Responsible for accomplishing program objectives for development, production, and sustainment to meet the Air Force's operational needs. Accountable for credible cost, schedule, and performance reporting to Senior Leadership.

I am one of the friendly faces that greet people and help with introductions at ACG events in Denver. In addition, I ensure everyone gets introduced to everyone at the table, and help keep the discussion going.The Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) is the global community for middle market M&A dealmakers and business leaders focused on driving growth. ACG members have access to data, content and networking opportunities to find the opportunities; capital and knowledge they need to drive and sustain corporate growth. Founded in 1954, ACG has grown to more than 12,000 members organized in 54 chapters throughout North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.acg.org/denver

I have given an Introduction to LinkedIn presentation to job seekers as helping those looking for a job is the right thing to do. I have been using LinkedIn for awhile, have a big network and some people consider me a LinkedIn Expert. When people ask for help, I am willing to help them.I do a quick Introduction to LinkedIn training. I work on the basics, and do not get into profile development as Mike O’Neil and Lori Ruff of IA Social Media are better at that. I also use refer people to Terry Bean’s networking videos on http://vimeo.com/ to help them become better networkers.

Lead monthly chapter meetings. Ensure all C-level executives keep their introductions to 60 seconds. Introduce speaker and moderate the Questions and Answers. Send out meeting notices and networking lists.This gives me experience in organizing and running meetings with C-level and other executives. I ensure all of the speaker’s needs are met and that the list of attendees is e-mailed to everyone.

Part of an organization that did five software releases each year to support Verizon Business’s Order Entry Tools. Some releases were upgrades and some allowed for new products / services to be added.Successfully led the testing of 10 software projects, all testing completed by scheduled implementation date with minimal weekend work. I worked with QA testers and developers in Argentina, India and US locations to ensure the required testing was completed on time and in an efficient manner. Ensured the HP Quality Center was up to date to allow management insight in project statusAfter the CIO Judy Spitz thought there were too many non-code related defects in testing, I used my six-sigma training to reduce our group’s non-code related defects to ½ of the corporate average, the equivalent of a Six Sigma Green Belt project. By getting the QA testers and developers to work closer together, some non-code issues were resolved on the fly. I continued to monitor defects to ensure our group’s non-code rate was below the corporate average. I became our group’s “expert” on metrics and scorecard. I was responsible for preparing the scorecard at the beginning of each software release and provided interim updates. I fixed incorrect data to ensure the scorecard’s accuracy.While working on the Test Process Improvement effort, I developed a spreadsheet that used earned value management principles to track schedule performance and deviation.At the end of each software implementation we would do a retrospective to determine how things went, and what could be improved upon. The retrospective I led had the highest response rate, and I recommended two new projects to improve future software testing. My work here proved I can lead international teams and off-shore teams. I gathered experience in leading software development efforts (SDLC). I was trained in agile and scrum methodology. My experiences prepared me for bigger and better things.

I was part of a group that was “outsourced” from Agilent to Hewlett Packard as part of a cost cutting initiative. I maintained the responsibilities for the IT Programs I was managing at Agilent and picked up a few new programs.The main role was to transform and transition the provisioning and support of Agilent’s IT Services. I analyzed the provisioning and support processes for five personal communication services (i.e. Pagers, Mobile Phones, etc.). I used ITIL best practices and implemented changes to these processes, and when the time was right, trained a new team on the improved processes. Some teams were off-shore, so I either traveled to their site or conducted on-line training.After the new teams were in place, I monitored how the services were provided. This proactive approach allowed me to step in with fixes to ensure all Service Level Agreements were met.I led the global implementation of Blackberrys into Agilent. I analyzed Agilent’s business needs and worked with international counterparts to have this added to Agilent’s portfolio of services for employees. I also monitored Blackberry usage to ensure Agilent did not overbuy licenses. I continued to manage the IT Personal Communication Services; ensured all programs were effective. When reviewing IT Projects, Adrian Dillon, Agilent’s CFO said the programs I established for mobile phones and Blackberrys were the most cost effective way to provide those services.When Agilent spun off two divisions, I took the lead in splitting the IT services. My work in ensuring there was no disruption of services helped Hewlett Packard pick up the IT support for one of the new companies.My accomplishments prove I understand business needs and how to effectively meet those needs. I monitored the programs, and implemented changes when needed. I continued to provide IT services in a cost effective method. I also understood customer service, and had some of the best compliments from Agilent.

I earned my Distinguished Toastmasters designation in August 1999. I served as an Area Officer, Club Officer and lead a Speechcraft program for a sales group at Hewlett Packard. While in Toastmasters, I completed every speaking manual.A two-time Area Governor, I provided my clubs with all District information, and changes to the toastmaster programs. A particular challenge I had was helping the club that met on the Air Force Academy find a new meeting place when security was increased after the 9/11 attacks. I put on speech contests for the clubs. I ensured all club officers had the opportunity to attend training. I also put all clubs on a track to become at least a distinguished club/When a district that spanned 3 states needed to reorganize, I submitted an alternative plan that better grouped the clubs by location. This alternative plan was adopted unanimously.I was president of 3 different clubs, and led all clubs to at least a distinguished rating. I set up a tracking system so each club could see its progress, and what needed to be done to ensure we met the goal. I found getting the club members involved, and committing to some personal goals helped us meet our club goals well before the Toastmaster year ended.I am looking to get back into Toastmasters, any suggestions on clubs?

I was on the Americas Voice Delivery team, responsible for providing Voice services to Agilent employees working in North and South America. Agilent was facing difficult financial times, so I took the lead in figuring out ways to reduce the cost of services without reducing the service levels. I noticed the overall number of mobile phone minutes was fairly constant, but that individual mobile phone usage fluctuated. Rather than trying to figure out the best plan for the 5,000 plus users, I worked with the mobile phone vendors to buy a pool of minutes everyone could use. This reduced the cost per minute by 30%, and did not impact anyone’s service.I also led the pager consolidation effort. After the split from Hewlett Packard, each Agilent site had its own pager program. After consolidating we found only 3,000 of the 10,000 pagers Agilent was paying for were in use, so Agilent stopped paying for 7.000 of them. I also identified a better way for a message to be sent to multiple pagers. The Emergency Response Teams loved this feature, and it was easier to keep the lists up to date, and allowed both pagers and mobile phones to receive the messages.Agilent switched long distance providers, and I was responsible for converting the 2,000 plus work at home lines to the new provider. My first effort was to identify all lines, and ensure these lines were still needed; a few were declared excess and cancelled. Agilent also has a Virtual Private Network (VPN) which allowed all “office” phones to reach each other by dialing 7 digits. I worked closely with the new provider to get all of these phone lines and provided the users detailed instruction to ensure their new service was working properly. I started a Pareto Analysis of the billing errors; the error rate was over 20%, but I was able to reduce this rate to around 2%. I also audited the bills each month, and tracked credits.

I started supporting Agilent Technology’s IT business operations when Agilent was completing the split from Hewlett Packard. Agilent considered themselves as a $ 10 Billion new company with a rich 60 year history. As a result, we adopted what worked best for Hewlett Packard, and developed new processes were there was room for improvement. One of my first tasks was establishing sound relationships with the vendors. I set up monthly meeting with the vendors to allow us to know what all services the vendors offered and could offer in the future. By knowing what was available it was easier to expand Agilent’s voice and data networks.I developed a system to track vendor health. A lot of telecommunication companies were expanding, and there was a concern the providers would not be able to sustain their operations. I identified a company at risk so we had a plan in place when the company filed for bankruptcy protection. By having a plan in place, there was no impact to Agilent’s operations.I put together the first TQRDCE-B (Technical, Quality, Reliability, Delivery, Cost, Environment, Business) evaluation of a vendor. I pulled the basics of the review from Hewlett Packard, but included examples of what we liked and wanted more of, and specific areas of improvement. The vendor appreciated having areas of improvement and excellence identified in this review rather than just a numerical rating. My work here demonstrated my ability to establish sound working relationships, and processes. I used my Toastmasters training to runs efficient meetings. My proactive approach to monitoring vendor health ensured vendor bankruptcy did not hurt Agilent’s operations.I showed my value to Agilent Technologies with my work, and was offered a position at Agilent Technologies.

Keystone Capital Management was a Registered Investment Advisory Firm; the Securities and Exchange Commission’s official term for a market timing firm. We worked with financial advisors across the country who would have their clients set up investment accounts, and we would reallocate the investments based on market condition. The idea was to be invested in mutual funds when the market was going up, and then in a cash position when the market dropped to keep the majority of the gain. My first task was getting up to speed on the mutual fund trading. I quickly became an expert in this function. I used my math skills to help with the fund allocation (I amazed my coworkers that I could provide the correct answer before they could enter it into a calculator. The biggest compliment was when Charleton Jones (President of Keystone Capital management) took his first European wine tasting vacation in years. Keystone had a lot of personnel turnover, but I added stability.I also learned the trading tools, and being the curious type, found some capabilities the developers did not know they had in the new tool. When they visited the Keystone office, they seemed surprised when I said I liked a new capability, and took a lot of notes when I demonstrated this feature.I also worked on disaster recovery plans. Hurricane Georges made landfall less than 20 miles from the office, but my plan and preparations allowed us to be operational within 2 business days from when the hurricane hit; no investment reallocations were missed. In addition, I developed a process that allowed the fund allocation and accounts receivable functions to work closer together. This allowed the fees to be collected sooner, and maximized the funds invested, and portfolio performance.This was a great transition to the civilian workforce, and allowed me to better understand business and the value of relationships.

I arrived at the Integrated Computer Aided Software Engineering Environment (I-CASE) Program Office when the decision was made to move away from large hardware and software suites specified in the contract to ordering smaller software packages and tools. The contract was expanded to include the entire Federal Government.My first effort was to change the attitude from a Government vs. Contractor confrontational attitude to a team approach. I found when I used names rather than positions in the cost estimate, the Government team’s attitude changed. A challenge to the contract restructure was the Government shut down. Being military, I was able to continue to work, but our civilian contracting officers were not. My knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) allowed the contract restructure to move forward. I ensured the correct clauses and language was included in the proposed changes. I lead the restructure of the $ 670 Million contract, reduced paperwork by 25% and the time from software order to delivery by 30%.After the contract restructure was complete, I took over the customer support branch. There was a bit of a “blame the contractor” for the need to restructure the contract and everyone was not on board with the new approach. I used my leadership and communication skills to move this team to a partnership with the contractor and the rest of the Federal Government. Ron Casey, the Program Director, complemented my moving in and taking over this branch, he called me an instant success. However, the highest compliment was after hearing the process for getting the software one non-Air Force software developer said was “This is too easy for the Government.”My work here demonstrated my ability to lead organization changes, build strong teams, and improve processes. I took advantage of my opportunity to change the contract to make it easy for Government developers to get the tools they needed to deliver better software.

After completing the $ 25 M Transportable Blood Transshipment Center Program, I took over the Advanced Plans and Programs Branch. My mission was to run quick acquisition efforts, evaluate Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) solutions, and transition laboratory technology into acquisition programs. I jump started the In-Flight Medical Kit, Air Motility Command’s #1 aeromedical need. This was a quick acquisition program and was done a few years after a lengthily effort for a similar product. Without a complete team, I took an entrepreneurial approach, and delivered a product that made the user happy on time and on budget. I also established credibility for this branch as I proved we could use a simplified approach to acquisitions to deliver products quickly.The aeromedical community identified a deficiency for patient lighting. The care providers needed light on the patients on darkened aircraft. I found an off-the shelf solution, and the aeromedical community was ecstatic with this product.I also established a sound relationship with the Armstrong Laboratory so we could transition the technology into acquisition efforts. I had to identify the maturity of the technology, and work with the aeromedical community to balance requirements, nice to haves, and technology. By establishing acquisition programs, I was able to keep a 10 person aeromedical systems office and $ 20 Million budget in place. My biggest challenge was working with the Medical Technical Planning Integrated Team. I was the only one in the acquisition career field, and had to educate senior medical officers on the acquisition process, and keep them focused on identifying deficiencies, and requirements. The colonel who lead this team told me my participation was vital to the success of this team.I put together the program office’s presentation to the base closure commission; Brooks was removed from the base closure list.I built relationships, built long range plans and got things done.

When the Vice-President was moved to another location, I was elected to complete the remaining term. There was a significant drop in attendance when the Commanding General said he did not read the attendance roster. My first challenge was to increase attendance at the monthly meeting. I put the focus on professional development, and had a presentation that would help the members in their career, and attendance grew. I also worked to ensure the Company Grade Officers; Council had a voice on a key committee. The Air Force club system was undergoing changes, and wanted to build a solid relationship between the CGOC and the officer’s club, I was appointed to the Club Advisory Board. I saw myself as a way to communicate what the clubs were planning to do to my fellow company grade officers and to ensure the company grade officers had input into the changes.At the end of my partial term, I was able to step down knowing I had transformed the organization from one where people felt their attendance was mandatory to one where they wanted to go to network and become a better officer. Six months into the new administration, the President was moving and I was called back, to serve as president this time.I was recognized by my peers as a leader and transformer. My vision was to build the CGOC as a group officers wanted to go to become better officers. I also helped others network. There was a wide range of work done at Brooks, so we got to know each other and what we did. As we had an opportunity to get to know each other, when we needed something from another organization, we had someone to contact.

My first task in the Human Systems Program Office was to help bring the test function up to speed. I used my experience from the AMRAAM program to write the Test and Evaluation Master Plans.My second effort was to develop the Frozen Blood Shipping Container to keep blood below -40o for 48 hours without dry ice or external power. The prototypes were used to ship blood to the USHS Comfort before is shipped out for Operation Desert Shield. The containers worked well for blood and other frozen products, so well it was difficult to get feedback as the medical community we would bring the prototypes back to the states. The next and biggest challenge was leading the $ 25 Million Transportable Blood Transshipment Center Full Scale Development (FSD). I helped write the acquisition plans and source selection documents, and wore several hats during the source selection. This was the Human System Division’s first FSD effort, and we included some initiatives designed to improve the acquisition process. The initative that concerned me the most ended up not incentivizing the contractor. I took action to change the contract to remove the financial disincentive for delivering the best possible product.As the Program Manager, I gave regular program updates to senior officers. To get the contract change approved, I had to give the presentation to the Division Commander, a 2 Star GeneralWhen other programs were having their budgets slashed, I worked with several Department of Defense Agencies to have funds added to cover unforeseen technical issues. My time here honed my skills in making changes to keep the program on track. I needed to remain focused on the long term goals of the organization. I brought together people with different specialties and built them into a team focused on completing the program. I also had to use my presentation and persuasion skill to convince team members and senior officers to make program corrections, and win-win situations..

I came into the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) Test Office at a great time, right when the flight test effort was starting. The captive equipment (brains of the missile in a fuel tank) was delivered and we started to see how the systems were working with each other and how the software development was progressing. My first project was developing a usage for the 120 test assets. The AMRAAM would be used by four US aircraft and tested at four ranges, so I had to include transportation time in the usage plan. This plan was critical to the success of the flight test program.I also participated in the missile launch preparation. Before we did a launch, we could coordinate the activities with engineers, contractor personnel, test ranges, safety personnel, and general officers. This was a good way for me to learn the process as I took over all launch preparations when the senior officers left during the heart of the flight test program. My efforts in leading the launch preparations, ensuring all details were covered help the AMRAAM flight test program to an over 80% success rate. Even more important, this missile has been very successful when fired in anger.When it was time for the first production missile to be delivered, I worked on the ceremony. The missile went from the production line to an F-15 from the 33rd Tactical Fighter Wing. I coordinated getting the aircraft to the facility and ensured there was support for the aircraft. I was also the Operations Security (OPSEC) Officer. I went beyond the minimum training requirements and created an OPSEC class with real life examples. As we had other groups in different services involved in operations, I offered this training and material to those organizations. When the Inspector General visited, I received a laudatory rating. OPSEC was a special interest item, and many programs received a substandard grade. My program and Security Master Plan became the command models.

Received special recognition in academics and briefings (presentations).