alignment to the Business Process Flow, requirement’s analysis and capability need refinement, and S&T’s operations and requirements analytical tools. From 2016-2020, Mr. McEntee was the Acting Borders, Immigration, and Maritime Director for S&T where he worked closely with Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to research, develop, test, and evaluate technical alternatives to meet overall Homeland Security Enterprise capability gap needs. Mr. McEntee was the Deputy Director for S&T’s Borders and Maritime Security Division (BMD) from 2013-2016 and held several Program Manager roles since 2011, which included managing maritime security systems, border information exchange architectures, and cargo security initiatives. Prior to that, he served one year as a DHS Fellow on Capitol Hill working as an advisor to a Senator on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. From 2007 to 2010, Mr. McEntee worked as the Chief of Business Operations for BMD. From 2005 to 2007, Mr. McEntee provided Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance to BMD as a Booz Allen Hamilton employee.

Dr. Angela P. Giddings, a Senior Level leader, is the Technical Director and Acting Principal Deputy Director for Studies, Analyses, and Assessments, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. She is responsible for developing and sustaining strong technical capabilities for the Air Force to conduct operations research and data science analyses that inform Air Force leadership decisions concerning current and future warfighting capabilities and resource allocation.

Prior to assuming her current position, Dr. Giddings was a Specialist Leader within Deloitte’s Artificial Intelligence Insights and Mission Analytics offering to the Government and Public Service sector. While there she led teams supporting the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation), US Transportation Command, and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center. This followed her long career as an active duty Air Force operations research analyst with analytic assignments at multiple echelons and across operations planning and assessment, personnel analysis, and long-range acquisition portfolio planning. Additionally, she commanded the 27th Intelligence Squadron which provides command, control, coordination, and global communications for the Distributed Common Ground System enterprise as well as the Headquarters Squadron for United States Air Forces Europe.

At age 19, Patrick joined the Army, launching a lifelong commitment to our nation’s military and veterans. Patrick has served as a soldier, America’s first Iraq War veteran elected to Congress, and the 32nd Under Secretary of the Army.

Today, Patrick continues to advocate and empower veterans through his work in the public and private sectors. As a “Vetrepreneur,” he spearheads a wide range of business interests and offers veterans the opportunity to launch their own dreams by investing in their companies. As a public speaker and media executive, Patrick helps amplify the voices and experiences of veterans on MSNBC, CBS, the Discovery Network, and elsewhere.

Patrick currently lives in Pennsylvania with his two children, Maggie and Jack.

Dr. Crain is a former Senior Operations Research Analyst for the Army, Director, Center for Army Analysis (CAA) and the Director for the Army Modeling and Simulation Office. Served as the Senior Analyst for the Army and led an agency consisting of 147 military officers and civilian employees supporting Headquarters, Department of the Army and Army Major Commands with analysis addressing Army leadership’s highest priority issues with an annual budget of over $33M. CAA conducts studies across a wide range of planning and force development activities, while focusing on and maintaining special expertise, in theater-level operations and Army-wide processes, especially resource allocation.

LCDR Matt Powers is an Operations Research Analyst at the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV) in the Navy Assessments Division, and is currently a PhD student in George Mason University’s Systems Engineering and Operations Research Program. Matt received his MS in OR from the Naval Postgraduate School’s Operations Research program, where he received the Chief of Naval Operations Award for Excellence in OR. He began his OR career at the Joint Center for International Security Force Assistance, known as JCISFA, at Ft. Leavenworth, KS.

Major General Kimberly A. Crider is the Mobilization Assistant to the Chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. In this position, she assists the CSO to organize, train, equip and maintain space forces by contributing to the development of strategy, long-range plans, and concept of operations, as well as the activities ensuring the service builds and employs effective space forces.

Prior to her current assignment, Maj. Gen. Crider was the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Space Command. Before that she was the Air Force chief data officer, where she developed and implemented strategies for enterprise data management, analytics, and digital transformation to optimize performance and drive out innovation in and across all missions and operations.

Dr. Jerry Diaz is the Director for Analysis, Chief of Technology and Innovation Office (CTIO/S9), Office of the Chief of Space Operations, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

As the Director for Analyses, he serves as key technical advisor to the SECAF, Chief of Space Operations (CSO), CSO Deputies, CSAF and HAF Deputy Chiefs of Staff and DAF space representative to the OSD, JCS and Congressional staffs regarding Space Force analytic and assessment efforts. Dr Diaz assists the highest-levels of Space Force in data-driven decisions by provide analytically driven insights that are meaningful, repeatable, and defensible. He supports the USSF Staff’s analytic needs by providing independent, objective, and relevant analytic-based insights in four primary areas: Human Capital Analytics, Operations, Strategy and Resources, and Technology & Innovation. Further, he leads the S9 to build coalitions to create common situational awareness to align, integrate, and synchronize the space analytic enterprise’s efforts to better address the CSO’s issues, close data gaps, and reduce redundancies to provide insightful Senior Leader products that are data driven, analytically sound, and based in strategy and lessons learned.

David Saranchak is a Research Fellow and AI/ML Program Lead at Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) in Johnstown, PA. He leads R&D of emerging techniques in data analysis, machine learning assurance, and differential privacy for multimodal data applications in tactical edge environments & computation platforms.

Dave’s passion for World War II history steered him to enlist in the Marine Corps Reserve at the age of 17. While serving, he was taught mathematical connections at Villanova University, where he received two BS degrees, one in mathematics and another in physics. He also earned two MS degrees, one in applied mathematics and another in telecommunications from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dave is the MORS President-Elect.

Dr. Azari graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied human performance in complex domains like surgery and aviation. David’s doctoral work focused on quantifying surgical skill with computer vision and machine learning tools to augment coaches as they train new surgeons.

Dr. Azari currently works for The Research and Analysis Center (TRAC) of Army Futures Command (AFC) in White Sands, New Mexico. David works in the wargaming division to develop human in the loop simulation assisted wargaming and scenario design tools; and to build out collection instruments that help us elicit, organize, and analyze rich qualitative and quantitative data across various analytic events.

Terrance J. (Terry) McKearney is the president and founder of The Ranger Group. A retired naval officer whose service spanned the Vietnam era to the post-Cold War, he has spent the last fifteen years analyzing the organizational needs of contemporary military and public organizations. He has employed a wide range of analytic techniques from field studies to seminar gaming to study critical management issues in the military and governmental sectors, including operational requirements, organizational structures, decision making, public sector ethics, municipal disaster management, and emergency response He has been particularly focused on the evaluation of command and control (C2) systems in joint operations.

Terry holds Masters Degrees from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and San Diego State University. His postgraduate work emphasized strategic planning, international relations, public policy, and organizational theory.

Terry is a Past President of MORS and is Editor of Phalanx.

Dr. Raymond R. Hill Jr. is a Professor of Operations Research with the Department of Operational Sciences, Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). He first entered the United States Air Force in 1976 under the delayed enlisted program and entered Officer Training School in 1984. After three years in the Communications career field he moved into the Analytical career field for the remainder of his career. He graduated from Squadron Officer School in 1989 and Air Command and Staff College in 1997. He served on the AFIT faculty, from 1997 until his retirement from Air Force active duty in 2003. Upon retirement he joined the Engineering Faculty of Wright State University. He rose to the rank of Professor with Wright State University leaving WSU in August 2008 to return to AFIT. Since returning to AFIT he has built a multi-university research program, the Science of Test Research Consortium supporting the DoD Test and Evaluation enterprise and runs the Graduate Certificate Program in Test and Evaluation.

Dr. Hill is the Editor for the Military Operations Research (MOR) Journal.

Dr. McGrady writes, speaks, and teaches on the design of professional games. He also runs a business devoted to using games and game techniques to bring innovative experiences in new areas. In the past Dr. McGrady built and directed a team of 10-20 analysts at CNA devoted to the design and execution of professional games. Dr. McGrady has written, taught and presented on the topic of games and their use in organizational and individual learning. He has designed and run games for many different clients ranging from the White House to the Department of Agriculture. In the past, Dr. McGrady has also built a team at CNA devoted to chemical and biological response operations, including domestic response operations. Dr. McGrady has deployed as an analyst with US Forces in Haiti during operation Uphold Democracy, onboard USS Nimitz for Desert Storm and with operational E-2C squadrons. Dr. McGrady holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He has published extensively in the Chemical Engineering, physics, and national security literature.

Dr. Peter Perla III, PhD is a game designer and wargame expert who has been working as a respected Navy defense researcher at the Center for Naval Analysis. After earning his PhD from Carnegie-Mellon University where his thesis dealt with a mathematical combat model, he joined the Center for Naval Analyses in 1977 where he works as their Director for Interactive Research Products. He has more than 30 years of professional wargaming experience and has served on various International Gamers Awards committees. He has served as a contributing editor for the wargaming magazines Fire and Movement and C3i and has been a play-tester and rules editor for a number of published games.

Dr. Matos is a past President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Military Operations Research Society (MORS). He has been bestowed the honor of Fellow of the Society. He has co-chaired the MORS Human Behavior and Performance Working Group and contributed to the Decision Analysis and Computational Social Sciences Working Groups. He has presented numerous highly attended tutorials and project reports at the annual MORS Symposia in a variety of topics. He is also a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), and the National Society for Hispanic Professionals (NSHP).

Since her selection as a Senior Executive in May 2004, Ms. Beall has served as Head, Campaign Analysis Branch in the Assessment Division (N81), in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Integration of Capabilities and Resources). In that capacity, she manages development of the joint campaign analyses key to Navy investment decisions as well as representing Navy at the Flag level in OSD and Joint Staff Support to Strategic Analysis (SSA) deliberations, ensuring that Navy capabilities are accurately characterized in scenarios and studies, including Quadrennial Defense Reviews (QDRs). She also leads the award-winning World Class Modeling initiative, dedicated to improving modeling and simulation supporting decision making across the OPNAV enterprise.

Ms. Beall has over 25 years of government civilian service and 13 years of private sector experience. Prior to becoming a Senior Executive, she served in N81 in various capacities. In 2003, she became Deputy Branch Head for Warfighting Support Analysis, managing analysis for the N81 Investment Strategy and Net Assessment in the areas of manpower and personnel, training and education, infrastructure and readiness. She also supported Sea Enterprise initiatives to improve efficiency and generate savings in Navy operating accounts, including oversight of five Zero Based Reviews (ZBRs). In 2002, Ms. Beall led assessments of the naval strategic planning process and science and technology investment, as well as an analysis-based wargame that examined requirements for Maritime Interdiction Operations in support of the Global War on Terror. Ms. Beall initially joined the N81 team in 1995 as one of the founders of Navy’s joint campaign analysis capability and exercised that capability as the basis for Navy investment decisions through numerous POM cycles as well as QDRs 97 and 01.

From 1988 to 1995, Ms. Beall worked for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in both analytic and systems engineering disciplines. In 1991, she became Deputy Director of the Space and Electronic Warfare (SEW)/Copernicus Systems Engineering Group, managing architecture development, technology demonstrations in major Navy and Joint exercises and prototyping. Prior to that her accomplishments included development and technical demonstration of a proposed ASW Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) architecture to meet future requirements for multi-source fusion and command decision support, the first implementation of the Copernicus C4I architecture, a forerunner to Network Centric Warfare.

From 1975 to 1988, she was employed by Presearch Incorporated, performing and directing a wide range of analyses for the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Systems Project Office (PM-4), Director ASW (OP-951/71) and corporate customers. She evaluated the performance of current and future ASW systems to support development of operational concepts and tactics, system tradeoffs and long-range requirements and planning.

Ms. Beall graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude from West Virginia University in 1974 with a B.A. in Mathematics. She is a graduate of the Defense Systems Management College Program Manager Course and has completed additional graduate-level coursework at Georgetown University in National Security Studies. Ms. Beall was a 2010-2011 Fellow in the MIT Seminar XXI on Foreign Politics, International Relations and the National Interest.

Ms. Beall was awarded the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 2001 and the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award in 2014. She was honored as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Requirements and Assessments (N8) GS-15 Civilian of the Year in 2001 and for the second time in 2003. Ms. Beall was one of eight DoD civilians awarded the DoD Distinguished Civilian Service Award by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Robert O. Work, at the 60th Annual Distinguished Civilian Service Awards on 8 Oct 2015.

Ms Beall is an active member of the Military Operations

Dr. Andrew Loerch is the Department of Systems Engineering and Operations Research (SEOR) Associate Chair for George Mason University. He directs the military applications of the operations research track in Mason's Operations Research graduate program—the only comprehensive Defense Analysis program in a U.S. civilian institution. His research interests include the application of mathematical programming to military problems, optimization of multi-year capital budgeting, and management of cyclically scheduled manufacturing facilities.

As a retired Army Colonel with 26 years of military service, including 15 years as a Military Operations Research analyst, Dr. Loerch enjoys helping students learn knowledge and practical skills in his areas of expertise. His emphasis is on teaching concepts and techniques that students can immediately apply at work to contribute to the defense of the United States.

Dr. Brandon McConnell is an Assistant Research Professor in the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University. After serving as an infantry officer in the US Army, McConnell now leads the Military Operations Research Group consisting of Operations Research and ISE students interested in military and national security challenges. He also mentors and advises the active-duty and veteran students from OR and ISE. He suffers from chronic surfing addiction.

Ms. Renee G. Carlucci is Principal Operations Research Analyst for CANA Advisors. Renee was previously a Senior Operations Research Analyst and Chief of the Resource Analysis Division for the United States Army’s Center for Army Analysis.

Renee has a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Towson University and a Master's degree in Applied Mathematics with a concentration in Operations Research from Johns Hopkins University. She is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute and the Army Management Staff College and has over thirty years of experience in military operational studies.

Ms. Sarah Stewart is an Operations Research and Systems Analyst at the Center for Army Analysis. She completed two six month deployments to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as well as a two year rotation to the Headquarters Department of the Army G-3/5/7 Force Management where she conducted Total Army Analysis. She is currently serving in the Campaign Analysis Division of CAA conducting future Scenario and Operation Plan Wargame modeling. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech and a Master’s of Science in Operations Research from George Mason University.

Ms. Brittlea Brown is currently an Operations Research Analyst for Marine Corps Programs and Resources Program Analysis & Evaluation Division. She performed a wide-range of studies for the Marine Corps while at Northrop Grumman, developed architecture in support of Marine Corps Systems Command while at SPAWAR, and then performed modeling and simulation on capabilities at the Marine Corps Operations Analysis Directorate. Brittlea co-leads the newly formed Women in MORS Community of Practice. She has served as MORS Working Group 28 Co-Chair and Advisor. Brittlea completed the Defense Civilian Emerging Leader Program (DCELP) in 2018. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry from Virginia Tech and a Master’s of Science in Operations Research from George Mason University.

18 September 2020 - Mr. Sam Huddleston

Mr. Sam Huddleston is a Senior Data Scientist at Biocore, LLC, where he leads an analytics team that provides data science consulting services for reducing injury in professional and amateur sports leagues. In this role, he also serves as the Technology Lead for the development of The Digital Athlete, an AI-powered collaboration between the National Football League and Amazon Web Services specifically focused on reducing injury in the National Football League. Prior to joining Biocore, Sam served in the US Army as an Operations Research Analyst. He has previously served on the faculty at the Naval Postgraduate School and the United States Military Academy. He received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY, and an M.S. and PhD in Systems and Information Engineering from The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.

18 September 2020 - Dr. Brian Macdonald

Dr. Brian Macdonald is currently the Director of Sports Analytics in the Stats & Information Group at ESPN. He was previously the Director of Hockey Analytics with the Florida Panthers Hockey Club, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at West Point. He received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Lafayette College, Easton, PA, and a Master of Arts and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.

18 September 2020 - Mr. Ian Kloo

Mr. Ian Kloo is a data scientist and instructor in the Department of Systems Engineering at the United States Military Academy (USMA). He has worked throughout the DoD enterprise on data science projects primarily in the intelligence mission space. Ian also works closely with several USMA sports teams on topics including injury avoidance, recovery, and biometric analysis, and is currently partnering with the NBA to create data science honors projects for cadets.

11 September 2020 - Colonel James Hickey, US Army (Ret.)

Colonel Hickey leads Raytheon’s Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Policy and Acquisition Business Development team and is responsible for the company’s strategic relationship with all OSD customers. He works closely with the armed services and the four businesses to develop strategic goals, objectives and growth in core and adjacent markets. Colonel Hickey is considered a consulting expert on the subjects of strategic threats, defense policy, joint force requirements, and changes to acquisition authorities.

Colonel Hickey served as the senior military advisor to the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In addition to these policy and program duties he also served as the director of the Airland Subcommittee. As such he has a key understanding of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) process, the regular order of the senate, congressional oversight, combatant command requirements and Department of Defense priorities. Having supported four continuous NDAAs, Colonel Hickey is familiar with most of the key reform initiatives: policy, modernization and acquisition.

28 August 2020 - Dr. Nate Bastian

Dr. Nate Bastian serves in the United States Army as an FA49 (Operations Research and Systems Analysis) Officer. He is currently the Chief Artificial Intelligence Architect at the Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC). Nate also serves as an Affiliated Researcher at several institutions, as well as an Adjunct Professor teaching online graduate courses at several universities. He previously served as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, as well as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the National Security Agency. Nate is an active member of MORS, INFORMS, ACM, IEEE, SIAM, AAAI and AAAS.

Nate holds a Ph.D. degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the Pennsylvania State University, M.Eng. degree in Industrial Engineering from Penn State, M.S. degree in Econometrics and Operations Research from Maastricht University, and B.S. degree in Engineering Management (electrical engineering) with honors from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

21 August 2020 - Mr. Heath Rushing

Mr. Heath Rushing, co-founder and principal consultant at Adsurgo, is a spirited problem solver and leader with a wealth of expertise in quality engineering, applied statistical methods, lean six sigma, operations research, and training. He leads the Training and Consulting, Quality Engineering and Medical Applications divisions at Adsurgo. He also recently led development of Adsurgo’s highly acclaimed applied text mining tool that makes analysis of unstructured data accessible to a broader range of engineers and scientists. Mr. Rushing also served as an officer in the US Air Force as a test and intelligence operations analyst and Air Force Academy professor.

21 August 2020 - Dr. Tom Donnelly

Tom Donnelly works as a Systems Engineer in the JMP division of SAS. A physicist by training, he has been actively using and teaching Design of Experiments (DOE) methods for the past 25 years to develop and optimize products, processes and technologies.

Donnelly joined JMP after working as an analyst for the Modeling, Simulation & Analysis Branch of the US Army’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. There, he used DOE to develop, test, and evaluate technologies for detection, protection and decontamination of chemical and biological agents.

14 August 2020 - Mr. Arthur (Trip) Barber

Trip Barber is the Chief Analyst for Systems Planning & Analysis, Inc. Mr. Barber retired from the Navy in 2014 after 41 years of service, 28 as an officer and 13 as a Senior Executive Service civilian. 25 of those years of service were spent in the Pentagon, all in the field of program and capability analysis.

Mr. Barber graduated from MIT with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics. He received a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (with distinction) and an additional subspecialty in weapons system engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Mr. Barber retired from active duty in the Navy as a Captain. His sea assignments included service at all levels in destroyers including command of USS DEYO (DD 989). He also commanded Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek and Naval Station Norfolk.

7 August 2020 - Dr. Steve Stoddard

Dr. Stoddard was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in July, 2013, and currently serves as the Director of the Center for Army Analysis (CAA) and the Army Modeling and Simulation Office (AMSO). Dr. Stoddard is responsible for directing the Army’s primary study program to inform strategic and operational decisions for the Army’s senior leaders. As Director of AMSO, he is responsible for the Army’s M&S strategy, governance, and policy. He also serves as the Executive Agent for the Army’s Functional Area 57 (Modeling & Simulation officers) and Career Program 36 (Analysis, Modeling & Simulation). His current efforts are focused on the Army’s structure, capabilities, capacity, and readiness to execute the National Defense Strategy.

31 July 2020 - Dr. Andy Loerch

Andrew Loerch is the Department of Systems Engineering and Operations Research (SEOR) Associate Chair for George Mason University. He directs the military applications of the operations research track in Mason's Operations Research graduate program—the only comprehensive Defense Analysis program in a U.S. civilian institution. His research interests include the application of mathematical programming to military problems, optimization of multi-year capital budgeting, and management of cyclically scheduled manufacturing facilities.

As a retired Army Colonel with 26 years of military service, including 15 years as a Military Operations Research analyst, Dr. Loerch enjoys helping students learn knowledge and practical skills in his areas of expertise. His emphasis is on teaching concepts and techniques that students can immediately apply at work to contribute to the defense of the United States.

24 July 2020 - Mr. Shaun Doheney

Chief Analytics Officer for JDSAT, which is a certified service-disabled veteran-owned small business specializing in operations research and data science. He is also the Chair of Resources and Readiness Applications at ProbabilityManagement.org, a nonprofit devoted to making uncertainty actionable. He holds a BS in mathematics from California State University, Long Beach, an MS in operations analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School, a graduate certificate in data analytics from George Mason University, and is both a certified analytics professional and project management professional.

As a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, Shaun held key billets at the platoon, company, battalion, regimental, and division levels, including duty in a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and in Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM. As a Marine Corps operations research analyst, he performed both quantitative and qualitative analyses and evaluations across major Department of Defense decision support processes. His past projects featured optimization, multiple-objective decision analysis, quantitative risk analysis, modeling and simulation, and survey design and analysis. His more recent work has focused on guiding adoption of analytic methods involving uncertainty associated with risk and readiness, as well as optimizing allocation of resources across operational scenarios to inform portfolio funding decisions over a multiyear horizon. Shaun is a current and very active member of the Military Operations Research Society currently serving as a co-chair for the Readiness Working Group (WG-19).

17 July 2020 - Mr. Sam Huddleston

17 July 2020 - Mr. Scott Nestler

Scott Nestler joined Mendoza College of Business as an associate teaching professor subsequent to his retirement from the U.S. Army after more than 25 years of service. Most recently, he was the Force Strategy Division Chief at the Center for Army Analysis. Previously, he taught at the Naval Postgraduate School and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He has served as an analyst and leader of analytic teams in a variety of locations, including the Pentagon and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.

Nestler has a Ph.D. in management science from the University of Maryland – College Park, a master’s in strategic studies from the Army War College, a M.S. in applied mathematics from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a B.S. in civil engineering from Lehigh University. Additionally, he is active in the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) as part of the Analytics Certification Board (ACB), which oversees the Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) program and the INFORMS SpORts (Operations Research in Sports) Section.

17 July 2020 - LTC David Hughes

U.S. Army Officer for 19+ years. After serving as an Aviation Officer for 6 years, I switched career fields and became an Operations Research / Systems Analyst (ORSA). Following the completion of my Masters degree at Stanford University in 2009, I was assigned to the Department of Systems Engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point. From 2012-2014, I worked at the Center for Army Analysis (CAA) at Fort Belvoir before starting a PhD program at George Mason University in the Fall of 2014. I completed the PhD in the Spring of 2017 before being reassigned to West Point's Systems Engineering Department.

10 July 2020 - Mr. Stephen Harrison

Stephen has over 32 years of experience with Department of Defence, including the past 18 years with DST Group. He is currently the Research Leader Aerospace Capability Analysis in the Joint and Operations Analysis Division (JOAD), leading operational analysis support to the Australian Defence’s aerospace domain and is the Project Leader for all of DST’s support to the Australia Defence Force (ADF) vertical lift capability. In 2018, Stephen led the JOAD Experimentation and Wargaming review, which reviewed existing capability and future requirements and has led to the development of the JOAD Experimentation and Wargaming Laboratory (JEWL). In the past he was the Science Team Leader for the New Air Combat Capability (NACC) (F-35) Air Vehicle work program and spent two years embedded in the NACC integrated project team in the Defence Materiel Organisation (Canberra). Prior to this, Stephen spent 10 years managing Defence’s Land Engineering Agency’s Mechanical and Environmental Testing Laboratory. Stephen has a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) with First Class Honours from RMIT University, a Graduated Certificate in Scientific Leadership from University of Melbourne and a Masters of Engineering (Test and Evaluation) from University of South Australia. Stephen is a Chartered Fellow of Engineers Australia.