People Category: Speaker

General Lester L. Lyles, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

 

General Lester L. Lyles received his B.S., in mechanical engineering from Howard University in 1968, his M.S. in mechanical / nuclear engineering from New Mexico State University in 1969, and Honorary Doctorate of Laws degrees from New Mexico State University in 2002, and Urbana University in 2009. He is a graduate of the Defense Systems Management College (1980), the Armed Forces Staff College (1981), the National War College (1985), and the National and International Security Management Course at Harvard University (1991).

General Lyles entered the United States Air Force in 1968 as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC program. He served in various assignments, including Special Assistant and Aide-De-Camp to the Commander of Air Force Systems Command; and, Avionics Division Chief in the F-16 Systems Program Office. He served as Program Director of the Medium-Launch Vehicles Program and Space-Launch Systems offices in 1997 during the recovery from the Challenger Space Shuttle accident.

General Lyles became Vice Commander of Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill AFB, Utah. He served as Commander of the center from 1993 until 1994, then commanded the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles AFB, Calif., until 1996. General Lyles became the Director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in 1996. In May 1999, he was assigned as Vice Chief of Staff at Headquarters U.S. Air Force. In April 2000, he became the Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The command conducts research, development, test and evaluation, acquisition management services and logistics support for the Air Force.  He retired in October 2003.

The General has received many awards and decorations including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster. He was named Astronautics Engineer of the Year by the National Space Club in 1990, and received the Roy Wilkins Renown Service Award for outstanding contributions to military equal opportunity policies and programs from the NAACP in 1994.  He was named Black Engineer of the Year / Lifetime Achievement in 2003.  Gen. Lyles received the “General Thomas D. White Award” for distinguished service in national security, from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2012.

He has served on the Board of Directors for several corporations, including:

  • General Dynamics Corp. – 2003-2019Present

  • KBR Corp. – 2007-Present [current Chairman of the Board]

  • Battelle Labs. [aka Battelle Memorial Institute] from 2007-2019

  • USAA [United Service Automobile Association] – former Chairman of the Board of USAA 2004-2019

General Lyles served on the Augustine Space Committee in 2009 developing the agenda for the Human Space Flight missions of NASA.  He also chaired the National Research Council’s ‘Roles and Rationale Study of the U.S. Civil Space Programs’ in 2009.  General Lyles was appointed to the Defense Science Board from 2009 to 2016, and, appointed by the White House to the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board from December 2009 to May 2013.   General Lyles was elected to the National Academy of Engineers in March of 2011.  From 2013-2017 General Lyles served as a member of the State Department’s International Security Advisory Board. He served as chair of the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board for the National Academy of Engineering from 2012 to 2016. He was named the Chairman of the NASA Advisory Council in 2016.  In June 2018 General Lyles was appointed as a member of the Users Advisory Group to the National Space Council.

General Lester L. Lyles was born in Washington, DC on 20 April 1946. He currently lives in Vienna, Virginia.

Danielle W. Merfeld

Danielle Merfeld is the Chief Technology Officer of GE Renewable Energy.  In this role, she leads technical efforts to develop differentiated products and services across the broadest renewable energy portfolio in the industry, including onshore wind, offshore wind, solar PV, batteries, and hydro. She also champions sustainability efforts, leading a team focused on achieving carbon neutrality. Additionally, Danielle serves as co-leader of the GE Women’s Network, a global organization focused on the recruiting, retention, development and promotion of talented women across GE.

Danielle received her B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University. She is a member of several technical associations and on the Board of Trustees at the University of Notre Dame.  She serves on the boards of Texas A&M University’s Smart Grid Center and is an Ambassador to the Clean Energy, Education and Empowerment (C3E) Initiative representing the United States.

Amanda Simpson

Amanda Simpson is the Vice President for Research and Technology at Airbus Americas and is responsible for coordinating technology development, research activities, and innovation for Airbus in the western hemisphere. She is also the Head of Sustainability efforts for Airbus in the Americas.

Previously Ms. Simpson was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy at the U.S. Department of Defense, responsible for developing the strategy for the utilization of energy for military operational forces worldwide and the senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense for all matters pertaining to energy in our military. Prior to accepting that responsibility, she was the Executive Director of the U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives, an organization developing large scale renewable energy projects to bring energy security to Army installations leveraging private sector financing.  In addition, she has held senior government roles in the office of the Army Acquisition Executive and the Bureau of Industry and Security at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Prior to her government appointments, Ms. Simpson had distinguished program management career in the aerospace industry working for Raytheon, Hughes Aircraft, Douglas Aircraft, and Hughes Helicopters.

Ms. Simpson has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions including the Tucson YWCA Woman on the Move, Arizona Human Rights Fund Individual Award, National Conference for College Women Student Leaders Women of Distinction Award, and was named an Outstanding Alumni of Harvey Mudd College. She is a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service and the Department of Defense Pride Civilian Leadership Award. Her team received the DARPA Award for Significant Technical Achievement in 1999. Ms. Simpson earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Harvey Mudd College, a Master of Science in Engineering from California State University, and a Master in Business Administration from the University of Arizona. She is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics serving on the Systems Engineering Technical Committee, Executive Steering Committee, and Corporate Member Committee. She is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and serves on the board of the Washington DC Chapter. She serves on the boards of directors of the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, Advanced Thermal Batteries Inc., and chairs the board of directors of the Airbus Institute for Engineering Research.

Ms. Simpson holds both an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and a Certified Flight Instructor license, and has logged nearly 3,000 hours of flying in more than 60 different types of aircraft including floatplanes, flying boats, unmanned drones, and multi-engine jets.

John Selden

John Selden took the reins as general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in October 2018 with more than 30 years of aviation experience. A former military and commercial pilot before joining the ranks of airport management, Selden has excelled in all facets of aviation, including operational budgeting, customer service, labor relations, aircraft maintenance and operations, facilities management and improvement programs.

As leader of the world’s busiest and most efficient airport, Selden oversees Airport operations as well as a multibillion-dollar capital improvement program that will pave the way for growth over the next 20 years. In addition to completing this expansive program, his priorities include fortifying the Airport’s security platform and enhancing the customer experience at Hartsfield-Jackson.

A graduate of the Naval War College and the U.S. Naval Academy – recognized for cultivating great leaders – Selden’s leadership style is facilitative, allowing his managers to function independently. He is described by his senior team as both smart and approachable, reinforced with thoughtful and thorough preparation.

Selden is a retired Navy commander who served at the Pentagon in addition to having served in Desert Storm. He ended his tour of duty as deputy commander of the Naval Station Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico.

After leaving active service, Selden flew commercially for six years. He landed his first airport management role at Republic Airport in New York, the state’s third busiest airport, serving as assistant airport manager. He joined John F. Kennedy International Airport in 2008 and, moving through the ranks, began serving as Deputy General Manager in 2014, overseeing customer service, rail access, security, maintenance, finance, commercial development and physical infrastructure.

Selden is excited about leading his team to new heights in strengthening the role ATL plays as economic catalyst of the region and gateway to the world.

Bill Lentsch

Bill Lentsch is Chief Customer Experience Officer for Delta Air Lines. In this role, Bill has oversight of In-Flight Service, Airport Customer Service, Reservations and Customer Care, Global Cleanliness, Product and Consumer Insight.

Bill and his team are responsible for Delta’s industry-leading customer experience and the teams that make it happen. This includes everything from how gate areas, lounges and seats are designed to onboard food, drinks, amenity kits, entertainment and more. Underpinning all of this is Delta’s Global Cleanliness division. His teams provide the necessary training, planning, scheduling, technical support, quality assurance and regulatory oversight to ensure Delta’s flying operations teams are prepared to deliver a safe, reliable and exceptional on-board experience, while continuously connecting with customers so Delta can deliver the most meaningful experiences.

Prior to his current role, Bill held the title of Executive Vice President – Flying/Air Operations and Senior Vice President – Delta Connection and Delta Global Services. In this role, Bill oversaw Flight Ops and In-Flight Service, coordinating all flying functions for 24,000+ flight attendants, 13,000+ pilots and hundreds of support staff, as well as all aspects of the more than 2,300 daily departures for Delta’s six regional partner airlines.

Bill has also previously held the title of CEO – Endeavor Air for Delta Air Lines, leading Delta’s wholly owned regional carrier, which operates more than 700 daily departures under the Delta Connection brand.

Bill served Northwest Airlines customers for 20 years across various operations roles with increasing areas of responsibility including Flight Operations, Operations Control, Engineering, Airport Customer Service as well as Aircraft Engine and Component Maintenance.

Bill received a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics from the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.

John Spengler

John Spengler, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, and Director of the JPB Environmental Health Fellowship Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has conducted research on personal monitoring, air pollution health effects, indoor air pollution, and a variety of environmental sustainability issues. Several of his investigations have focused on housing design and its effects on ventilation rates, building materials’ selection, energy consumption, and total environmental quality in homes. Spengler chaired the committee on Harvard Sustainability Principles; and served on Harvard’s Greenhouse Gases Taskforce to develop the University’s carbon reduction goals and strategies, as well as Harvard’s Greenhouse Gases Executive Committee.

He serves on the National Academies Health and Medicine Division “Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research and Medicine”, and recently served on the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Chemistry of Indoor Environments advisory committee. Previously he chaired the National Academies Institute of Medicine “Committee on Effect of Climate Change on Indoor Air Quality and Public Health”; and he has served as an advisor to the World Health Organization on indoor air pollution, personal exposure and air pollution epidemiology. In 2003, Spengler received a Heinz Award for the Environment; in 2007, the Air & Waste Management Association Lyman Ripperton Environmental Educator Award; in 2008, the Max von Pettenkofer Award for distinguished contributions in indoor air science from the International Society of Indoor Air Quality & Climate’s Academy of Fellows; and in 2015, the ASHRAE Environmental Health Award.

Catherine Thibaud

Dr. Catherine Thibaud is the Cabin Air Quality Lead for Airbus Commercial. In her role, she is in charge of defining and implementing Airbus’ strategy in the area of cabin air quality.

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, Catherine is also part of Airbus’ Keep Trust in Air Travel initiative that was launched to help the aerospace industry weather the current pandemic. In particular, Catherine is guiding the work performed in the area of cabin ventilation and disinfection.

Prior to joining Airbus, Catherine worked at United Technologies developing life support and air purification systems and processes for the US space program, US Navy and for commercial buildings and aircraft.

Catherine holds a Bachelor Degree and a Master Degree in Chemical Engineering from the
National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse (France) and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University.

David Silver

David Silver is the Vice President for Civil Aviation at the Aerospace Industries
Association (AIA). In this role, he uses his expertise in aviation certification, safety, and
emerging technologies to collaborate with AIA members and advance public policies
and positions beneficial to the entire industry and the United States.

David represents AIA on a number of boards and committees, including the European
Union Aviation Safety Agency Stakeholder Advisory Board and the Commercial Aviation
Safety Team. He was also nominated by Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao to
serve on the U.S. Drone Advisory committee.

Silver joined AIA with over 20 years of experience in aviation, most recently serving as
the Director of Engineering & Regulatory Affairs for the Boeing Company in Washington.

D.C., where he worked extensively with both regulatory and legislative committee
leadership. He developed an array of experience in working with a variety of
international organizations involved in certification and validation programs.

Silver also served as the 787-8 Deputy Fleet Chief for the introduction of aircraft into
commercial operations. Silver worked with airline customers, regulators, and airplane
program chief engineers on model-specific technical and safety issues affecting the in-
service fleet to increase reliability and ensure smooth operations for the airlines. Silver
also has vast experience working Airplane Systems for airplane programs such as the
777 and 767.

Silver served for 22 years in the Army National Guard as an Engineer Officer, with
successive leadership roles culminating in Battalion Command and Assistant G3 for
Washington State. Silver received the Legion of Merit and retired as a Lieutenant
Colonel in 2014.

Silver holds a B.S. in engineering and B.A. political science from Arizona State University
and a M.S. in engineering management from Washington State University. He is also a
graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and a Fellow of the
Royal Aeronautical Society.

Deborah Hecker

Captain Deborah Hecker currently serves as SR. MGR Flight Operations – Policy & Procedures for American Airlines. A graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in International Relations, she began her aviation career in 1994 flying freight out of a small Michigan airport. She then flew for Piedmont Airlines, before being hired by American Airlines in 1999. Deborah has flown the B737/757/767/777/A319/320/321 and as flight engineer on the B727 for American Airlines. She also completed training to become a certified American Airlines flight attendant on the B777-200, B757/767, B737, and MD80, becoming the first person in the history of American Airlines to be dual qualified as a pilot and flight attendant. In addition to pilot duties at American, she has been involved with numerous other assignments, including four years as Chief Pilot in PHL & DFW, manager in the Customer Experience department, project manager with the Flight team for the LUS/American merger, pilot recruitment, diversity & leadership strategies, and numerous military veteran events.

She has been an active member of Women in Aviation International since 1996 and currently serves on the Board of Directors as Vice Chair. She is a cofounder of the WAI Keep Flying Scholarship, Keep Flying International Scholarship, Keep Flying Extra Lift Scholarship, and assisted in founding the American Airlines Engineering, Maintenance, and Veteran’s Initiative Women in Aviation Scholarships.

Deborah resides in Murphy, Texas with her three sons.

Guy Norris

Guy Norris is a Senior Editor for Aviation Week, based in Los Angeles. Before joining Aviation Week in 2007, Guy was with Flight International, first as technical editor based in the U.K. and most recently as U.S. West Coast editor. Before joining Flight, he was London correspondent for Interavia, part of Jane’s Information Group.

In 2013 the Jesse H. Neal award for Best Technical Content was awarded to Guy Norris and Graham Warwick for their Advanced Propulsion feature. He received the 2015 Lauren D. Lyman Award for outstanding achievement in aerospace communications. And in 2018 he was awarded Technology Writer of the Year by the judges of the Aerospace Media Awards.

Guy is also a multiple winner of the Royal Aeronautical Society Aerospace Journalist of the Year Award in the Air Transport, Propulsion and Systems/Technology categories, and in 2006 he received the Royal Aeronautical Society Decade of Excellence Award for sustained achievement in aerospace journalism.

Amongst other works Guy has authored the aerospace section of a science encyclopedia and co-authored, and produced an educational aviation CD-ROM. Guy has also authored more than a dozen books on the histories of Airbus, Boeing and other airframe manufacturers.