People Category: Speaker

Christopher A. Garrett, a Senior Level Executive, Technical Advisor, Systems Engineering, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He serves as the recognized Air Force authority for systems engineering for weapon systems lifecycle management charged with providing technical oversight and advice to high level Air Force and government officials.  In this role, Mr. Garrett is the lead engineer developing the Air Force Materiel Command strategy for digital transformation.

Mr. Garrett spent over 27 years of active duty service in the Air Force working in the areas of electronic warfare, test, space, and aircraft sustainment and while on active duty he spent two years at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, leading the C-17 group.  Mr. Garrett finished his career as the Deputy Director for Engineering and Technical Management at Air Force Materiel Command.  As Deputy Director, he focused on three areas – System of Systems Analysis, Open Systems Architecture, and Strategic Planning. From September 2015 to February 2020, Mr. Garrett worked in the engineering home office at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center where he focused on infusing open standards and architectures across Air Force weapon systems.

Mr. Garrett also led an effort to build an Air Force ecosystem where open standards, agile processes and digital engineering could be combined to delivery capability expeditiously to the field. In February 2020, He was appointed Senior Leader for Systems Engineering in the Air Force. In this job, his current focus is to ensure the Air Force Materiel Command Digital Campaign appropriately replicates and expedites the system engineering process.

EDUCATION
1987  Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, United States Air Force Academy
1988  Master of Science, Electrical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
2002  Master of Military Operational Arts/Sciences, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama

CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. February 1989 to September 1994, Systems Engineer, Electronic Warfare Center, Kelly Air Force Base, Texas
2. September 1994 to March 1997, Test Program Manager, 413th FTS, Edwards Air Force Base, California
3. March 1997 to June 1999, Chief, Operational Analysis, Captain, Test and Evaluation Directorate, Pentagon
4. June 1999 to June 2001, Operations Officer, Maj, GPS Test Squadron, Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico
5. June 2002 to January 2006, Branch Chief, Lt Col, National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Virginia
6. Jan 2006 to Aug 2008, Commander, Lt Col, Operations Squadron, Australia
7. Aug 2008 to April 2009, Lt Col, Special Assistant to the Commander, 330th ASW
8. April 2009 to June 2010, Commander, Colonel, 564th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia
9. June 2010 to August 2011, Chief, Colonel, Globemaster Division, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia
10. August 2011 to June 2014, Deputy Director, Colonel, Engineering Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
11. June 2014 to September 2015, Senior Systems Engineer, Clear Creek Applied Technologies, Ohio
12. September 2015 to June 2016, Open Systems Architecture Technical Expert, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
13. June 2016 to February 2020, Avionics Architecture Technical Advisor, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
14. February 2020 – present, Senior Leader, Technical Advisor, Systems Engineering, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

Pamela Whitney serves as Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives. She joined the Committee as Professional Staff and later became Senior Professional Staff.  Formerly, she was Senior Program Officer at the Space Studies Board of the National Academies where she directed studies and workshops on space science and space policy topics and served as the Executive Secretary of the U.S. national committee to the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) of the International Council for Science (ICSU).  Among her previous positions, she was an Analyst at the aerospace consulting firm CSP Associates, Inc.  Pamela holds a B.A. in Economics from Smith College and an M.A. in International Communication from American University.

Ron has more than 30 years of experience in leadership roles spanning the federal government and public sectors. Throughout his career, he has been responsible for organization transformation, data design, innovation, engineering, operational management and governance of complex IT solutions. Ron’s breadth of hands-on experience in organizational design and transformation will bring valuable perspectives in partnerships and creative problem solving.

Currently Ron is serving as the Agency Chief Data Officer (CDO) and Deputy Digital Transformation Officer (DDTO), reporting to the Deputy Associate Administrator at NASA Headquarters.

Ron previously served Associate Chief Information Officer (ACIO) Transformation and Data Division (TDD) & for the NASA Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). Ron served as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service where he provided executive leadership and oversight to protect the Agency’s data and provided IT services to multiple divisions. Prior to USDA, Ron was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Information and Technology at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and was responsible for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations and assisting the Administration across the department. At the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Ron served as the Executive Director for Engineering, Design and Operations in the Office of the Chief Information Officer, responsible for transforming the organization’s services to an IT service management model that increased service levels, ensured reliance and agility, and lowered overall costs. Previous positions include the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) where he managed finance, employee and labor relations and talent management and as the Chief Enterprise Architect for the U.S. Census Bureau and Program Manager for the Data Access and Dissemination

System Office and the Department of Treasury, Financial Management Service, where he was the Director of Treasury’s Web Application Infrastructure.

In the private sector, Ron served as both a Senior Account Manager and a Consulting Manager for Hewlett Packard and Compaq Computer corporations where he led software development and system design and program execution.

He is a fellow in the American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC). In addition, is a U.S. Army Veteran. He has an Executive Masters of Business Administration M.B.A. and a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management, both from the University of Maryland. He resides in Maryland with his wife and two sons, and is active in Boy Scouts of America where he serves as a Scoutmaster.

Melissa Sabatine is an airport industry expert and accomplished cross-sectoral executive.  A mission-oriented leader at heart, she offers a wide breadth of skills across modes of transportation, government, regulatory affairs, policy development, coalition building, business development and branding. Melissa possesses a deep, strategic knowledge of U.S policies and programs, budgets, and operations within governmental bodies, with focused experience in aerospace, aviation, and science.

Her colleagues describe her as an intuitive thinker and problem solver who can see both the bigger picture and small details with an unwavering focus on the overall objective. She excels at navigating complex relationships, advocating for diverse groups, and managing multiple, often competing priorities to flawless execution.

For over a decade, Melissa led the Regulatory Affairs team for the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE).  In this capacity, she served as a passionate advocate for AAAE’s members before the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. She also spearheaded many of AAAE’s business operations, including development of revenue-generating opportunities, domestic specialty conferences and trainings. As Deputy Executive Director of the International Association of Airport Executives (IAAE), Melissa specialized in issues relevant to the Latin American and Caribbean regions (LAC), including development of training programs for LAC airport professionals.

Melissa has served in a series of executive policy positions in Washington, D.C. including as Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Transportation for former secretaries Norman Mineta and Mary Peters, as Associate Administrator for Communications and Congressional Affairs of the Federal Transit Administration and Deputy Director of the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. At the DOT, she was awarded the Secretary’s Gold Medal for her part in the recovery efforts associated with Hurricane Katrina.

Prior to her service at DOT, Melissa spent many years on Capitol Hill as a press secretary and senior-level staffer in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, as well as in the private sector for a political media firm and at a trade association representing the high-tech industry. Profiled as a “Mover and a Shaker” in Campaign and Elections Magazine,
she was regarded as one of the best liked and media savvy press secretaries during her tenure on Capitol Hill.

Melissa currently serves as President of the Aero Club of Washington, a social club founded in 1909 to advance networking and education in the aviation industry. She is a Certified Member (C.M.) in airport management by AAAE and well-versed in international airport operations standards as an International Aerodrome Certified Employee (IACE).  A Pennsylvania native, she is a graduate of Duquesne University where she majored in Journalism and Political Science.

Her passions include advocating for diversity and inclusion within the aviation industry. A member of Women in Aviation International, Melissa actively seeks ways to promote and support other women in the industry. She has played a large part in deploying Wings for Autism/Wings for All at U.S. airports, a program to make travel more accessible for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Passionate about wellness, she is studying to become a certified health and integrative nutrition coach at the Institute for Integrative Wellness (IIN).

Connect with Melissa on Twitter @airportchic, on Instagram @theairportfashionista and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasabatine.

Daniel (Dan) J. Heller is vice president of Lockheed Martin Corporate Engineering where he is responsible for functional excellence and rapid digital transformation of the 40,000 person Lockheed Martin engineering workforce.

Prior to this role, Mr. Heller was the principal technical leader for the RMS business area and its nearly 14,000 engineers and scientists. With an emphasis on creating a world-class, all digital development environment, he focuses his team on developing disruptive technologies, driving superior program performance and delivering innovative solutions that exceed customer and company expectations.

Mr. Heller also served as chairman and president for the Applied NanoStructured Solutions, LLC – a world leader in nanotechnology solutions for commercial and defense applications.

Previously, Mr. Heller served as vice president of Sustainability Technologies line of business for the Mission Systems and Training business area, responsible for leveraging existing technologies and capabilities from across Lockheed Martin to access non-traditional markets, with a strong focus on sustainability-related markets.

Mr. Heller’s career spans over 30 years of experience in the industry with Lockheed Martin and heritage companies. He previously served as vice president of Nuclear Systems and Solutions for the Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control (MFC) business area, where his primary responsibility was to penetrate the civil nuclear energy market with products and services from across the corporation. Mr. Heller also served as the vice president and general manager of the MFC Archbald site that specialized in nuclear instrumentation and controls and direct attack weapons and training devices.

Mr. Heller holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from Pepperdine University. Mr. Heller has participated in advanced program management and leadership courses taught by the Defense Systems Management Systems College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Lockheed Martin.