People Category: AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum 2019

Jonathan Seidel

Mr. Seidel has worked more than 30 years at NASA, principally in the area of supersonic and hypersonic aeropropulsion & systems analysis. Contributing to Government and Industry study efforts, Mr. Seidel has helped to shape the strategy for many NASA programs and projects throughout his career, including the High Speed Research, Ultra Efficient Engine Technology, and the Revolutionary Turbine Accelerator Programs. Currently, Mr. Seidel serves as the Chief Engineer for the Propulsion & Systems Analysis Office at the NASA Glenn Research Center where he continues to collaborate in the modeling of advanced system concepts and technologies that serve both commercial and military needs.

Mr. Seidel attained his Mechanical Engineering degree from Cornell University, and was awarded the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal for his expertise in turbine-based propulsion and his role in strategy formulation for many of NASA’s advanced concept initiatives.

Donald Scata

Don is an aviation professional working in the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Environment and Energy (AEE), currently as the Acting Noise Division Manager and permanently as the Senior International Advisor. Don has been working at FAA since 2012. His current work is focused on managing FAA’s research and policy development regarding aircraft noise certification, impacts, and reduction. In his permanent role, he focuses on coordinating FAA’s International Environmental Activities, including work in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP). Recently, Don has been focused on providing technical support to ICAO on the development of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). Don is also a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) expert, and co-led the update of FAA Order 1050.1E and creating a supporting Desk Reference. Prior to joining FAA, Don worked as an aviation management, aviation planning, and environmental consultant focused on meeting the needs of FAA and airport clients throughout the US.

Don holds a MS in Air Transportation Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a BS in Aviation Management with Flight from the Florida Institute of Technology. Additionally, Don holds a single/multi-engine instrument commercial pilot certificate and was a certified flight instructor.

Don lives in Columbia, MD with his wife Lisa, and his children Trey, Ellie, & Luke.

Phil Burkholder

Phil Burkholder is currently the President, Defense Programs for Rolls-Royce where he is accountable for Rolls-Royce Defense programs globally. He is also on the LibertyWorks board and is accountable to assure the business is properly positioned for the future.

Prior to this role he was President, Defense Aerospace, North America where he was accountable for the Rolls-Royce North America Defense Aerospace business.

From 2010 to 2015 he was Executive Vice President, Engineering and Technology for the Defense Sector of Rolls-Royce plc. Rolls-Royce is a global provider of defense engine products and services with 18,000 engines in service for 160 customers in over 100 countries. These engines power aircraft in all key market areas: transport, combat, reconnaissance, training, and helicopter.

From 2005 to 2010, Phil was the Chief Operating Officer of Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc., also known as LibertyWorks®, where the focus is advanced and innovative technology enabling solutions for the customer.

Mr. Burkholder joined Rolls-Royce in 1986 and moved through a series of assignments over the past 30 years: Vice President of Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc., Chief Engineer of JSF F-35B Rolls-Royce STOVL, Engineering Director of Propulsion Systems for Rolls-Royce Corp., Engineering Director for Rolls-Royce Defense North America, Chief Design Engineer for the AE 3007, and Design Engineer for turbine components.

He has contributed to the propulsion system solutions for aircraft such as the V-22 Osprey, C-130J, Cessna Citation X, Embraer RJ-145, RQ-4 Global Hawk, SAAB-2000, the F-35 Lightning II, T-45 Goshawk, A400M Atlas, Harrier, Bell 407, and others. He has five patented inventions.

Mr. Burkholder graduated summa cum laude from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. In 2006, he completed The Executive Program from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration.

He is a chartered engineer and a Royal Aeronautical Society Fellow. He currently serves on the board for the Indiana Innovation Institute, the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, and the RR-Purdue UTP Executive Governance Board. He served on the Virginia Tech Advisory Board for the College of Engineering 2008-2012. He is active in his community and serves on the board of his local church.

David Spencer

View David Spencer’s full information online.

Degrees

PhD, School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2015
MS, Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University, 1991
BS, Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering, Purdue University, 1989

Interests

Mission Design
Spacecraft relative motion
Aeroassist technologies
Mission operations
Small satellite applications

Awards and Major Appointments

Honors and Awards

NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, Phoenix project management, 2009
NASA Space Act Award, Entry, Descent and Landing Monte Carlo Simulation, 2007
NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, Deep Impact mission management, 2006
Outstanding Aerospace Engineer Award, Purdue University, 2004
NASA Exceptional Service Medal, Mars Odyssey mission system leadership, 2003
JPL Award for Excellence, Mars Surveyor 2001 trajectory design, 1999
NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, Mars Pathfinder mission design, 1998
JPL Award for Excellence, Mars Pathfinder Entry, Descent and Landing design, 1998

Professional Affiliations

Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, since 2010
Board of Directors, American Astronautical Society, 2015 – present
Associate Editor, Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 2015 – present
Advisory Board, ARCS Foundation, 2009-2012
Member, The Planetary Society

The Honorable Eric J. Holcomb

Eric J. Holcomb is the 51st Governor of Indiana.

A lifelong Hoosier, Gov. Holcomb is a veteran of the United States Navy, served as the state’s 51st Lt. Governor, was a trusted advisor to both Gov. Mitch Daniels and Sen. Dan Coats, worked for Congressman John Hostettler and is a former state chairman of the Indiana Republican Party.

He was elected governor in November 2016, following an unprecedented 106-day campaign and was sworn in on Jan. 9, 2017.

In 2018, Gov. Holcomb partnered with the Markle Foundation to launch “Skillful Indiana,” to bridge the divide between the skills Hoosiers have and the skills businesses need. Indiana is just the second state to have this program.

Under his leadership, Indiana has had two consecutive record-breaking years for job commitments. In 2018, 320 companies committed to create at least 31,000 jobs in Indiana.

Next Level Connections, a $1 billion program focused on accelerating major road projects, is focused on increasing access to high-speed, affordable internet to unserved Hoosiers, establishing more nonstop flights to and from Indiana, and committing the largest infusion of trails funding in state history.

He has a mission to increase Indiana’s competitiveness in the global economy by “bringing the world to Indiana and taking Indiana to the world.” He announced Indiana’s first-ever nonstop transatlantic flight from Indianapolis to Paris, beginning in May 2018. So far, the governor has met with officials and industry leaders in the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Canada, Israel, India, France, Belgium, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic to showcase Indiana’s assets and build global economic ties. In 2018, Holcomb was honored as the International Center’s International Citizen of the Year.

In his first legislative session as governor, he rallied bipartisan support from Indiana lawmakers to expand pre-kindergarten for qualifying Hoosier kids and unveiled Next Level Recovery—a one-stop-shop for information and resources on the state’s comprehensive and community-based effort to fight the opioid crisis. The governor was honored with the Richard M. Fairbanks Circle of Hope Award in 2019.

Gov. Holcomb is focused on moving our state forward. In his first months as governor, he led the way for the largest long-term infrastructure investment in our state’s history with the long-term, fully-funded 20-year, $60 billion Next Level Roads program.

The governor has called workforce readiness the defining issue of the decade. To meet our state’s rapidly changing workforce needs, he unveiled the Next Level Jobs program to help connect more Hoosiers to high-demand, high-wage careers. Holcomb was awarded the 2019 Mira Trailblazer Award by TechPoint for his work with the growing tech industry in Indiana. He is the former chair of Jobs for America’s Graduates and now serves on the board of directors.

He is passionate about helping incarcerated Hoosiers break cycles by learning essential job skills. The Last Mile, a program dedicated to reducing recidivism by teaching computer coding inside prisons, chose Indiana to be the first state outside of California to participate by opening a program at the Indiana Women’s Prison in 2017. It has expanded to include the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility. The governor has introduced high-wage, high demand certificate training to prepare offenders to be successful in their communities upon release.

All of this work is underscored by Gov. Holcomb’s commitment to delivering great government service for Hoosier taxpayers. Indiana was ranked first in the nation for government efficiency by U.S. News & World Report in 2017.

Holcomb currently serves as the policy chairman of the Republican Governors Association and in 2018 was named one of ten governors shaping the future of politics by The Hill.

In an article in Governing Magazine, they said, “Indiana’s governor doesn’t scream, doesn’t threaten, and doesn’t even complain. He just wins.”

Throughout his career in service, he has earned a reputation of being a consensus builder. He travels weekly throughout the state—visiting with Hoosiers wherever he goes about how to make Indiana an even better place to live, work and play. He has earned honorary doctorate degrees from Trine University, Anderson University and Ivy Tech. A lifelong basketball fan, Gov. Holcomb has shot and made a basket in each of Indiana’s 92 counties.

The governor is a graduate of Pike High School in Indianapolis and Hanover College in southeastern Indiana where he majored in U.S. History with a focus on the American Civil War and the Reconstruction Era. He is a collector of presidential signatures and currently has documents signed by 43 of our nation’s 44 presidents, missing only the signature of George Washington.

He and his wife, Janet, live with their Miniature Schnauzer, Henry, in the Governor’s Residence on North Meridian Street in Indianapolis.

Teresa Lubbers

Teresa Lubbers was appointed in 2009 to serve as Commissioner for Indiana’s Commission for Higher Education, the coordinating agency charged with ensuring the state’s postsecondary education system is aligned to meet the needs of students and the state. Prior to joining the Commission, Lubbers served in the Indiana State Senate for 17 years, leading on education and economic development issues as Chair of the Senate Education and Career Development Committee.

As Commissioner, Lubbers works to increase college completion, ensure academic quality and student learning and align postsecondary credentials with meaningful careers. She partners with policymakers and higher education leaders to develop and implement the state’s higher education strategic plans, including the Commission’s recently adopted third plan, “Reaching Higher, Delivering Value.”

Lubbers is a past chair and a current member of both the State Higher Education Executive Officers and the Midwestern Higher Education Compact. She serves as Vice Chair for the National Council for State Authorization, Commissioner for both the Education Commission of the States and the Postsecondary Value Commission, a member of the Advisory Council for both the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and the Level Up Advisory Council and is the interim Chair of Indiana’s Governor’s Workforce Cabinet. Additionally, she serves on the Higher Learning Advocates Board of Directors and is a Fellow for Complete College America.

Lubbers is past chair and current member of the YMCA of Great Indianapolis and Chair of the YMCA Foundation. She is the co-founder of the Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series.

Lubbers holds an undergraduate degree from Indiana University and a Master in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Robert Bakos

Name:	Robert Bakos
Years of Experience:	30
Position:	Principal/ Co-Owner Innoveering
Education:	Ph.D. University of Queensland, Australia 1994, MSME Cornell University, 1986, BSCE Polytechnic University, 1983.
Dr. Robert Bakos is a Principal at Innoveering, LLC a company he co-founded in 2012 to develop solutions in advanced propulsion, energy, and sensors. Before starting Innoveering, he served as Vice President, Advanced Systems and Power Segment of Alliant Techsystems (ATK) located in Ronkonkoma, New York. He was previously VP/GM of the ATK GASL Division with Business and Technical responsibility for the portfolio of advanced technologies of the ATK Mission Systems Group. Dr. Bakos has worked in hypersonic propulsion system development and testing for over 30 years and has broad experience in support of NASA, DoD, and Commercial customers.

Marcia Lindstrom

Marcia Lindstrom leads the Strategic Communications Team for
NASA’s Space Launch System, the SLS – America’s rocket being
designed to carry humans to the Moon and on to Mars. Prior to joining
the SLS team, Marcia managed the External Relations Office for
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and before that served as the
Communications Strategist for NASA Headquarters leading the
Agency’s efforts for large-scale events. Marcia came to NASA after
more than a decade of work at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Her
tenure at the Center involved development efforts such as the Saturn V
Restoration and included a 6-year stint as the Director of Operations for
the Center’s world-renowned Space Camp programs. Marcia is a
veteran of the USAF.

Steven Sinacore

Mr. Steve Sinacore is the Deputy Project Manager for the Hypersonic Technology Project in NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. Together with the Project Manager, Mr. Sinacore is responsible for the execution of NASA’s hypersonic technology fundamental research portfolio seeking to enable routine, reusable, air-breathing atmospheric hypersonic flight across the NASA Aeronautics Research Centers.

Prior to this position, Mr. Sinacore supported NASA’s space mission research as the Deputy Project Manager for spacecraft fire safety experiments that flew three separate payloads on International Space Station (ISS) resupply cargo vehicles and served as the Mission Operations Manager of an advanced communications ISS payload.

He holds a Master of Engineering degree from Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Penn State.

Kelvin Coleman

Kelvin Coleman

Deputy Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation

Kelvin Coleman serves as the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Deputy Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation. In this role, he provides executive leadership and oversight of the Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) to ensure achievement of AST’s principle mission objectives of public safety, and advancement of U.S. commercial space transportation.

Kelvin has more than 20 years of experience in AST, having served previously as Deputy Associate Administrator, Acting Deputy Associate Administrator, Chief of Staff, Senior Technical Advisor for Operations Integration, Program Lead for Space and Air Traffic Integration, and Special Assistant to the Associate Administrator. Prior to joining AST, he worked for the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) as both a systems engineer, and as a guidance, navigation, and control engineer for several weapon system acquisition programs.

Kelvin is a graduate of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Executive Training Program and holds a B.S. in Electronics and Computer Engineering from George Mason University, and an M.B.A. from Marymount University.

Kelvin is also a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.