David Alderson is a Professor in the Operations Research Department and serves as Executive Director for both the Center for Infrastructure Defense (CID) and the Data Science and Analytics Group (DSAG) at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).

Dr. Alderson's research focuses on the function and operation of critical infrastructures, with particular emphasis on how to invest limited resources to ensure efficient and resilient performance in the face of accidents, failures, natural disasters, or deliberate attacks. His research explores tradeoffs between efficiency, complexity, and fragility in a wide variety of public and private cyber-physical systems.

Dr. Alderson has been the Principal Investigator of sponsored research projects for the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

Dr. Alderson received his doctorate from Stanford University and his undergraduate degree from Princeton University. He has held research positions at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the University of California Los Angeles, the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), and the Santa Fe Institute. He has extensive industry experience and has worked for several venture-back startup companies. His early career was spent developing technology at Goldman Sachs & Co. in New York City.

Dr. Robert F. Dell is Naval Postgraduate School Professor Emeritus of Operations Research and University at Buffalo Professor and Chair of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Professor Dell has been awarded the Barchi, Koopman, Rist, and Wanner prizes for military operations research. He has also received two Brazilian Navy awards (the Order of Naval Merit and the Tamandaré Merit Medal), two Department of the Army Payne Memorial Awards for Excellence in Analysis, and two Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Awards.

Major Iain Cruickshank is a Functional Area 49B, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Officer, in the United States Army and currently serves as an AI Lead within the special operations community, where he develops and deploys artificial intelligence capabilities for operational commands. He has served across the Army’s cyber and AI enterprise, including assignments as a company commander in the 781st Military Intelligence Battalion, as a senior research scientist at the Army Cyber Institute, and as a data scientist at the Army’s Artificial Intelligence Integration Center. He holds a Ph.D. in Societal Computing from Carnegie Mellon University, obtained as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, and is currently an LTG James M. Dubik Writing Fellow at the U.S. Army War College.

COL Chris Eastburg has 27 years of Army time as a Combat Engineer and as a FA 49 ORSA. His ORSA jobs include Defense Intelligence Agency, HQ Department of the Army G1, SOUTHCOM, OSD-Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Army Test and Evaluation Command, and Combined Joint Task Force Paladin in Afghanistan. Before becoming in ORSA was an assistant professor at West Point and spent his company grade in First Armored Division and First Cavalry Division. He deployed four times to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait.  His wife Amy is a retired Army FA52 and he spends as much time as possible with his high school sons, Logan and Caleb. 

LTC Matthew Webb graduated from the United States Military Academy in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Sciences. Commissioning into the Field Artillery, he spent the eight years in various leadership and staff roles within the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team and the 101st Airborne Division, a period that included three deployments to Afghanistan.

Transitioning to the ORSA functional area, LTC Webb earned a Master of Science in Operations Research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2017 and served a three-year tour as junior faculty in USMA Department of Mathematical Sciences. He then served as an ORSA for the Joint Staff Logistics Directorate (J4) at the Pentagon from 2020 to 2023, where he provided analytical support for the Joint Concept of Contested Logistics, the Afghanistan Noncombatant Evacuation Operation, and the Chairman’s Russia-Ukraine Crisis Management Team. He is currently completing a PhD in Transportation at MIT specializing in network interdiction and is slated to return to West Point this summer as senior rotating faculty in the Department of Mathematical Sciences.

MAJ Logan L. Byars is a Combat Effects Operations Analyst with the Center for Army Analysis, where she leads systems analysis supporting Army Senior Leader decisions on investment strategies, modernization, and force design. She served as Study Director for the Offensive Fires Study 2025, integrating work across HQDA G‑2 Red Team and the Marine Corps Operations Analysis Directorate to assess employment concepts, munitions requirements, and operational effectiveness of long-range precision fires in INDOPACOM.

Previously, she served in the Pentagon as an Air and Missile Defense Analyst for HQDA G‑3/5/7, synchronizing modernization priorities and delivering rapid assessments to senior leaders. Her earlier career includes command and staff roles across the Air Defense community with operational experience in CENTCOM and INDOPACOM, including deployments supporting Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.

She holds a B.S. in Geography with a concentration in GIS and has completed advanced training in Operations Research, Army Force Management, and Air and Missile Defense.

Mr. Stephen McCarty is currently the Campaign Modeling Branch Head, OPNAV N81C2, on the Navy Staff in the Pentagon. He has over 16 years of joint campaign analysis experience in joint and service level analytical organizations. Stephen is a graduate of West Point and has master’s degrees from Old Dominion University in Operations Research/Systems Analysis and the Army War College in Strategic Studies. He serves on the MORS Board of Directors and won the 2024 Rist Prize as part of the team supporting Security Assistance Group – Ukraine with campaign analysis.

A 2004 graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy, Captain Henry Eshenour earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. He is originally from Waterloo, New York. A career surface warfare officer, Captain Eshenour commanded USS LABOON (DDG 58) where he also served as Executive Officer. His at-sea assignments include: USS CAPE ST GEORGE (CG 71) as Communications Officer, USS ENTERPRISE (CVN 65) as Electrical Division Officer, USS ROSS (DDG 71) as Operations Officer and USS HARRY S TRUMAN (CVN 75) as Reactor Training Assistant. Ashore, he served at OPNAV N81 as the Campaign Analysis Deputy Associate Director, as Flag Aide to Commander, U. S. Sixth Fleet, and as the Force Reactor Training Assistant on the staff of Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic. Captain Eshenour is a MIT Seminar XXI fellow and Under the Surface Warfare Officer MBA program, graduated from the Simon Graduate School of Business, University of Rochester, with an MBA in Corporate Finance and Accounting.

Jerry Smith began his career as a signatures engineer at Newport News Shipbuilding before working at Sikorsky Aircraft on low observable rotorcraft.  In 2000, he entered government service as a scientist at a Navy warfare center and eventually moved to OPNAV N81 as the deputy for M&S to lead the World Class Models initiative.  After several years as the Future Platforms division directory, he returned to OPNAV N81 where he leads the Sea Power Assessments branch.  His degrees are in physics, engineering, and systems analysis.

Mr. Rowayne A. “Wayne” Schatz, Jr. retired in February 2026. Prior to that, Mr. Schatz, a member of the Senior Executive Service, served as the Director for Studies & Analysis, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. In this role, he was responsible for leading, carrying out, reviewing and ensuring the analytic integrity of studies and analyses. He developed Air Force-wide policy, guidance, and analyses that inform Air Force leadership decisions concerning current and future warfighting capabilities. One of his great accomplishments was the elevation of the organization from Air Staff (AF/A9) to a to a direct report to the Secretary of The Air Force (SAF/SA).

Mr. Schatz previously was the Associate Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va. In this capacity, he was responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force for formulating policy supporting air, space, cyberspace, irregular warfare, counter-proliferation, homeland security and weather operations to achieve national security objectives. He also served as the Executive Director of the Department of Defense Policy Board on Federal Aviation.

Mr. Schatz retired from active duty on September 20, 2016, at the rank of major general, U.S. Air Force and entered civil service in October 2016. He received his commission from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1983 and commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels. Mr. Schatz has held staff positions at Air Mobility Command, U.S. Transportation Command, the Joint Staff, Air Force Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command and 5th Air Force. He deployed in support of operations Southern Watch, Joint Guard, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

Mr. William Dries serves as the Principal Deputy Director, Headquarters Air Force Studies & Analysis, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. In this role, he is responsible for Air and Space Force-wide policy, modeling, simulation, and analysis that inform senior leadership decisions on current and future warfighting capabilities.

Mr. Dries served on active duty from 1988 to 2011, commanding at the squadron level, deploying three times, and logging more than 3,000 flying hours, including over 500 combat hours. Since transitioning to federal civil service, he has continued to shape critical decisions affecting readiness, training, and operational capability across the Air Force. He was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2022.

Dr. Carson Long is a Joint Campaign Analyst in the Future Warfare Analysis Division at Studies & Analysis, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He leads study teams responsible for conducting Joint Campaign modeling and simulation across the Secretariat, Joint Service Partners, and OSD providing senior leaders with actionable analyses and recommendations to inform force structure funding decisions and future warfighting capabilities.

From 2016-2019, Dr. Long worked for Air Force and Joint organizations such as the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, A5/7 Air Force Futures, and USTRANSCOM as a contractor for The Perduco Group. In 2019, he was selected as a DoD SMART scholar and attended the Air Force Institute of Technology, earning his PhD in Operations Research in 2023. Following doctoral studies, Dr. Long was outplaced with the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force to complete his civilian service commitment.

Mr. Thomas J. Timmerman is the Acting Principal Deputy Director of Operations Analysis, Office of Studies and Analysis (SAF/SA), Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C. He is responsible to the Director, SAF/SA, the Secretary, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and the Chief of Space Operations for analysis of Air Force, Space Force, and Joint force structures, capabilities, and designs. He helps lead a military, civilian, and contractor team examining future high-intensity warfare using state-of-the-art modeling and simulation. The team develops and communicates relevant and rigorous analytic insights to senior leaders of the Department of the Air Force and Department of Defense on strategic and investment alternatives.

Mr. Timmerman began his Air Force career in 1985 at the United States Air Force Academy. On active duty, he was a career scientist and operations research analyst, serving as a laboratory research officer, electronic warfare analyst, fighter wing plans officer, strategist for Operations Southern Watch and Enduring Freedom, and senior air analyst for the Korean theater. He commanded a Basic Military Training squadron and served as deputy operations group commander in the 98th Range Wing at Nellis AFB, Nevada. As a senior officer, he led the Defense Threat Reduction Center’s basic research program, worked bilateral and US interagency policy for the Commander, U.S. Forces Korea, and taught strategy to U.S. and other senior military officers and civilian officials at the National Defense University. He completed his active duty career as the Vice Commander of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico.

LCDR Timothy Horton is a native of Freetown, Sierra Leone. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2004 from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2009 from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Master of Science degree in Operations Research in 2025 from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey. After graduating with his bachelor's degree, LCDR Horton worked for Sierra Rutile Mining Company as a Mechanical Maintenance and Planning Engineer.

LCDR Horton Enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Gas Turbine System Technician (Mechanical) in September 2011 and was stationed onboard the USS ANZIO (CG68). In October 2013, LCDR Horton reported to Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, where he received his commission in January 2014.

His Assignments include Construction Manager, Public Works Department (PWD) Patuxent River; Assistant Company Commander ALFA and BRAVO Companies, Liaison Officer to Federated States of Micronesia, and Liaison Officer to Destroyer Squadron 40 for Southern Partnership Station 18, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11; Construction Manager in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Overseas Contingency Operations, PWD Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti; Real Property Action Officer and Sustainment Program Director at Commander Navy Installation Command (CNIC) Headquarters; and Assistant Public Works Officer (APWO) and Facilities Support Contracts Branch Head at the Washington Navy Yard, PWD Washington.

LCDR Horton is currently the Shore Infrastructure Operation Research Analyst, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Assessment Division, OPNAV N81F. LCDR Horton is a qualified Seabee Combat Warfare Officer, a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of California, a licensed Project Management Professional, Public Works Level III certified, Defense Acquisition Level III certified, and an Acquisition Professional Member. He is Joint Professional Military Education Phase 1 certified. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Society of American Military Engineers, and the Military Operations Research Society. LCDR Horton is a recipient of the Most Promising Engineer in Government by the Black Engineer of the Year Awards and the Military Operations Research Society Stephen A. Tisdale Graduate Research Award. LCDR Horton’s military decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards) and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards).

Dr. Ed Pohl is the Dean of the Graduate School and International Education at the University of Arkansas, a position he has held since June 2023. He is a Professor of Industrial Engineering and has been with the University of Arkansas for over 22 years. Previously, he held positions as the director of the operations management master's degree program, director of the Master of Science in engineering program, and director of the Center for Innovation in Healthcare Logistics. From 2014–2023, he served as the head of the Department of Industrial Engineering. He previously held the 21st Century Professorship in Engineering and the John Imhoff Endowed Chair.

Prior to joining the University of Arkansas, Dr. Pohl spent 21 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. He spent his military career serving in a variety of engineering, operations analysis and academic positions, including associate professor of systems engineering and deputy director of the Operations Research Center at the U.S. Military Academy and assistant professor of aerospace and systems engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology. Other military assignments include operations research analyst in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, munitions logistics manager at the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, and training systems engineer for the B-2 program.

Dr. Pohl received his Ph.D. in systems and industrial engineering from the University of Arizona. He also holds degrees from the Air Force Institute of Technology, the University of Dayton, and Boston University. As a scholar, he has conducted research in risk, reliability, engineering optimization, healthcare logistics and supply chain risk analysis, decision making and quality. He has contributed to a variety of refereed journals, books, papers, and presentations and currently serves as the Editor of Military Operations Research (MOR Journal).

His awards include the MORS Barchi Prize, the J. Steinhardt Award for lifetime achievement in military operations research and the Bernard Sarchet Award for lifetime achievement in Engineering Management.

Harrison C. Schramm has had a career in Operations Research spanning industry, government and academia. He is co-founder and Chief Technologist of Attritable Machines, LLC where he is working to bring small scale, useful AI to the broader world. He also serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Operations Research Department of the Naval Postgraduate School where he focuses on applied statistics and supply chain risk. His research interests are at the intersection of public policy, mathematics, and data. Harrison’s first career was spent as a helicopter pilot in the US Navy, where he served in units stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, Guam, and Bahrain as well as ships at sea and retired at the rank of Commander with a total of 2500 pilot hours in H-46D and MH-60S aircraft. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the US Naval Academy and a Master of Science in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School. He enjoys professional certification from both the American Statistical Society and Royal (UK) Statistical Society. He is a frequent commentor and advocate for the role of Operations Research in broader life with publications on topics ranging from the impact of COVID on high school education to applications of number theory to optimally fill a circular tub with Lego.

Harrison’s professional service includes: Founding Chair of the MORS Emerging Techniques Forum; Founding Chair of the INFORMS Conference on Security; President of the INFORMS Analytics Society, Coach / Judge for the Franz Edelman Competition and Vice President, MORS. He currently serves as Editor of the MORS Phalanx magazine.

Harrison’s personal awards include the Clayton Thomas Prize (2018), the Richard H. Barchi Prize (2014), Meritorious Service Medal (2 awards), and the Naval Helicopter Association’s Aircrew of the Year and Air Medal for the at-sea rescue of 27 merchant sailors.

Away from analytics, he volunteers his time as a mentor to his local high school’s robotics team. When not working, he enjoys adventure trekking in the Ventana Wilderness. Harrison is married to the former Sarah Thorn of El Paso, Texas. When not keeping up with their children and cats, he helps Sarah feed those in need in their community.