Bios

Victor Alvarez, product manager, AGI: Victor joined AGI as a product manager in 2005, and is currently responsible for overseeing the strategic evolution of STK analysis products; defining and managing major releases of STK; product positioning; and business case assessments for new product concepts. Victor has more than 12 years experience in the aerospace industry, coming to AGI after holding several positions at Northrop Grumman including business development; engineering management; and systems and mission engineering. Victor holds an M.B.A in finance and strategy from the University of California at Los Angeles and a B.S. in aerospace engineering and an M.S. in system architecture and engineering, both from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Peter Aves, director-Partners and Alliances, AGI: Peter is responsible for AGI's broad partner community, and executes AGI's strategy for penetrating new market areas. Peter is responsible for AGI's Product Partners, Service Partners, Solution Partners and Integration Partners. As part of AGI's New Markets strategy, AGI technology is being applied to in-flight entertainment, the performance race car industry, and the energy industry. Prior to joining AGI, Peter worked in business development at AmSafe Inc. in Phoenix, AZ, and at QinetiQ Inc. in Washington, D.C., and the UK. He also worked in R&D at Kvaerner Technology in the UK. He holds a B.S. in engineering from the University of Wales and a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of London. He is a Chartered Physicist by London's Institute of Physics, and a Charter Engineer.

Dr. Matthew Berry, astrodynamics engineer, AGI: Matt is the lead software developer for AGI’s orbit maneuver and space mission planning tool, STK/Astrogator. Matt also helps maintain the astrodynamics code used throughout AGI products. Prior to joining AGI in 2004, Matt worked at the Naval Research Laboratory as a graduate co-op student. He holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in aerospace engineering, all from Virginia Tech.

Dr. Vince Coppola, senior astrodynamics specialist, AGI: Vince is responsible for the quality assurance of all astrodynamics and technical code in the STK product line. He was development lead for the STK/Conjunction Analysis Tools, the High Precision Orbit Propagator, and the custom plug-in script capability. Prior to AGI, Vince served as an assistant professor in the University of Michigan's Department of Aerospace Engineering. He received his B.S. in engineering science and mechanics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in theoretical and applied mathematics from Cornell University. He is an ASEE postdoctoral fellow at the Naval Research Laboratory.

Giuseppe Corrao, Telespazio: Giuseppe started his career at RAI, an Italian public television company. In 2000, he earned a degree in aerospace engineering from “La Sapienza” University in Rome, and joined Telespazio in 2001. At Telespazio, he has been involved with LEOP (Launch and Early Orbit Phase) of a geostationary satellite; requirement definition and implementation of airborne conflict detection and resolution algorithms in the framework of “Mediterranean Free Flight” programme; and analysis of EGNOS (the European wide area augmentation system) performance through real demonstrations in Europe. He is currently the head of LSS (Telespazio’s simulation lab) and is in charge of coordinating the different activities that characterize the lab. In March 2008, Giuseppe became STK certified. Since February 2008, he has been involved in a wide range of activities to link all Finmeccanica simulation labs through real-time simulations.

Sylvain Dupont, lead software architect, AGI: Sylvain is the lead software architect at AGI. In this role, he provides guidance to the Development team regarding architecture issues; investigates and monitors new technologies; helps with the migration to new technologies; and tutors junior developers and interns. He joined the company in 1998. Sylvain holds an M.S. in computer science from Institut National des Sciences Appliquees de Toulouse in France. He is the recipient of a 2005 AIAA Greater Philadelphia Section Space Systems Award.

Dr. David Finkleman, senior scientist, CSSI: Dave, a leading authority on military space systems and strategic defense resources, serves as the senior scientist at the Center for Space Standards & Innovation (CSSI). In this capacity, he evaluates and designs orbit estimation and space system simulation techniques while expanding the use of standards in space research. Before coming to CSSI, Finkleman was a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) and served as director of analysis and chief technical officer for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, CO. He led U.S. and Canadian personnel responsible for all analytical and technical matters regarding U.S. military satellite systems; space surveillance; ballistic missile warning and defense; and all North American aerospace sovereignty and control capabilities. Finkleman is also currently affiliated with the Institute for Defense Analyses and SkySentry, LLC.

Dr. Kevin Flood, vice president product management and support, AGI: Kevin is AGI's director of Product Management. In this role, he is responsible for internally communicating the capabilities of AGI software technologies. Kevin is responsible for helping to identify new and emerging requirements and facilitating the solution development. Kevin joined AGI in 2002 as a product manager on the Business Development team. Prior to joining AGI, he was vice president of engineering and program management at ORBIT/FR. In that capacity, he oversaw the development and production of test-and-measurement systems for RF and microwave antennas. Throughout his career, Kevin has also been involved with R&D for advanced satcom terminals and systems engineering for military satellite communication systems. Kevin earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He also has M.S. and B.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Villanova University and Lafayette College, respectively.

Ryan Frederic, president, Applied Defense Solutions: Ryan is the president and co-founder of Applied Defense Solutions, Inc. He is accomplished in the integration and implementation of COTS software solutions and services for the aerospace, defense, and intelligence communities. Before co-founding ADS in 2004, Ryan worked for several years at AGI in product management, business development, and sales, and provided engineering support to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Since founding ADS, he has been involved with providing custom integrated solutions for government agencies and contractors in each of ADS’ practice areas: Network Modeling & Simulation, Command & Control, and Space Systems. Ryan earned his B.S. in aerospace engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He received the Innovation/Entrepreneurship Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in May 2007.

Bob Hall, STK product manager, AGI: Bob is a product manager for the STK software suite at AGI. Bob joined AGI in 1997 as the director of technical services. In 1998, he became the director of video production services, providing technical support and direction to AGI’s video team. In 1999, when AGI formed a satellite anomaly response team, he took on those leadership duties. Bob then headed up AGI's engineering services efforts as director of engineering and flight services. In 2001, as director of flight services, Bob led AGI's efforts on the Mir deorbit, working from the TsUP in Korolev. He was promoted to product manager of STK in 2002. In February, during the aftermath of the STS-107 accident, Bob traveled to Atlanta, GA, where he used STK to aid CNN in its news coverage, and served twice as an on-air analyst. Prior to joining AGI, Bob spent 11 years as a system engineer working for Lockheed Martin and General Electric on the DSCS III satellite program. Bob holds a B.S. in physics from New York University.

Richard S. Hujsak, AGI space surveillance senior engineer: Dick is charged with providing innovative algorithms for AGI in space surveillance. Prior to joining AGI in 2003, Dick s erved in the U.S. Air Force and worked for General Electric M & DS (now Lockheed Martin); Applied Technology Associates, Inc.; Logicon; and Northrop Grumman. He has 37 years of experience in orbit determination and missile tracking algorithms and associated processing. His experience covers design, development, and operational deployment of various algorithms. These algorithms include various multi-sensor multi-target track correlation and assignment algorithms, various tracking platforms including space, air and ground, and various sensor systems including passive and active devices. Dick holds a B.S. and an M.S. in mathematics from the University of New Hampshire.

Dr. T.S. Kelso, senior research astrodynamicist, CSSI: T.S. is a noted authority on satellite orbits. He is currently a senior research astrodynamicist for the Center for Space Standards & Innovation (CSSI), AGI's research organization that promotes public awareness of space information. He is also the webmaster of CelesTrak, a web site dedicated to tracking space objects (including debris) and monitoring them for in-orbit collisions.

A retired Air Force colonel with 31 years of active duty, T.S. served as the first director of the Air Force Space Command Space Analysis Center (ASAC) at Peterson AFB in Colorado; led all Department of Defense analysis centers supporting the Columbia accident investigation; served as part of NASA's Near-Earth Object Science Definition Team; and consulted with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to provide orbital models for the Hubble Space Telescope. During his career, he has held numerous teaching positions in the field of astrodynamics and has earned vast experience in research, analysis, acquisition, development, operations, and consulting. He is also an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

Adam Krause, senior systems engineer, ITT Space Systems Division: Adam is the chief engineer for ITT's Airborne MASINT Mission Planner family of capabilities. A former Naval Flight Officer, Adam graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1997 to fly the Navy's S-3 Viking. Following an operational tour, he served the Joint Chiefs of Staff, working for the Defense Intelligence Agency in airborne reconnaissance programs. Adam left the Navy to work for ITT in 2005 after completing his M.S. in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland.

Travis Langster, business development director – intelligence community, AGI: In this role, Travis helps users within the Department of Defense and intelligence community implement applications of AGI's software technology and provides strategic solutions for critical intelligence systems and operations. He previously served as technical director of intelligence programs and senior systems engineer at AGI. Travis has experience as a contractor supporting various elements of the DoD and intelligence communities including the Air Force Operations Group (AFOG), the National Military Command Center (NMCC), the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Army Intelligence Security Command (INSCOM). Travis is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the Security Affairs Support Association (SASA), the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA), and serves on the Strategic Advisory Board for the United States Geospatial-Intelligence Foundation (USGIF). Travis earned a B.S. in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Purdue University.

Joe Mountain, principal engineer, Gnostech: Joe has been providing engineering support to the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) concept for the US Navy for more than 25 years, where his expertise has focused on GPS R&D and support for IT21, ISNS, PFPS, GCCS-M, TAMPS, and JMPS. He is a widely regarded principal engineer and subject matter expert for the Naval Mission Planning System (NavMPS) community, serving an important role in Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) development. Joe serves as a consultant to both the the Naval Air (NAVAIR) System Command Mission Planning Program Office and Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Joint Programs Office (JPO) in areas of collaborative mission planning, C4I interfaces, shipboard network infrastructures, and network security mechanisms. Joe is part of the system engineering team that is responsible for integrating NavMPS on afloat and ashore platforms as well as forward-deployed locations. Joe is currently focusing his research in the areas of network security, cross-domain solutions, and mission-planning interoperability.

Shashank Narayan, director of software technology integration, AGI: Shashank is the overall project lead for all new product development, architecture, and technology initiatives. Prior to joining AGI, Shashank was a senior software engineer at Honeywell IAC in Fort Washington, PA. During his tenure at Honeywell, Shashank received a patent for "Call mechanism for static and dynamic linked functions within an object oriented controller using heterogeneous tool sets." This patent was the basis for dynamically loading objects in a real-time controller. Shashank has taught XML & Java courses as part of the continuing education curriculum at Penn State, Great Valley, PA, and for local software development companies. Shashank earned a B.S. in computer science and engineering from The Bangalore University, India and an M.S. in computer science and engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Haroon Rashid, senior development engineer, AGI: Haroon develops and supports the STK/Comm module, while working with organizations to ensure that STK software satisfies requirements for interference analysis and resolving issues related to frequency spectrum sharing at international levels. Prior to AGI, Haroon worked for the Saudi Arabian Department of Defense in the Middle East. He was a senior adviser on a project jointly carried out by the U.S. Air Force and the Saudi Arabian Air Force. His key responsibility was in defense communications high-speed network planning. From 1987 until 1996, Haroon served as a supervisor for communication planning and engineering and as senior project manager at Saudi Aramco. Haroon also worked for the University of Arkansas, where he taught electrical engineering and conducted research on an artificial intelligence project for the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Haroon holds his B.S. in electronic and communications engineering from the University of Engineering in Lahore, Pakistan, and he received his Ph.D. in communications engineering from the University of Arkansas.

Dr. Alexey Rudenko, network consultant, Booz Allen Hamilton: Alexey graduated from University of California, Los Angeles, with a Masters and Ph.D. in computer science in 1998 and 2002 respectively. He worked as a research assistant at the University of California in 1995 and 2002. He published a number of papers in journals and conference proceedings on mobile computers battery power saving techniques, Active Networks, QoS, video streams adaptation techniques, and artificial intelligence planning. After his graduation from UCLA, he worked in the communication industry on various DoD projects. Since 2006, he has worked for Booz Allen Hamilton as a network consultant. His current focus is network management, network protocol evaluation, and M&S techniques. His professional interests include mobile network protocols, distributed communication systems, ad hoc networking, and MONET applications.

Frank Stoner, aerospace software engineer, AGI: Frank has a lead role in the design and development of AGI Components and the AGI data model. Prior to joining AGI in 1996, Frank served as a mission analyst and launch team member for geostationary spacecraft at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space. From 1986 to 1991, he worked for General Dynamics Space Systems as a principal investigator and mission analyst specializing in advanced vehicle design assessment. From 1991 until 1993, Frank pursued graduate work at Princeton University in mechanical and aerospace engineering. Frank received his B.S. in aerospace engineering in 1986 from The Pennsylvania State University.

Kevin Ring, senior software engineer, AGI: In this role, Kevin supports the development of the company's software technologies, with specific focus on the architecture and implementation of AGI Components. Kevin joined AGI in 1997 as an intern, and has also served as a software developer. He holds a B.S. in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Todd Smith, business development, new markets, AGI: Todd is the technical product manager for enterprise integration at AGI and is responsible for directing the industry interoperability of AGI's product line. He has a Bachelor of Science in geography/GIS from Penn State University and has 10 years of GIS experience.

Dr. Sergei Tanygin, senior astrodynamics specialist, AGI: Sergei played major roles in the development of STK/Astrogator and Navigation Tool Kit; served as the technical lead for the Vector Geometry Tool and the STK/Attitude module including Attitude Coverage; and is one of the leading developers for STK plugins, terrain, 3-D visualizations, and core mathematical methods for integration, interpolation, and optimization. Prior to joining AGI in 1998, Sergei worked as a research assistant in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Cincinnati. He was invited by the Special Projects Office at NASA Johnson Space Center to support the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) project and worked on the NASA-funded AERcam Sprint Inspection Vehicle project. Sergei is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the American Astronautical Society (AAS), and is a reviewer for the Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics; the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets; and the Journal of the Astronautical Sciences. He has one patent and has presented more than 20 technical papers. Sergei received his B.S. with honors in aerospace control systems from The Institute of Aerospace Technology in Ukraine in 1993. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in dynamics and control from the University of Cincinnati.

David Vallado, senior research astrodynamicist, CSSI: David is a senior research astrodynamicist with the Center for Space Standards & Innovation (CSSI). Previously, he was a principal engineer with Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems in Denver, CO, where he worked to integrate new technologies into ground software control systems. He is also the author of the advanced astrodynamics textbook, Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications (3rd ed. 2007). Vallado has been recognized as the Microcosm author of the year (2007), as an AAS Fellow (2006), in Who’s Who (since 2001), and among the 1998 Outstanding Young Men of America.

Dr. James Woodburn, technical director/chief orbital scientist, AGI: Jim is responsible for providing technical leadership for evolving AGI's software products and technology. Jim started out as a consultant for AGI and joined as a full-time employee in 1994. His areas of expertise include orbit determination, orbit trajectory generation, and visibility computations. Jim is responsible for two patent inventions awarded to AGI. He was also instrumental in the development of the Educational Alliance program at AGI that provides universities with free STK software and training to assist in course development. Prior to joining AGI, Jim spent eight years at Lockheed Martin developing software and working in spacecraft operations. Jim holds a B.S. in aerospace engineering from The Pennsylvania State University. He completed his postgraduate work at The University of Texas at Austin in 1994, earning his M.S. and Ph.D. in celestial mechanics.

James Wright, spacecraft orbit determination specialist and ODTK architect, AGI: Jim joined AGI in November 1998 and spent his first two years at AGI writing a technical specification and C++ code for an optimal orbit determination prototype program now known as ODTK. He brought with him thirty-four years of experience in applied theory and development of spacecraft orbit and attitude dynamics, estimation and control, including the development of two operational orbit determination programs, and one attitude determination program. He also brought with him his version of Herrick's Variation of Parameters in Universal Variables for orbit integration, implemented in C, which is used today in AGI's STK and Orbit Determination Tool Kit (ODTK). Jim is named on two U.S. patent inventions awarded to AGI. He studied astrodynamics under Samuel Herrick at UCLA, where he received an M.S. in engineering.