Speakers & Panel Members Alphabetical Order

Dr. Kristen Alexander has served as the Chief Learning and Artificial Intelligence Officer in Strategic Initiatives, Policy, and Emerging Technologies, Director, Operational Test and Evaluation within the Office of the Secretary of Defense since January 2023. As Chief Learning and Artificial Intelligence Officer she works across the test and evaluation enterprise, academia, and industry to identify and address shortfalls needed to support adequate testing of operational and ethical performance of artificial intelligence-enabled systems. She also develops policy and training curriculum to support the test and evaluation workforce.

From October 2015 – December 2022, Dr. Alexander served as the Technical Advisor for the Deputy Director, Operational Test and Evaluation Land & Expeditionary Warfare. As Technical Advisor, she provided technical and analytical advice for test design, evaluation, and reporting on over 50 Army and Marine Corps programs. She was the lead staff officer for Army network modernization, electronic warfare, mission command, and soldier lethality.

Dr. Alexander has been involved with operational test and evaluation since 1999, when she became a research staff member at the Institute for Defense Analyses. Dr. Alexander has performed and directed analysis of operational tests for Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force systems in support of DOT&E. Dr. Alexander grew up in New York and attended the University of Rochester where she earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. She earned a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Alexander is the recipient of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service and the Department of the Army Commander’s Award for Public Service.

Dr. Bonny Banerjee received MS in Electrical Engineering and PhD in Computer and Information Science, both from the Ohio State University, Columbus. Currently, he is a tenured Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Memphis, with joint appointment in the Institute for Intelligent Systems. Just after graduating with PhD, he spent 3.5 years leading the research at a startup, which resulted in 7 patents, substantial investor funding, and launch of a commercial product for the end-user. The product was covered widely by major news and television channels across U.S. The intellectual property was acquired by
the leading company in the field. Dr. Banerjee has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles in reputed journals and conference proceedings in the areas of artificial intelligence, machine learning, data mining, and cognitive science. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Department of Homeland Security, Army, and the City of Memphis.

Doreen Bingo is a Senior Director and the Chief Engineer for Test & Evaluation Engineering at The Boeing Company. In this role, she partners with other engineering leaders to strengthen engineering and technical excellence by integrating people, practices, processes, and tools in service of the Boeing test engineering community. Previous to this role, she was responsible for Boeing Puget Sound laboratory engineering operations. Boeing’s Puget Sound laboratories spans 400,000 square feet across 60 facilities, and home to multiple test capabilities including wind tunnels, fuels, electro-magetic, environmental, systems integration, and structural test labs.

In addition to her aerospace test experience with Boeing, Doreen also worked as a test engineer in the photonics and medical device industries. Though the pursuit of verification digital threads has been a focus area for her over the last 10 years, she is particularly proud of the role that test and test engineering plays in lifecycle of product development and delivery. Doreen has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Washington State University and an masters in business administration from the University of Washington.

Colonel Michael Christensen is Director of the United States Space Force’s Test and Evaluation Enterprise (USSF/TE) at The Pentagon, Washington DC. TE reports to the Vice Chief of Space Operations and is responsible for developing and implementing Test and Evaluation policy for future & current space programs and associated technology development.

Col. Christensen was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and commissioned in 2001, through Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. He began his career as an Acquisitions Manager developing advanced Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance satellites then sensor pods for the F-16 and U-2.

He deployed to Iraq 2006, with the Defense Contracts Management Agency and with the JTF Paladin in 2011, to Afghanistan as a Forensic Chemist countering IEDs. Lt. Col. Christensen’s acquisition experience has run the entire life cycle, from concept development and demonstration with the ARTIMUS Satellite, to system upgrades such as managing the F-16 TARS sensor suite. Additionally, as the Operations Flight commander and Lead Flight Test Engineer at Edwards AFB, California, he planned and executed the first ballistic missile shoot down with the Airborne Laser program. He spent six years developing cyber warfare technology and then followed with time as an Instructor for the Profession of Arms Center of Excellence where he taught Squadron Commanders skills to motivate their force.

Col. Christensen is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School class 08B, with crew experience in 28 types of rotary and fixed wing aircraft.

Christopher C. Collins is the Executive Director, Developmental Test, Evaluation, and Assessments (ED,DTE&A) within the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Research and Engineering). DTE&A provides support to DoD acquisition programs in the use of innovative and efficient DT&E strategies to ensure production readiness and fielded systems meet Warfighter/User needs; improve the Defense Acquisition T&E workforce “practice of the profession;” and advance T&E policy and guidance. DTE&A also conducts Independent Technical Review Assessments (ITRA) and Milestone Assessments for major acquisition programs.

Mr. Collins was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in April 2020. Prior to his appointment, he was the COMNAVSEASYSCOM Deputy for Test and Evaluation. He has also served within various engineering and test leadership positions in the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program within the Missile Defense Agency, and also completed a one-year experiential assignment with the U.S. Air Force on the Headquarters Staff.

Mr. Collins career began in 1984 with a commission from the U.S. Naval Academy. Mr. Collins completed an combined Active Component and Reserve Component career and retired after 30 years at the rank of Navy Captain. Mr. Collins completed several deployments as a Navy helicopter pilot while on active duty, and supported Navy technology transition initiatives and assessments at the Office of Naval Research while on reserve duty. During his reserve tenure, Mr. Collins held command of two Reserve Component Commands.

Mr. Collins has a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master’s of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. Mr. Collins also graduated with distinction from both the Navy Command and Staff College (distance education) and the Air War College (in-resident). Mr. Collins is a graduate of the 2016 cohort of the Defense Senior Leader Development Program. Mr. Collins is a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps, and has achieved Level III Certification in Program Management, Engineering, and Test and Evaluation.

Andrew Cunningham is the Capability Development lead for the Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) between the UK MOD and QinetiQ for the delivery of Test and Evaluation services. His focus is on the future of Test & Evaluation and how the LTPA can evolve to meet the opportunities future technologies bring. His previous role was as the Executive Director- Innovation within the UK Defence Solutions Centre (UKDSC), where he led a number of cross government initiatives on innovative future technologies. Educated at the University of Hertfordshire, a graduate in Aeronautical Engineering, and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Andrew spent his early career in the electrical industry in Product Design and Development, specialising in smart materials. He has spent the past 20 years in the Defence Industry, principally in the area of military aircraft test and evaluation and has been involved in numerous military aircraft programmes including Typhoon, A400M, C130J, Lynx Wildcat, and Merlin MCSP.

Dr. William Fisher is a Principal Engineer in the MITRE Systems Engineering Innovation Center. He supports OUSD, DTE&A (Developmental Test, Evaluation and Assessments) advancing model- based engineering in support of test and evaluation across the capability lifecycle. Prior to supporting DTE&A, he was a lead systems engineer and system architect on large scale engineering, software development, and research programs. His goal is to make tools and processes usable and intuitive rather than dictate usage. William has been solving hard problems for 20 years in systems engineering, engineering management, mission planning, cyber security, algorithm development, materials science, optics, and more in defense and academia.

Dr. Laura Freeman is a Research Professor of Statistics and serves as the Deputy Director of the Virginia Tech National Security Institute. Her research leverages experimental methods in the domains of cyber-physical systems, data science, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning to address critical challenges in national security. She develops new methods for test and evaluation focusing on emerging system technology. Her work in the National Security Institute focuses on transitioning emerging research into implementable solutions to solve challenges for the Defense, Intelligence and Homeland Security Communities. She is also a hub faculty member in the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative and leads research in AI Assurance. She is the Assistant Dean for Research for the College of Science, working to shape research directions and collaborations in across the College of Science.

Previously, Dr. Freeman was the Assistant Director of the Operational Evaluation Division at the Institute for Defense Analyses. In that position, she established and developed an interdisciplinary analytical team of statisticians, psychologists, and engineers to advance scientific approaches to DoD test and evaluation. During 2018, Dr. Freeman served as that acting Senior Technical Advisor for Director Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E). As the Senior Technical Advisor, Dr. Freeman provided leadership, advice, and counsel to all personnel on technical aspects of testing military systems. She reviewed test strategies, plans, and reports from all systems on DOT&E oversight.

Dr. Freeman has a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, a M.S. in Statistics and a Ph.D. in Statistics, all from Virginia Tech. Her areas of statistical expertise include designed experiments, reliability analysis, and industrial statistics. Her Ph.D. research was on design and analysis of experiments for reliability data.

Dr. Mark L. Gillenson is a University Research Professor in the Department of Management Information Systems in the Fogelman College of Business and Economics of the University of Memphis. He is also the Director of the Systems Testing Excellence Program (STEP) of the university’s FedEx Institute of Technology. He received his B.S. degree in Mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer and Information Science from The Ohio State University’s College of Engineering. As a graduate student, Dr. Gillenson invented the world’s first computerized facial compositor and co-developed an early computer graphics system that, among other things, was used to produce some of the special effects in the first Star Wars movie.

Dr. Gillenson worked for the IBM Corp. for 15 years in a variety of positions, including seven years as a faculty member of the prestigious IBM Systems Research Institute where he wrote his first two books and conducted the world’s first large-scale survey of data and database administration. He then joined the University of Miami faculty, followed by the University of Memphis.

Dr. Gillenson is a Senior and Life Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). In 2019 and 2020 he was awarded the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Undersecretary’s Award for Science and Engineering. His current areas of interest are systems testing and advances in database management. He is a Senior Editor of ACM’s The Data Base for Advances in Information Systems and is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Database Management. Dr. Gillenson’s research has appeared in MIS Quarterly, Communications of the ACM, Information & Management, Methods of Information in Medicine, and other leading journals. His latest book is Fundamentals of Database Management Systems, 3rd edition, John Wiley & Sons, 2023.

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Brian Gillett, BSc, CEng MIET, UK Mod Principal Advisor for Test and Evaluation, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. Following the completion of an engineering apprenticeship in the automotive industry, Brian obtained qualifications in mechanical engineering design from the Royal Aeronautical Society, followed by a Degree in System Engineering from Nottingham University. Brian is a Chartered Engineer in the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Brian has worked at a number of organizations including; UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), Vickers PLC, Brown & Root, Smiths Industries, Dowty Defence System and ABP Limited.
In 2007, Brian joined the Defence Science & Technology Laboratories (Dstl), part of UK MOD, at Porton Down. Over the last few years, Brian’s focus has been on how trials, test and evaluation within Dstl and MOD can be performed in a more efficient and affect manner. He has developed and lead research into how T&E can be best be undertaken within technically challenging areas, such as: M&S, Autonomy, Cyber and machine learning. His has also be key in the development of T&E management tools and process across UK MOD

Lindsay Grissom, Senior Solutions Architect, PeopleTec, is a Senior Solutions Architect and supports cyber, intelligence, and digital transformation efforts for the Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) Test & Evaluation Threat Resource Activity (TETRA) and Redstone Test Center’s (RTC) Approach to Persistent Integrated Developmental (RAPID) Testing contracts. Since 2015, Mrs Grissom has served as a DoD civilian or industry professional for multiple organizations, including the National Security Agency (NSA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Missile & Space Intelligence Agency (MSIC), Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E), Threat Systems Management Office (TSMO), TETRA and RTC. She has supported industry, the DoD, and the Intelligence community as a leader and technical expert in cyber threat analysis, cyber T&E, software engineering, offensive cyber, and cloud transformation. Lindsay holds certifications in Security+, Pentest+, CISSP, and Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH). She has a BS degree in Management Information Systems from The University of Alabama and an MS degree in Cybersecurity from The Georgia Institute of Technology.

Dr. Karen Haigh – Consultant – CogEW Author and SME to Test Resource Management Center
Dr. Karen Haigh is an expert and consultant in CogEW and embedded Artificial Intelligence (AI). Her focus is on physical systems with limited communications and limited computation resources that must perform under fast hard-real-time requirements. She recently wrote the book “Cognitive Electronic Warfare: An Artificial Intelligence Approach” with Julia Andrusenko. She is a Fellow of the IEEE for contributions to closed-loop control of embedded systems, and a Fellow of AAIA for outstanding achievements in the area of smart homes. Karen has a PhD in Computer Science (AI and Robotics) from Carnegie Mellon University.

Dr. John Haines Test & Evaluation Transformation – US Engagement
John is an information security engineer, graduating with a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. After graduation he joined the UK MOD Royal Signals and Radar Establishment (now Dstl). Having worked on aspects of secure microprocessor design and robust networking protocols he moved into penetration testing and security analysis of Operating Systems and Web technologies. Following a period as technical leader of secure high- performance computing facility he now combines these skills to provide cyber security advice to MOD across a broad range of areas including networking technologies; IP cryptographic devices; and secure information systems. John is a Chartered Fellow of the British Computing Society.

Based in the US, John is currently supporting the Test and Evaluation Transformation Programme to identify challenges and opportunities and facilitate closer collaboration to mutually enhance US/UK Test and Evaluation activities.

Dr. Amy Henninger serves as Senior Advisor for Advanced Computing (AC) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) S&T Technology Centers, providing strategic vision and leadership to programs and policy makers in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Modeling and Simulation (M&S), and Quantum Information Science.

Prior to joining DHS, Dr. Henninger’s work traversed the private/public defense sector space. In the public sector, she has served in several special term appointment technology leadership positions in the DoD and IC that, cumulatively, span the RDT&E space.

Interagency personnel appointment to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, leading digital engineering and standards portfolio for systems engineering. Highly Qualified Expert (HQE) Army M&S Executive, providing vision, leadership, and oversight for a $10B M&S portfolio; and advising the Army’s Senior Analyst on studies supporting operational requirements analyses. Defense Intelligence Senior Leader Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Senior Advisor, leading the development of the Agency’s Digital Transformation Strategy.
HQE Senior Advisor for Software and Cybersecurity, serving as the Pentagon’s final technical authority in the assessment of software and cybersecurity T&E on major DoD programs for the Director, Operational T&E. She has over 200 hours training with NSA Cyber Red Teams.

In the private sector, she served at a federally funded research and development center, leading a variety of strategic technology initiatives including the development of a software assurance primer promulgated by CISA and NSA as recommended reading. Dr. Henninger’s other private sector experience includes founding a P&L center of Soar Technology, Inc., a tech startup focused on third-wave context-informed AI solutions that grew out of the AI Laboratory at the University of Michigan. Over her tenure, Dr. Henninger led research teams sponsored by DARPA and other Defense agencies, growing the office by 400%. Her private sector experience also includes co-leading the development of a distributed virtual training system used to train over 1.5M soldiers.

Dr. Henninger earned a PhD in Computer Engineering with emphasis and dissertation work in AI. She has taught undergraduate classes in computer science and graduate classes in AI, authored over 80 publications, and received multiple awards for her work.

Dr. John P. Hogan is Chief Engineer, Multimode Sensing and Effects at MORSE Corp. John has 32 years of experience in US Government sponsored R&D for the DoD and Intelligence Community. MORSE Corp leads T&E efforts for multiple DoD programs at CDAO, NGA, and Yuma Proving Grounds. Prior to his position at MORSE Corp, John led the Sensor Processing and Exploitation Product Line at BAE Systems Fast Labs where his portfolio included Signal and Communications Processing with Cog RF and EW; Video, Image, and Spectral Exploitation with hybrid traditional and Machine Learning-based Automatic Target Recognition; Maritime system with acoustic projectors and ocean modeling; and AI/ML with Multi-INT patterns of life and predictive analytics. Key Cognitive RF and EW programs in John’s portfolio were DARPA’s Communications Under Extreme RF Spectrum Conditions (CommEx), Adaptive Radar Countermeasures (ARC), and Radio Frequency Machine Learning Systems (RFMLS). John holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Tufts University.

Amy Markowich is currently the Director for the Digital Analytics Infrastructure and Technology Advancement (DAiTA) and Mission Systems Groups, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) at the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). As Director, she leads a multi-site, high demand engineering, software development and network team of over 5,000 civilian and contractor personnel and directs delivery of over $500M of engineering products and services to support prototyping, experimentation and testing of naval aviation systems. Ms. Markowich oversees $1.3B of National Asset laboratories enabling innovation in avionics systems, digital transformation and integrated warfighting capabilities. She also serves as the Department of Navy (DON) Naval High Performance Computing (HPC) Principal.

Ms. Markowich was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in June 2009 as the Deputy, DON Test & Evaluation (T&E) Executive. In this role, she was responsible for integration of T&E across the Navy, enhancing the workforce and infrastructure, and ensuring programs plan and complete adequate testing to demonstrate suitable and effective operations in the joint battlespace. She served as the DON Modeling & Simulation (M&S) Executive from June 2010 – October 2020 and was responsible for enabling the use of M&S to support research and design across the Navy.

In her various roles over 33 years Ms. Markowich has served in an array of engineering and leadership positions in T&E and Acquisition. She has been instrumental in conceiving and developing advanced RDT&E Simulation capabilities and in development of the Air Combat Environment Test and Evaluation Facility (ACETEF), a NAVAIR National T&E asset, as well as the Joint Simulation Environment, a ground-breaking new capability supporting integration of 5th Generation warfighting systems. Ms. Markowich’s background and specialty is in electronic warfare testing, threat simulator development, and battlespace simulation. She has extensive experience developing multi-spectral stimulation and threat emulation systems. Ms. Markowich has supported defining M&S and test configurations for F-35, MV-22, MH-60R, EA-6B ICAPIII, F-18E/F, EA-18G, P-8, and TRITON and her unique focus in M&S, ground test and VV&A benefited all these programs. Navy and OSD investment experience involves development, management, and prioritization of MRTFB, CTEIP, REP, I&M, MILCON and other investments for the Department. She has been the Navy Technical Subject Matter Expert (TSME) for and is currently the Navy Test Resource Advisory Group (TRAG) Lead to prioritize and review proposed DoD T&E investment projects through the Reliance process.

Ms. Markowich is a graduate of the University of South Florida with a BS in Electrical Engineering and BA in Mathematics. She is also a graduate of the NAVAIR Senior Executive Management Development Program. Amy’s experience across UAS, T&E, M&S, Ground Test, Ranges and her Joint Service/Multi- national contacts provide a unique perspective to support future OSD and Navy initiatives.

Colonel Tony Meeks is the Commander and Director for the Munitions Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Leading the Munitions Directorate, he provides strategic and technical guidance to a staff of more than 800 military, civilian and contractors developing munitions and weapon effects delivery technologies. The Munitions Directorate leads the discovery, development and integration of affordable warfighting effects and weapon technologies for the Department of the Air Force. The activities of the Munitions Directorate include research on seekers, navigation and control, image processing, munitions integration, warheads, fuzing, explosives and technology assessment methodology. As a Space Force member, Col. Meeks will help implement the AFRL Commander’s vision of “One Lab, Two Services,” where the Air Force Research Lab supports both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Space Force.

Colonel Meeks began his Air Force career as a graduate of Air Force ROTC at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla. His first assignment was Los Angeles AFB where his job was integrating space capabilities into operational combat plans and exercises. His second assignment was in Air Force Special Operations Command, continuing space integration, battle management, and
command and control. After a stint teaching at Squadron Officer School, Col. Meeks transferred to the National Reconnaissance Office, working Special Programs and Legislative Affairs. Following a return to Maxwell AFB for Air Command and Staff College with a Political Affairs concentration, he worked counter-proliferation issues at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Col. Meeks worked a special program for the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence before being selected as a Materiel Leader at Los Angeles, conducting launch and sustainment for the Wideband Global SATCOM program. Selected for Senior Developmental Education, Col. Meeks returned to Maxwell where he was selected for the Air Force Chief of Staff’s Blue Horizons program. Following graduation, Col. Meeks was picked to run the Air Force Center for Strategy and Technology at Air University. As part of the Defense Innovation Initiative, Col. Meeks combined the Center for Strategy and Technology with the Air Force Wargaming Institute into a new organization called Innovation Works at Air University. Col. Meeks was selected as a Senior Materiel Leader and served as the Deputy Director for the Space and Missile Systems Center’s Remote Sensing Directorate. In 2018, Col. Meeks became the first-ever System Architect for SMC, responsible for systems of systems architecting for the entire space domain. In July 2019, Col. Meeks moved to Redstone Arsenal, Ala. as the Deputy Director for Acquisition for the Missile Defense Agency. Col. Meeks assumed command of AFRL’s Munitions Directorate in July 2021.

Terry Murphy, Deputy Director Office of Test and Evaluation.  For over 40 years, Mr. Murphy has positively impacted our nation’s security. Mr. Murphy serves as Deputy Director, Office of Test and Evaluation, Department of Homeland Security. 

Mr. Murphy joined DHS July 2015 Office of Test & Evaluation, provides key support to the Director in engagement with DHS major acquisition programs, T&E Workforce Development, development and staffing of T&E policy & guidance, Chairing the DHS T&E WIPT, interactions with GAO & Congressional Staffers, and overseeing resources in support of the Office of T&E.

Mr. Murphy previously served as Senior Analyst within the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Developmental Test and Evaluation from 2011 to July 2015. During this time Mr. Murphy led the update of DoD T&E policy; and development of the T&E Management Guide, Cybersecurity T&E Guide, and Incorporating T&E into Acquisitions Guide.

From 2007 to 2010 Mr. Murphy served as T&E Manager for Combat Support Equipment, Marine Corps Systems Command. Mr. Murphy supported system portfolios including Medical systems, First Responder systems, and Expeditionary Shelters in support of real- world operations.

From 2002 to 2007 Mr. Murphy served as T&E Lead in support of Joint Project Manager – Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear, Individual Protection (IP) programs. Which included full ensemble chemical protective systems for the warfighter. These programs provide the chemical and biological individual protection equipment used by our military and first responders.

Mr. Murphy served 26 years in the U.S. Marine Corp as Commander, Operations Officer, Staff Officer, Liaison Officer within such units as; Infantry, Reconnaissance, Special Operations, Artillery, & Aviation. He earned a BS in Science from Chapman University in 2001, MA in Management (2002) and a MS in Engineering (2010), both from National University. Mr. Murphy holds DHS & DoD Level III certifications in Test and Evaluation and Program Management. Mr. Murphy has attained the certification in CTEP and PMP.

Dr. Raymond O’Toole was appointed Principal Deputy Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) on February 16, 2020. In this capacity, he is the principal staff assistant to the Director for all functional areas assigned to the office. He participates in the formulation, advocacy, and oversight of Department of Defense test and evaluation policies, as well as the development and implementation of test and test resource programs. He supports the Director in the planning, conduct, evaluation, and reporting of operational and live fire testing, and serves as the Comptroller for the Operational Test and Evaluation, Defense appropriation, and the principal advisor to the Director on all Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Executing matters. Dr. O’Toole served as Acting Director from January 20, 2021, until December 19, 2021.

Prior to becoming Principal Deputy Director, Dr. O’Toole was DOT&E’s Deputy Director for Naval Warfare. In this capacity, he oversaw the operational and live fire testing of ships and submarines and their associated sensors, combat and communications systems, and weapons. He also was responsible for overseeing the adequacy of test infrastructure and resources to support operational and live fire testing for all acquisition programs across the Department.

Before joining DOT&E, Dr. O’Toole was the Deputy Group Director of Aircraft Carrier Design and Systems Engineering at Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). Prior to that, he was the Director of Systems Engineering Division (Submarines and Undersea Systems), where he led a diverse team of engineers who supported all submarine program managers. His other NAVSEA assignments included ship design manager and Navy technical authority for USS Virginia Class submarines during the design and new construction phases, as well as for amphibious ships, auxiliary ships, and command and control ships during in-service operations.

Dr. O’Toole’s other previous positions within the Department of Defense include Deputy Program Executive Officer (Maritime and Rotary Wing) at U.S. Special Operations Acquisition Command, staff to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development & Acquisition (Ship Programs), and Deputy Director of Regional Maintenance for COMPACFLT (N43).

Dr. O’Toole has more than 30 years of experience as a naval officer (active and reserve), retiring at the rank of captain. His significant tours included five as commanding officer.

Dr. O’Toole is a native of Long Island, New York, and a graduate of the State University of New York – Maritime College, where he earned a Bachelor of Engineering in marine engineering. Healso holds a Master of Engineering in systems engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, a Master of Science in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and a Doctorate in Engineering in the field of engineering management from The George Washington University, where he now lectures on Engineering Management and Systems Engineering. He has received the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award and the Department of the Navy Meritorious and Superior Civilian awards.Ms. Jean Petty
Cyber Resilience Test & Evaluation Coordinator

Jean Petty is the Cyber Resilience Test & Evaluation Coordinator within the Test and Evaluation Division of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology. Ms. Petty provides program support and oversight in the area of Cyber Resilience to major DHS acquisition programs and develops policy and guidance related to cyber resilience. Prior to joining the Federal Government, Ms. Petty was a Senior Principal Cybersecurity Engineer in the MITRE Corporation Defense Systems Engineering department, located in McLean, VA.
Ms. Petty has over 35 years of experience as a technical manager and technical contributor in the areas of cyber resilience, digital engineering, systems engineering, cybersecurity and threat assessment, and test and evaluation (T&E). She has supported major system acquisition programs for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the DHS

Dr. Robin Poston, Associate Provost and Dean of the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, Southern Methodist University, Professor of Information Technology and Operations Research, Cox School of Business, and
Research Fellow with the Systems Testing Excellence Program

Dr. Poston is a Research Fellow with the System Testing Excellence Program for the FedEx Institute of Technology, and she is a Professor and Dean of the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, at SMU. SMU is home to over 5,000 graduate students studying in over 120 graduate programs. Dr. Poston is a recipient of the Memphis Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Award and she led the International Research Workshop on Advances and Innovations in Software Testing. Dr. Poston’s current research focuses on understanding the alignment within the IT unit among developers and testers, client managers’ responsibilities and governance especially in mitigating vendor silence and managing vendors in outsourcing of software testing projects, and testing and evaluation in support of agile development. Dr. Poston has over 20 years of experience in the information systems field working for KPMG Consulting, Educational Computer Corporation, Meta Group Research, and Convergys, as well as consulting with several Fortune 500 companies and government agencies.

Today, she works with organizations, such as the Department of Homeland Security, Defense Information Systems Agency of the Department of Defense, FedEx Corporation, First Tennessee Bank, St. Jude/ALSAC, and others to conduct projects and educational programs. Dr. Poston received her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from The University of Pennsylvania (1987), master’s degree in Accounting from The University of Central Florida (1992), and Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from Michigan State University (2003).11/19/23, 8:31 PM

Brig. Gen. Michael T. Rawls is the Commander, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Brig. Gen. Rawls reports directly to the Air Force Chief of Staff regarding the test and evaluation of more than 98 major acquisition programs valued at more than $1 trillion, which are being assessed at 17 different locations, and he directs the activities of more than 750 military, civilian and contractor personnel. As a key leader of the test and evaluation community, Brig. Gen. Rawls coordinates directly with the offices of the Secretary of Defense and Department of the Air Force while executing realistic, objective and impartial operational testing and evaluation of Air Force, Space Force, coalition, and joint warfighting capabilities.

Brig. Gen. Rawls entered the Air Force in 1992 as a distinguished graduate of the University of Kentucky, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He holds master’s degrees from The George Washington University, Air University, U.S. Army War College and is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. Brig.
Gen. Rawls has served in staff positions as the Junior Military Aide to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Chief Air Planner, United States Military Delegation to the NATO Military Committee, Brussels, Belgium and Senior Service Lead for F-35 development, Arlington, Virginia. He has been a Squadron Commander, Vice Wing Commander, 435th Air Expeditionary Wing and 435th Air Ground Operations Wing Commander and is a four-time member of the U.S. Military Pentathlon Team. As an operational pilot, Brig Gen Rawls flew the A-10A/C and F-15C with combat mission in Iraq and is currently flying F-35A as a 5th gen aggressor pilot. As a Test Pilot, he had assignments in the A-10C, F-15C, F-16 and numerous classified platforms conducting advanced weapons development. Prior to his current assignment, Brig. Gen. Rawls served as the Commandant, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Brig. Gen. Rawls is a command pilot and has accumulated more than 2,100 hours in 30 different aircraft.

George Rumford is the Director of the Department of Defense (DoD) Test Resource Management Center (TRMC), a field activity that reports directly to the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering within the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

The TRMC mission is the readiness of DoD test and evaluation (T&E) capabilities, infrastructure, and workforce to support DoD modernization. The TRMC provides governance over DoD test resources (open-air test ranges, ground test facilities, hardware-in-the-loop laboratories, measurement facilities, software testbeds, and modeling and simulation used for testing), including the Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB). In this capacity, the Director is statutorily required to review and certify the T&E resource budgets for each Service and Defense Agency for adequacy for their mission. In addition, as the Executive Agent for Cyber Test Ranges, Mr. Rumford is responsible for the Department’s cyber test capabilities, including the National Cyber Range Complex.

The TRMC forecasts future T&E needs, defining strategic investment portfolios to test hypersonics, directed energy, autonomy and artificial intelligence, electronic warfare, cyber, nuclear effects, space systems, and multi-domain operations. Addressing the highest priority test gaps, the TRMC invests in the development of new and upgraded test resources, executed in partnership with the Services and Defense Agencies, to improve Joint and multi-Service DoD test capabilities that support acquiring advanced warfighting capabilities.

Previously, Mr. Rumford was responsible for Major Initiatives and Technical Analyses in the TRMC, serving as the Program Manager for the Test and Evaluation / Science and Technology (T&E/S&T) Program. Sponsoring advanced technology research and development in industry, academia, and government laboratories, the T&E/S&T Program develops test technologies to upgrade the capabilities at test and training ranges, with a specific focus on supporting modernization priorities aligned with national strategic guidance.

Prior to joining the TRMC, Mr. Rumford worked at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and for the Army at White Sands Missile Range, supporting the testing of missile defense systems, space systems, and several multi-range, multi-Service exercises.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. Rumford has received degrees with honors in Electrical Engineering and in Computer Engineering from the University of Missouri

Erwin Sabile was raised in Virginia Beach, VA. He graduated with a B.S in Civil Engineering from Old Dominion University and a Master of Arts in Defense and Strategic Studies with the Navy War College. He holds a Graduate Certificate in Public Health Preparedness: Disaster and Bioterrorism with the Pennsylvania State University.

Mr. Sabile is a T&E Chief Engineer with Booz Allen Hamilton with over 17 years of Acquisition, DT&E, IT&E, OT&E, and FOT&E experience. Experience includes a unique blend of OT&E experience as a Test Director at OPTEVFOR and non-traditional T&E experience supporting various PMO’s such as PEO IWS, PEO C4I, PEO USC, 5G, and various Joint Chem Bio Program Offices. Mr. Sabile also supported DHS in support of various Cyber Tabletops Exercises.

As a Navy Reservist, he serves as Navy Reserve 7th Fleet’s Assessment Warfare Director and recently served as the OIC in support of MAKO SENTRY 2024 Exercise, one of the Chief of Navy Reserve directed exercise. He supported the 2020 Operation Al Qaeda in East Africa operation, where he served as Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa Assessment Lead and Key Leader Engagement Branch Chief. Mr. Sabile also served as the Executive Officer for CNRMA and the OIC during BOLD ALLIGATOR Exercises and AADC in support of various battle groups Fleet Synthetic Training (i.e., BATAAN/KEARSARGE ARG / 26 MEU and HARRY S TRUMAN). He supported the Ballistic Missile Defense Exercise (BMDEX) at DTC LANT C2 Cell in support of USS BARRY BMDEX Certification and USS STOUT Integration Training Event.

He is currently the ITEA Hampton Roads ITEA Chapter President, Treasurer for the ITEA Board of Directors, and was the Program Chair for the 2023 Cybersecurity Workshop and 2022 ITEA National Symposium.

He is an avid hiker who’s hiked Kilimanjaro and Machu Pichu and a frequent Shenandoah National Park hiker. Mr. Sabile is a member of the International Coaching Federation and coaches young T&E professionals and Veterans transitioning out of the military.

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James Sabino is a Senior Principle Systems Engineer with over 22 years of experience at Raytheon Technologies. He’s worked on integration and test throughout his career, supporting flight test, ground test, regression, integration, and verification efforts across several different radar programs. He has specialized in data analysis, tool definition, automation, and process improvement. In addition to program work, James has contributed to Digital Transformation efforts at Raytheon serving as a product owner, scrum master, and individual contributor across multiple initiatives. This included using Model Based Systems Engineering tools and principles for the benefit of integration and test as well as working to define and deploy a test automation framework. He has collaborated with the government and industry at a 2023 Navy IDSK Hack-a-thon, and is interested in utilizing digital engineering to improve test and analysis activities across the lifecycle of a program.

Mr. Kenneth Senechal is the senior civilian responsible for implementing Capabilities Based Test & Evaluation across the US Naval enterprise along with leading the charge in digital transformation. He has over 25 years of experience in test & evaluation (T&E), program management, and system engineering. Mr. Senechal is a Naval Air Systems Command Associate Fellow, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Class 123, and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Dr. Tim Scully, T&E Fellow, is a Senior Lead Engineer and the Booz Allen Hamilton, Fellow for Test and Evaluation. Presently he leads Test and Evaluation activities in multiple domains (Air, Land, Sea, Space, and Cyberspace) most recently focusing on test strategies for Digital Twins and AI/ML systems. Additionally, he oversees the Test and Evaluation Enterprise within Booz Allen and is the lead instructor / curriculum manager for Booz Allen’s Test and Evaluation Bootcamp. Before joining Booz Allen, Tim enjoyed a 30 year Air Force career centered on engineering and education culminating with multiple tours in the Aeronautical Engineering Department at the USAF Academy. Tim remains active in graduate and undergraduate education serving as an adjunct professor at the USAF Test Pilot School and previously teaching in the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Colorado (Colorado Springs).

Gregory Simmons holds the position of Program Manager for Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) and Workforce Development at the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, Office of University Programs. In this role, he manages MSI research and internship programs for faculty and students. Before this, he was the Deputy Director for the DHS Office of Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), focusing on the evaluation of DHS Maritime Acquisitions. Before joining the federal service, Gregory had a distinguished tenure as a naval officer, where he contributed to weapon systems development and their test and evaluation. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, he completed his Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Political Science from the US Naval Academy. He furthered his education with a Master of Arts in Organizational Management from The George Washington University and obtained an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2022.

Dr. Christopher D. Smith, Director, Transportation Security Laboratory, received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Rutgers University in 1990. In his 14 year career with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Dr. Smith performed and managed a range of research and development projects related to the airworthiness of fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft. His first assignments with the FAA were in the area of fatigue and fracture analysis, after which he was appointed manager of the FAA’s Inspection Systems Research Project. Following the 1997 report of the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security, Dr. Smith was appointed manager of the newly formed Aging Systems Research Program. In 1999 the Aging Structures and Aging Systems Research Programs were combined into a single Aging Aircraft Program under Dr. Smith’s direction. Dr. Smith managed the FAA’s Airworthiness Assurance Research Branch from 2002 through February 2005. In July 2005, Dr. Smith joined the Transportation Security Laboratory (TSL) as the Conveyance Protection Product Lead, where he oversaw research, development, test and evaluation projects on passenger aircraft vulnerability to explosives and mitigation approaches. Dr. Smith became the TSL’s Chief Engineer in 2010, responsible for all developmental test and evaluation at the TSL and satellite supporting locations. In 2014, Dr. Smith served as the acting Division Director of the HSARPA Explosives Division, where he facilitated relationship building with S&T customers and supported several of the Undersecretary’s cross-cutting initiatives. Upon his return to the TSL in 2016, Dr. Smith resumed his role as Chief Engineer along with oversight on Laboratory Operations, including management of the TSL’s explosives inventory, quality control procedures, safety procedures, and the technical knowledgebase. Dr. Smith became the Director of the TSL in November 2016. Dr. Smith is a 2004 graduate of the Federal Executive Institute’s Leadership for a Democratic Society Program, and a 2010 graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Senior Executive Fellows Program. Dr. Smith is a DHS Acquisition Professional with a Level III Certificate in Test and Evaluation Management.

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Jeff Tolleson, Director, PeopleTec is responsible for a portfolio consisting of digital transformation, intelligence analysis, and test modernization in support of a variety of clients to include: Redstone Test Center (U.S. Army Test & Evaluation Command), Defense Intelligence Agency/Missile & Space Intelligence Center, DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center, U.S. Northern Command, and Test Resource Management Center (TRMC). Mr. Tolleson also serves in many corporate and business development strategic roles. Mr. Tolleson has served in key leadership roles at PeopleTec since 2019.

Prior to PeopleTec, he served in numerous positions in both industry and civil service at the Missile Defense Agency, US Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Army Program Executive Offices, and the Intelligence Community. Mr. Tolleson is a US Army Veteran who served in two deployments to Iraq during the heart of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Jeff holds a BS degree in Business Management from Troy University and a MBA from Liberty University.

James S. Wells is a member of the Senior Executive Service and assumed duties as the Director of Test and Evaluation for the Department of Homeland Security in July 2021 after serving as the Acting Director since mid-2020. In this role, he is the principal advisor on T&E to the Office of the Secretary, Component Heads, and the Chief Acquisition Officer and acts as the primary liaison with outside parties regarding T&E. His office is responsible for establishing T&E policies, providing independent T&E oversight of major DHS acquisition programs, training the DHS T&E workforce, and advancing the T&E state-of-the-art within DHS.

In July 2014, Mr. Wells joined the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Test and Evaluation as the first Deputy Director for Cyberspace and Homeland Security Enterprise Programs. In addition to managing the T&E oversight of a wide range of major acquisition programs across DHS, he led the development and coordination of the Department’s first policies on cyber resilience operational T&E and threat assessment in support of T&E.

Mr. Wells served as the Deputy Director for Cyber and Information Systems for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Developmental Test and Evaluation from September 2011 to June 2014. While there he managed a team responsible for the developmental test and evaluation of major Defense acquisition programs including communications systems, radars, command and control systems, intelligence systems, and business systems.

Mr. Wells served in the Army Test and Evaluation Command from 2003 to 2011, initially as an Army Officer and then as a civil servant. He was an evaluator and team leader for a variety of small unit battle command systems and spent time as the Assistant Technical Director for ATEC. He completed his time there as a Division Chief managing a team responsible for the evaluation of battle command, combat identification, and networked training systems.

Mr. Wells left the US Army in 2005 after ten years of service. While in uniform, he served in a variety of assignments in armor and cavalry units including deployments to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1996 as a Scout Platoon Leader and to Iraq in 2003 as a Tank Company Commander. He was commissioned as an Armor officer in 1994.

Mr. Wells has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Military Academy and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School at the National Defense University. He is a graduate of the Leadership for a Democratic Society at the Federal Executive Institute and holds various government certifications in Test & Evaluation, Systems Engineering, and Program Management. He is an active member of the International Test and Evaluation Association serving as the DHS Advisor to the Board of Directors from 2015 to 2021.

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As a principal within Booz Allen’s systems engineering capability, Chris Weisser provides portfolio management, technical planning, execution, and operational support for diverse systems and platforms. His team applies standards and specifications for the application of systems across ground, maritime, air, and command, control, computers, communications, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms. They also lead the design, integration, procurement, and planning of infrastructure and installation projects.

Chris has more than 26 years of professional engineering and management experience in mission and missile systems gleaned from multiple lead engineering roles overseeing teams for missile systems and various air and ground vehicle platform subsystems. His experience includes open-system architecture development, operational analysis, tactical sensor systems, crew station interfaces, flight control systems, mission equipment systems, and real-time embedded software, among others.

Prior to joining Booz Allen, Chris was with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control for over 20 years. He started as a software engineer and developed his skills through various technical and leadership roles. This included oversight of such projects as the AH-64D Apache Pilotage and Targeting Sensor Modernization and the development of pilotage and targeting sensor systems for the Future Vertical Lift program. Chris also led the architecture and development of vehicle defense systems for ground vehicle platforms.

Chris is a member of the OpenGroup Future Airborne Capability Environment and Sensor Open System Architecture Technical Working Groups.

He earned a B.S. in aerospace engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and an M.Eng. in computer and software engineering from Widener University.

Dr. Jeremy Werner, (PhD, ST) was appointed DOT&E’s Chief Scientist in December 2021 after starting at DOT&E as an Action Officer for Naval Warfare in August 2021. Before then, Jeremy was at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL), where he founded a data science-oriented military operations research team that transformed the analytics of an ongoing military mission. Jeremy previously served as a Research Staff Member at the Institute for Defense Analyses where he supported DOT&E in the rigorous assessment of a variety of systems/platforms. Jeremy earned a PhD in physics from Princeton University where he was an integral contributor to the Compact Muon Solenoid collaboration in the experimental discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva, Switzerland. Jeremy is a native Californian and received a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of California, Los Angeles where he was the recipient of the E. Lee Kinsey Prize (most outstanding graduating senior in physics).

Dr. William “Dollar” Young, Jr is a retired Colonel. He commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels. His last assignment was establishing and commanding the Air Force’s newest operational wing, the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Dr. Young is the creator of System-Theoretic Process Analysis for Security (STPA-Sec) and Functional Mission Analysis for Cyber (FMA-C). STPA-Sec is the security analysis framework used to help secure many of the nation’s most complex systems including the Sentinel, the USAF’s new Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. Dr. Young is a former Military Fellow and consultant for MIT Lincoln Laboratory where he worked on new Security Engineering Analysis methods for the lab’s Cyber System Assessments Group. Prior to assuming group command, Dr. Young led the establishment and served as the initial Director of the Air Force’s Cyber College at Maxwell AFB. Dr. Young is an Associate Research Professor at Syracuse University in their Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Dept. In this role, he is currently developing a new methodology for securing Internet of Things devices under a Cooperative Research Agreement with the National Security Agency. Dr. Young is a Distinguished Graduate of the US Air Force Weapons School and is a 2006 graduate of the USAF School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS). He is an Instructor Electronic Warfare Officer with more than 2,500 flying hours. Dr. Young has served on studies for Defense Department organizations including the Office of Net Assessment, Defense Science Board, and the Secretary of Defense’s Summer Study. He was recently appointed to a 3-yr term on DARPA’s Information Science and Technology (ISAT) Study Group. Dr Young has consulted for global commercial technology companies on the application of his STPA-Sec methodology. He is also currently supporting several CognitiveEW related Systems Engineering efforts. Dr. Young earned his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2016 in Systems Engineering with an emphasis in Secure Systems Engineering. He has four Master’s Degrees and was one of the initial graduates of the Air Force’s Grand Strategy Program. He possesses a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science with an emphasis in Electrical and Aeronautical Engineering.

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