As an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, David Hamill has over 20 years of public and private sector experience in Human Resources, Strategic Workforce Planning, Talent Acquisition, and Personnel Selection. He has worked at the Department of Transportation, Marriott International, Transportation Security Administration, and now is the Director of Strategic Workforce Planning at the Federal Aviation Administration. Hamill graduated from Colorado State University and the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
People Category: Wednesday Aviation Sessions
Rebecca Cointin
Ms. Rebecca Cointin is the Deputy Director for the United States Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Environment and Energy. In that capacity, she works with the Executive Director of the office to lead staff under three primary divisions (noise, emissions, and policy/operations). In addition, she also directs, with the support of the chief scientific and technical advisor, technology development programs and is responsible for the policy, regulatory, modeling and analysis, and scientific/technical aspects of aviation environmental and energy issues. Prior to becoming the Deputy Director of the office in July 2019, she was the Noise Division Manager in the office.
Ms. Cointin oversees operations and research, engineering and development activities to advance the characterization of aircraft noise and emissions, computer-modeling techniques and methodologies to better estimate the environmental and health impacts of aviation related impacts and to assess measures to reduce those impacts. Among the variety of mitigation options explored, the office has an extensive development program that pursues aircraft and engine technologies and alternative fuels to improve performance and reduce environmental impacts. In addition, the program develops environmental certification requirements and explores new entrants such as supersonic aircraft and UAS from an environmental perspective.
Ms. Cointin also serves as the Noise Technical Working Group Co-Rapporteur to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (ICAO-CAEP). She has over ten years of experience working with this Committee and its working groups in order to develop noise certification standards and recommended practices for commercial transport aircraft and addressing noise and emissions issues linked to airports and operations.
Ms. Cointin has seventeen years of experience in policy and regulatory aircraft noise and operations issues both with domestic and foreign authorities. Prior to joining the FAA, Ms. Cointin worked for multiple aviation-consulting firms. Ms. Cointin received her Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and her Masters of Science degree in Applied Mathematics from University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Cindy Hasselbring
Cindy Hasselbring currently serves as Senior Policy Advisor and Assistant Director for STEM Education at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In this role, Cindy co-chairs the FC-STEM committee that provides leadership, guidance, and coordination to Federal agencies with STEM education investments to implement the Federal STEM Education Strategic Plan in addition to shaping Federal policy in STEM education.
Previously, she was the Senior Director for AOPA’s High School Aviation Initiative and led efforts to build a four-year aviation STEM curriculum to inspire more students to enter careers in aviation and aerospace. In addition, she developed and planned AOPA’s annual High School Aviation STEM Symposium, which most recently hosted more than 350 educators, administrators, industry representatives and government officials at the United Airlines Flight Training Center in Denver, Colorado.
She led STEM initiatives as Special Assistant to the State Superintendent at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) including the expansion of computer science, development of a youth apprenticeship program, and conducting STEM education workshops for approximately 300 Maryland educators. Prior to working at MSDE, Cindy completed two years as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at the National Science Foundation in Arlington, Virginia where she participated in the development of the former Federal STEM education strategic plan.
She is a 16-year veteran mathematics teacher at Milan High School in Michigan and was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and earned National Board Certification during her teaching tenure. As a teacher, she was heavily involved in NASA’s Network of Educator Astronaut Teacher program and participated in numerous teacher workshops and two reduced gravity flights. Cindy was one of 120 applicants invited to interview for the NASA Astronaut Candidate program in 2013. She learned to fly in Ann Arbor, Michigan and enjoys flying as a private pilot and has her seaplane rating.
David Richardson
P. Barry Bulter
In 2017, P. Barry Butler became the sixth president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s leading institution of higher education focusing on aviation and aerospace.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University offers more than 100 bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Aviation, Business, Engineering, and Security & Intelligence. Embry-Riddle educates more than 34,000 students annually at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona, as well as through the Worldwide Campus at locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and through online programs.
Under his presidency, Embry-Riddle continues to expand discovery-driven degree programs and its research park is home to new aerospace patents, technology transfer and startups. Butler has encouraged collaboration with industry, resulting in expedited hiring initiatives with leading aviation and aerospace industries. He is expanding the university’s interest in aviation cybersecurity, aviation data analytics and autonomous vehicles. The university also created new partnerships to prime the aviation/aerospace pipeline.
As a strong advocate for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, Butler supports a dual-enrollment program with the Gaetz Aerospace Institute. The institute offers more than 40 university courses to students in 84 Florida high schools. At the Arizona Campus, the STEM Education Center serves as a hub of enrichment for students, faculty, researchers and the community.
Previously, Butler was Executive Vice President and Provost of the University of Iowa. He was responsible for more than 100 academic programs in 11 colleges. For ten years, he served as Dean of the College of Engineering.
Butler is on the board of the Hoover Presidential Foundation and The Wings Club. He is a member of The Civic League of the Halifax Area. He is a private and glider pilot.
He earned three degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: a bachelor’s in Aeronautical Engineering, a master’s in Astronautical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering.
Noel Duerksen
Dr. Noel Duerksen has a Bachelor’s, Master’s and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University. He has authored papers concerning advanced flight control concepts for general aviation including the use of neural networks and fuzzy logic systems. He has been a professor for flight dynamics at Wichita State and supervised several NASA and FAA funded university project as an industry advisor.
Dr. Duerksen worked at Beech Aircraft as a Test Pilot and Advanced Design Engineer for 23 years and became an Engineering Fellow. Notable projects as Test Pilot were the Starship, Beechjet and a fly-by-wire Bonanza with automatic landing for which he was the project engineer, algorithm developer and programmer.
Dr. Duerksen worked at Garmin for 14 years as an Automatic Flight Controls Engineer, Test Pilot and Staff Engineer where he was instrumental in developing Garmin’s avionics systems including synthetic vision, FMS, autopilot, auto throttle, under speed protection, Electronic Stability and Protection system and Fault Tolerant Architecture. He was also the technical lead for the Emergency Autoland system and developed several of the underlying algorithms.
He has and Airline Transport Pilot License, and is type rated in the Beechjet. He is also a single engine, multi-engine and instrument airplane flight instructor as well as a helicopter and helicopter instrument flight instructor.
Dr. Duerksen is now a consultant working with the FAA and NASA to develop a certification path for advanced cockpit concepts.
Borja Martos
Dr. Borja Martos is president of Flight Level Engineering (FLE) and is an expert in fly-by-wire in-flight simulator aircraft and active feel systems. Dr. Martos has an FAA airline transport pilot rating with instrument and multi-engine instructor ratings and a PhD in aerospace engineering. FLE specializes in rapid flight control software and hardware prototyping. FLE owns and operates two FBW in-flight simulator / flight controls testbed aircraft with ground-based simulations, produces active feel systems and automation display concepts, and is a leader in human centered autonomy and simplified vehicle operation concepts.
Gene Holloway
View Official Bio
As our CSO, Gene leads our company’s objective to elevate Aerion as a global thought leader in environmental responsibility and sustainability.
Gene is passionately committed to environmental responsibility and creating a more sustainable world through work at the intersection of advanced technologies, environment, public good, and the protection of our planet. He works with all organizations within Aerion, across our industry team, and with outside organizations to ensure we meet our environmental and sustainability objectives.
Prior to Aerion, his 45-year aerospace career spanned positions with NASA, Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin in advanced concepts development, systems integration, and air vehicle production, testing and delivery. Gene’s experience in technology commercialization and licensing, joint venture development, industrial participation, market analysis, and strategic planning will aid Aerion to ensure a global transition to sustainable aviation fuels, ensure natural resource management to significantly increase carbon sequestration from the atmosphere, and effectively communicate, educate, and grow advocacy for Aerion’s approach to a sustainable next generation of global transportation networks..
Gene holds a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering from Auburn University and a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School.
Tom Vice
Tom is the Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Aerion Corporation. Aerion is a leader in supersonic civil aircraft and advanced design software tools and technologies.
Tom retired from Northrop Grumman after nearly 31 distinguished years of service with the company. He served as President of its Aerospace Systems sector, overseeing an $11 billion global advanced technology business with 23,000 employees. Aerospace Systems is a pioneer in space-based observatories, satellites, fully autonomous systems, combat aircraft, high-powered lasers, and microelectronics.
Previously, Tom was President of Northrop Grumman’s Technical Services sector, a leader in integrated logistics and modernization, defense and government services, and training solutions, with more than19,500 employees in 300 locations in all 50 states and 29 countries.
Tom joined Northrop Grumman in 1986 as an engineer on the B-2 Stealth Bomber. Over the span of his career, he led nearly every aspect of the business: strategy, engineering, program management, advanced programs and technology, manufacturing and operations, supply chain management, business development, and information technology.
Tom earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California.He has completed numerous advanced management programs including MIT’s Corporate Strategy; Northwestern’s Value Creation through M&A; Caltech’s Management of Technology and Innovation; Caltech’s Strategic Marketing of Technology Products; UCLA’s Executive Marketing; and Defense Acquisition University’s Advanced Program Management course.
Tom serves on the board of directors of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA); the board of directors of Local Motors Industries, a technology-enabled manufacturer focus on mobility products; the board of councilors for USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering; the board of advisors for Purdue University’s School of Astronautics and Aeronautics; and previously served on the board of governors for the USO; the board of trustees for the Florida Institute of Technology; and the board of Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Tom is the recipient of the 2016 Daniel J. Epstein Engineering Management Award from the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering. The Engineering Management Award was founded in 1978 to recognize industry leaders who have made lasting contributions to science and engineering through exemplary professional accomplishments and contributions to the field of engineering management.
Tom and his wife, Kim, have been married for 33 years and have two daughters, Shannon and Hailey.