External Research Advisory Panel

Ms. Magdalena Navarro currently serves as Senior International Program Manager in the International and Academic Office (IAAO) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In that role, she is responsible for managing the international portfolios at NIST, including developing and implementing NIST international S&T policies, and serving as NIST liaison with foreign and U.S. government institutions and universities for research collaborations.

In 2012, Ms. Navarro served as Senior Policy Analyst at the Office of Science and Technology (OSTP) of the White House developing International S&T Policy and assisting the Science Advisor to the President on issues of critical importance for the Nation such as energy, climate, and cybersecurity. From 1992 to 1999, she served as physical scientist conducting research in Photometry and Radiometry in the Optical Technology Division of the NIST’s Physical Measurement Laboratory and from 1990 -1992 perform research as a research biologist in the fields of fire and toxicity of materials.

Prior to NIST, Ms. Navarro served from 1987 to 1990 as research biologist in clinical research at National Institute of Health’s Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism under the Institute of Mental Health

She has received numerous awards and most recently in 2021 and 2018, Ms Navarro received NIST MML Accolades Award for Service in Professional Organizations, and in 2011 received the NIST Bronze Medal. In 2011, she was also inducted as a Distinguished Scientist to the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society. She has served in the selection committees for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)-Lemelson Invention Ambassadors and the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum.

Ms. Navarro was appointed in 2021 by Governor Hogan as Commissioner to the Maryland’s Civil Rights Commission for a six-year term. Ms. Navarro served on Morgan State University External Research Advisory Panel and currently serves on the University of the District of Columbia’s External Research Advisory Panel. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and minor in Chemistry from the University of Maryland and two Master’s in Science degrees in Engineering Management and IT from George Washington University.

Ms. Magdalena Navarro was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and as hobbies enjoys traveling, learning languages, running, and bicycling.

DEAN R. COLLINS is an Adjunct Research Staff Member at the Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA), providing support for the DoD and OSTP on a wide range of strategic projects. He is also a Managing Member of DRC Consulting LLC, providing scientific and engineering consulting services to government, public and private entities. Representative areas of expertise include electronics, semiconductors, photonics, MEMS, visible and IR sensors, energy sources, manufacturing technology, supply chain management, computer systems, quantum computing, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), and cybersecurity.

He previously was a chief scientist at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where he served as Deputy Director of the DARPA Microsystems Technology Office (MTO). In this role, he was responsible for the monitoring, analysis, and evaluation of over 100 research projects directed by the MTO Program Managers. He also initiated and managed a unique major new office thrust in Supply Chain Cybersecurity, “TRUST in Integrated Circuits,” which was focused on evaluating potential threats from integrated circuits designed or fabricated offshore.

From 2000 to 2005, he was Director of the Advanced Research and Development Activity in Information Technology (ARDA), a precursor to the present IARPA, supporting the entire US intelligence community.

From 1996-2000 he worked as Chief of the High-Performance Systems and Services Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). One of the highlights of the Division’s achievements was the development of an international standard for data exchange for electronic books. This standard allowed a common framework for both publishers and electronic book manufactures to use and enabled the present surge in the commercial sales of electronic books.

From 1995 to 1996, he worked as the Director of the Electronics and Photonics Technology Office at NIST, where he was responsible for program direction in broad areas of electronic and optics technology. Duties included evaluating high-risk technical proposals with high commercial and economic benefits.

From 1966-1994 he worked at Texas Instruments as Director of the Systems Components Laboratory, Director of the Interface Technology Laboratory, and Director of the Charge Coupled Device Laboratory.

Dr. Collins is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and a member of Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, and the American Physical Society. He has S.B. and S.M. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, where he held a Westinghouse Fellowship; all degrees are in electrical engineering.

From 1966-1994 he worked as Director of the Systems Components Laboratory, Director of the Interface Technology Laboratory, and Director of the Charge Coupled Device Laboratory at Texas instruments. He is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and a member of Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, and the American Physical Society. Dr. Collins has an S.B. and S.M. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, where he held a Westinghouse Fellowship, all degrees are in electrical engineering.

Dr. Tom Rush is the Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East at PASCO. Before joining PASCO, Tom started his career as a research scientist with AT&T Bell Laboratories in NJ, He was charged in 1993 with opening the AT&T Government Communications office in South Africa. As the managing director for AT&T in South Africa, he was successful in selling AT&T’s products and services into the African government market. When AT&T formed Lucent Technologies in 2007, Tom’s responsibility
included selling Lucent Technologies products in Africa as well as in
the Middle East.
Dr. Rush holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken NJ, a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland College Park Md and a Master’s Degree in Chemistry from Howard University in Washington DC.

Darryl W. Lunon, II is an accomplished civil engineer, attorney, and commissioned military officer with transactional and litigation experience. He currently works at The Pennsylvania State University as Associate General Counsel and Director of Compliance. Prior to joining Penn State’s Office of General Counsel, he was Assistant Counsel for the U.S. Navy’s Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Mid-Atlantic in Norfolk, VA. While at NAVFAC, Darryl’s practice included procurement, federal real estate, fiscal law, and ethics. Before joining NAVFAC, Darryl was Associate District Counsel for The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in Louisville, KY. While at USACE, his practice included procurement and federal real estate, as well as protecting the Government’s interests in litigation before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals and the Government Accountability Office. Darryl is also a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Reserve’s Judge Advocate Corps, and was mobilized to Fort Bragg as a member of the XVIII Airborne Corp’s Office of the Staff Judge Advocate to support Operation Enduring Freedom. Currently, he serves as the International Law Officer for the 404th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne).
Prior to becoming an attorney, Darryl practiced as a civil engineer/construction manager for multi-billion dollar airport capital improvement projects both at Washington Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, GA. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in General Science from Morehouse College. Darryl earned his Juris Doctorate and Certificate of Legal Writing from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. Darryl’s education and career have given him significant experience negotiating, structuring, reviewing, and litigating complex contracts for the DOD and private clients. His experience also enables him to both develop effective organization-wide policies, as well as provide legal advice and counsel on a wide variety of issues.

Joanne C. Murphy brings over 20 years’ experience developing innovative strategies and solutions for the Fortune 200 to identify opportunities and solve business problems using emerging technology as a competitive strategic advantage to spearhead global corporate growth.

Joanne holds a Master’s of Science in Technology Management co-sponsored by The Wharton School and the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in microwave engineering and semiconductors from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. CISSP, CCNA and an abundant number of Bellcore Certifications.

Joanne co-founded Mobiquity Inc., a mobile strategy, customer experience and digital transformation firm, which was acquired by Hexaware Technologies Ltd. in June 2019. As Vice President of Client Solutions, Joanne was instrumental to lead F100 clients in their digital transformation journey, improve the client experience and create a sustainable profitable revenue for Mobiquity Inc. at onset.

Joanne’s former role as AT&T Director of Strategy and Innovation, responsible for over a $1 Billion revenue stream, enabled her to act as a member of both business and technology Fortune 500 executive teams to translate and align corporate business strategic direction into technology enabled solutions. These technology solutions are used as a catalyst for strategic advantage to exceed global business goals and spearhead corporate global growth.

She enjoys identifying business opportunities availed by emerging technology such as, but not limited to, 5G, IOT, AI/ML, Mobility, Cloud Networking and Security to improve our lives and increase the efficiency and profitability of firms.

Dr. Junior is a results-focused and goal-oriented program management expert with a track record of success leading organizational performance improvements. He develops and implements data-driven, engaging, and transformative change initiatives to help clients improve operational efficiency, employee engagement, and business performance. He has broad experience guiding executive leadership teams in the end-to-end design and implementation of organizational development initiatives that champion diversity, equity, and inclusivity. He is adept at preparing and delivering training and mentoring programs that increase employee capacity and positively affect the top and bottom lines. Dr. Junior has a keen aptitude for building productive partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to accomplish short- and long-term objectives. Other areas of expertise include Strategic DEI Planning, Succession & Workforce Planning, Learning Needs Assessment, Curriculum & Instructional Design, Training & Development, Leadership Development, and Executive Coaching.

He is on the Board of Advisors for Howard University’s School of Business, Executive Education Programs- the Board of Advisors for the University of the District of Columbia, External Research Advisory Board, the Advisory Council for the University of Richmond’s School of Business, Customer Experience Program, and the Forbes Magazine- Business Council.

He led cutting-edge projects for 25 years that involved scientific research and educational program development at the Office of Naval Research (ONR), managing an annual $45 million basic and applied research budget as Director, Department of the Navy HBCU/MI Program Office while directing STEM education programs with an $85 million annual budget. As Deputy Director, ONR office of small business programs, he assisted in the oversight of $500 million in small business contracts.

With more than 55 years of experience, William A. Lester, Jr. PhD, has held positions in government, industry, and academia. He began his career with the National Bureau of Standards as Physical Chemist from 1961 to 1964. From 1964 to 1968 he held multiple
posts at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, first as a Postdoctoral Associate, 1964 to 1965, followed by Assistant Director, Theoretical Chemistry Institute, 1965 to 1968 and Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, 1966 to 1968.

Between 1968 and 1978, Dr. Lester was with the IBM Corporation, initially as a Staff Member, San Jose Research Laboratory, subsequently as a member of the Technical Planning staff at the T. J. Watson Research Center, followed by appointment as Manager at the San Jose Laboratory.
From 1978 to 1981, Dr. Lester held the positions concurrently of Director, National Resource for Computation in Chemistry, and Associate Director, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,.
In 1981, Dr. Lester was appointed Professor in the Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, and Faculty Senior Scientist, at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. From 1991 to 1995, he also served as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs, College of Chemistry, UC Berkeley. For 1995-1996, he served the National Science Foundation as Senior Fellow for Science and Engineering and Assistant to the Director for Human Resource Development.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Lester has received recognition and a number of awards. These include the Percy L. Julian Award in 1979 from the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE). the Alumni Award in Science in 1983 from the Catholic University of America, the Outstanding Teacher Award from NOBCChE in 1986, and the Outstanding Service Award from the National Science Foundation in 1996.
He is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society, the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the California Academy of Sciences. In 2006, he became a member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science and a Fellow of the African Science Institute.
In 2018, Dr. Lester was honored with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received the International Association of Top Professionals Lifetime Achievement Award for 2019.

Dr. Ramesh Kolluru is the Vice President for Research, Innovation and Economic Development at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In this role, he establishes the strategic vision and plans, as well as leads initiatives that drive the transition of UL to a toptier research university through research, scholarship, innovation, and economic development activities of its students, staff, and faculty. His efforts are focused on expanding UL’s regional, national,
and global impact through the discovery and dissemination of knowledge, embodied in its motto of being commitment to “Research for a Reason.”
He provides leadership to the university’s offices and functions related to research and sponsored programs, research integrity, innovation management,
entrepreneurship, and economic development. Additionally, he oversees operations of the University Research Park, as well as various research centers and institutes at UL Lafayette. Under his leadership, the University continues to expand its research portfolio, growing its reported annual R&D expenditures
from $62M in 2013 to over $100M in 2017. He has served as member of the team to help recruit several IT and biotech companies, helping create more than 2000 knowledge-economy jobs in the region. He is a tenured Professor in the School of Computing and Informatics. He is a recognized researcher in the field of computing and data science, with a distinguished record of applying research to solve societal challenges in the areas of health care, homeland security, cybersecurity, and emergency management, public-private partnerships, and big data analytics, among others. During his career as researcher, he founded and led three premier applied research centers – the Center for Business and Information Technologies with its focus on healthcare innovation; the National Incident Management Systems and Advanced Technologies Institute with its focus on public-private partnerships; and the Center for Visual and Decision Informatics, the nation’s only National Science Foundation “big data” center of excellence. Through his research, he has generated more than $75 million in external funds from various federal and state agencies and the private sector, supporting the educational and scholarly pursuits of over 190 students.
He has been appointed by FEMA Administrator to the FEMA National Advisory Council to serve a threeyear term from 2018 through 2021. In addition, Governor John Bel Edwards appointed him as a Commissioner of the Louisiana Cybersecurity Commission, chairing two of its 8 committees. He also serves as the Chair of Technology and Innovation Committee of the Louisiana Supply Chain and Transportation Council, established by the State Legislature in 2016. He has been nominated to the American Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) to the Executive Committee of its national Council for Research (COR). Lafayette Parish Mayor-President Joel Robideaux appointed Dr. Kolluru as a Trustee of the 5-member Lafayette Public Innovation Alliance. He represents the University as counselor of the Oak Ridge Associated Universities, trustee of the Southern Universities Research Alliance, and member of the Louisiana RESTORE Act Center of Excellence Executive Committee. Additionally, he serves on the executive committees and boards of OneAcadiana, Lafayette Economic Development Authority, Opportunity Machine, and as Chair of the United Way of Acadiana Education Committee.
Born and raised in India, Dr. Kolluru has lived in Lafayette for over 25 years. Recipient of the Governor’s Technology Leader of the Year award in 2008.

Dr. Varshneya received both his Ph. D. and M.S. in Physics from The Catholic University of America, Washington DC. He is an accomplished and results oriented visionary scientist with demonstrated track record in innovating, developing, managing and manufacturing advanced systems using cutting edge technologies. Dr. Varshneya has over 38 years of technical experience that covers a wide spectrum of technologies, products and electro-optical systems combined with experiences in
leadership, management and profit and loss. After retiring from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), he founded XeroWind, LLC, a small business, focused at developing challenging technologies for the Department of Defense (DOD). While serving at DARPA for 8 years, he was accountable for managing a total budget of approximately $200 million in the execution of high-risk high pay-off programs. He has proven track record in the investigation of complex problems with innovative solutions, preparing and presenting briefs with strategic execution plans to top leadership in the Government. He is a visionary leader with the ability to lead change, identify and capitalize on strengths of individuals in the management of multiple teams of scientist, engineers and professors in the execution and transition of advanced technologies. He is talented in negotiating and executing
multi-million-dollar programs of major importance and high security classification. Dr. Varshneya has demonstrated his skills by bringing many novel products to markets; some of which are currently deployed by the DOD around the world. He has advised commercial industry in launching new products, analysis of market caps, defining competitive edge, market demands with cost bogies to first enter market. His core technical competencies include: Multi-disciplinary & unconventional domain knowledge in Optical Sensors, Free Space and Fiber Optical Communications, Signal processing, Imaging, Spectroscopy, Fibers, Lasers, Detectors, Cameras, GPS, High Strength Materials with Systems Analysis, System Design to cost, environment qualification, field testing. Dr. Varshneya is a recipient of over 22 US Patents with Gold awards in the development and delivery of UK Ministry of Defense Live Maneuver Training Range, Silver and Bronze awards for the development of Fiber Optic Flight Controls. He has been an invited speaker at the SPIE, GOMAC, MSS and ITS and has published 6 papers in professional journals and presented over numerous papers in conferences.

Mr. Gallas is the Chief Executive Officer of a talented and award-winning urban
planning and design firm. Under his leadership, Torti Gallas + Partners has gained
international recognition as a firm dedicated to advancing the principles of the New
Urbanism, Sustainability and Smart Growth to meet the challenges of our time. Torti
Gallas is a leader in designing residential, mixed-use, and transit-oriented communities
throughout the United States and abroad.
Mr. Gallas and his firm’s focus on Neighborhood Revitalization has provided an
important catalyst for transformation in numerous cities and suburbs around the
world. He and his partners are passionate about designing buildings and neighborhoods
that enhance the urban environment, and are committed to improving the physical,
social and economic aspects of communities. In the District of Columbia, the firm
has designed over 15,000 residential units, 5,000 of which are Affordable Housing,
and have designed transformative projects in every Ward of the City. Many of these
neighborhood transformations are built upon what Mr. Gallas calls “ADDification®”
– designing quality affordable housing that ADDS to the quality housing stock and
economic opportunities without displacing residents.
Mr. Gallas contributes a broad spectrum of design, financial and management skills to assist private and public clients and their stakeholders in creating valued places to live, work, shop and play. His financial background provides him with a deeply rooted appreciation and understanding of the complex decisions in realizing successful community transformations. And his management expertise enhances his ability to coordinate the efforts of a broad cross  section of participants encompassing residents and community representatives, developers, planners, architects, engineers, financial, social and other expert consultants brought together to ensure successful implementation of the firm’s visionary
plans through a consensus-based approach.
Mr. Gallas is recognized as a national leader in the design and revitalization of communities throughout the United States.
As testament to his leadership and expertise, President Barack Obama appointed Mr. Gallas to the National Capital Planning Commission in 2016. He served a six-year term as the Presidential appointee representing the State of Maryland.

Mr. Gallas serves on the University of the District of Columbia’s External Research Advisory Panel and the University of
Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation Board of Visitors. He received a Bachelor of Science degree
from the University of Maryland and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Victor R. McCrary is the Vice President for Research and Graduate Programs at the University of the District of Columbia. Prior to this position, he was Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and before that the first Vice President for Research and Economic Development at Morgan State University,
Baltimore, MD. He is a change agent and serial innovator responsible for developing a comprehensive research strategy, fostering cross-disciplinary research, expanding research programs via engagement with federal and state agencies ($32M in FY16), increasing the University’s intellectual property portfolio, and
positioning Morgan State as Maryland’s Public, Urban Research University. Previously, he was the Business Area Executive for Science & Technology at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), where he directed investments totaling over $60M for basic and applied research projects targeted for national security and space applications. In 2005, Dr. McCrary was selected to the rank of Principal Professional Staff at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He is a former national president of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), and a Fellow of the American Chemical Society.
McCrary has serves on numerous committees including; the Intelligence Science and Technology Experts Group of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine; the advisory board for electrical and computer engineering at The Citadel, and the advisory board of the Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State. He served on the subcommittee for the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) the board of the Maryland Innovation Initiative of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO); and the PubMed Central National Advisory Committee for the National Institutes of Health.
He has authored or co-authored over 60 technical papers and co-edited two books in his career at AT&T Bell Laboratories and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He is blessed to have received a number of honors and awards during his career including: Most Promising Black Engineer in 1990; co-recipient of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Gold Medal in 2000; the 2002 NOBCChE Percy Julian Award; in 2005, he was featured in Science Spectrum Magazine as one of the Top 50 Minorities in Science, and elected to the 2007 DVD Association’s Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was honored as Scientist of the Year by the Annual Black Engineer of the Year Award-STEM Conference. In 2015 he received the Alumni Award for Research Excellence from The Catholic University of America, and Distinguished Alumni Award by Howard University in 2017.
McCrary was appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Science Board, which oversees the
National Science Foundation, in October 2016

Dr. Milligan has over 30 years experience in management of programs focused on technologies for areas that include countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, Counter Terrorism, and Counter Intelligence.  Dr. Milligan has a broad technical background in explosive blast phenomena, cyber security, image and data processing techniques, numerical modeling and artificial intelligence.   His assignments at JHU/APL have included Program Area Manager for Military WMD Defeat, Program Manager for the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Programs, and Chief Technology Officer for Program Executive Office-Aircraft Carriers.

Prior to joining JHU/APL, Dr. Milligan managed the Submarine Combat Protection Exploratory Development Project for the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Bethesda Maryland.  He also managed the DARPA Intelligent Shock Mitigation and Isolation Project where he led the effort to develop semi-active shock control systems for both surface ship and submarine structures.  Dr. Milligan has also worked as a Mechanical Engineer for Martin Marietta Aero and Naval Systems and for General Dynamics where he performed stress analysis in support of efforts to retrofit and/or repair F-111 bombers.

Dr. Milligan is currently the Chief Scientist for APL’s Homeland Protection Mission Area.  In this role, He promotes innovation and incubation of new programs, coordinates Internal Research and Development Initiatives (IRAD) focused on domestic security issues and capability gaps.

He also established APL’s Integrated Information and Intelligence Systems program leading an elite team of scientists and engineers focused on developing cutting edge, AI-Driven solutions to National Security Problems in cyber, counterintelligence and critical infrastructure protection.    He holds the following degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland: Ph.D, M.S., and B.S.

Dr. Schutte’s career focused on federal research and development programs at NIST, DOC, DOE, and DOD.  She retired as Branch Chief for Physical, Chemical and Biological Sciences at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, DOD, where she provided leadership for the annual execution of $244M in Basic Research and Development Programs,  She managed a staff of 18 experts who  led Quantum Information Science, Atomic and Molecular Science, Space Science, Physics of Remote Sensing, Electromagnetics, Directed Energy programs including Plasma and High Energy Electromagnetics, Lasers and Optical Physics, and Ultrashort Pulsed Laser Matter Interactions, Optoelectronics, Theoretical Chemistry and Molecular Dynamics, Organic Materials, BioPhysics, Natural Materials and Human Performance.  Her team also managed the Young Investigator Research Program, Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientist and Engineers, the AFRL Science and Technology Fellowship Program, the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program, SBIR/STTR, Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions Program,  Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, DepSCoR, Multi University Research Initiative, MURI, and DURIP, the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program. She received a “recognition coin” award for exceptional achievement by the Air Force Research Laboratory Nov 2019 Science Advisory Board.  

Previously she served as team lead for Materials at the Vehicles Technology Office, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy, she led materials development for lightweight and propulsion materials. Under her leadership, the team developed a long-term strategy based on requirements and science gaps for lightweighting and propulsion materials through a joint light and heavy-duty vehicle workshop engaging supplier base.  She managed the development of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Carbon Fiber Manufacturing Facility – a 25 T per year facility for research and evaluation of nontraditional fiber precursors on the cost and performance of low-cost carbon fiber that could be used in lightweighting on-highway vehicles.  Her team developed and transitioned technology on plasma oxidation of carbon fiber precursors– the first step in carbon fiber manufacturing which traditionally is the slow step (expensive) in the process.  This successful innovation enabled increasing the speed and output of the fiber by a factor of 3. The impact on overall cost was a reduction of at least 10% with excellent properties.

At NIST, Department of Commerce, she managed the Advanced Technology Program’s Manufacturing Composite Structures Focal Program, a $138M program addressing affordable lightweight structures for surface transportation, offshore oil, and civil infrastructure.

She has a Ph.D., from MIT in Material Science and Engineering and a B.S. in Chemistry from RPI.

She achieved DOD certification as a level 3 S&T Manager

Dr. Candi Hudson is currently Senior Engineer Technical Advisor for the Emerging Technologies Branch in the Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs for the US Department of the Interior Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement in Sterling, Virginia.  Dr. Hudson provides expertise in identifying and overseeing rapid innovative research programs addressing emerging technologies and regulatory gaps ensuring the safety of offshore energy/renewable activities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).  She also conducts technical evaluations of requests to utilize innovative emerging technologies, and novel materials for energy activities on the OCS and supports forensic investigations of offshore incidents involving emerging technologies.

Dr. Candi Hudson also served as the Response Research Branch Chief in the Oil Spill Preparedness Division (OSPD), Response Research Branch (RRB) for the US Department of the Interior (DOI) Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) in Sterling, Virginia.  She has held this role since 2018. In this role, she oversees Oil Spill Response Research and manages the Ohmsett test facility where full-scale oil spill response research, testing, and training are conducted in a simulated, in-situ marine environment.

Dr. Hudson brings a diverse background in engineering, research, industry, and academia across numerous industries including defense, aerospace, aviation, intelligence, forensic investigations, energy, and alternative energy. Her extensive contributions encompass expert forensic identification of the root cause of failures as well as the development of emerging technologies utilizing novel materials for products and systems. Her innovative solutions ensure compliance with industry standards and federal regulations. She has conducted research, product development, and failure analysis in the following areas:  coal-water slurry fuels, corrosion, nanotechnology, alloys, composites, elastomers, carbon, ceramics, high-temperature applications, microscopy characterization, and materials properties test methods.

Prior to her RRB role, Dr. Hudson was the Systems Reliability Section (SRS) Chief in the Emerging Technologies Branch in the Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs.  As the SRS Chief, she managed SRS/Quality Control-Failure Incident Team (QC-FIT) technical evaluations for offshore industry issues.  QC-FIT technical evaluations focus on the identification of quality assurance/quality control concerns for equipment that may be insufficient for safe oil and gas operations and environmental protection on the Outer Continental Shelf.  As SRS Chief, Dr. Hudson addressed a systemic global safety critical drilling equipment bolt failure which resulted in the replacement of 10,000 bolts globally.

Dr. Hudson’s experience includes roles in industry, not-for-profit-laboratory, federal and municipal government, and academia.  As a Senior Materials Scientist for Schlumberger, a multi-national company Schlumberger she championed the research, testing, development, and investigation of oilfield/drilling products and tools. At Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory as Senior Materials Research Engineer, she developed high-temperature coatings for hypersonic ordnance defense applications and carbon nanotube composites for NASA spacecraft thermal load/payload reductions as well as wrote and procured grants for research. She was a Materials Research Engineer with Continental Carbon Company

Dr. Ford is the CEO of ATHOS 1 LLC, a Health IT consulting firm she founded after recently retiring as a CAPTAIN in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps. Dr. Ford brings 25+ years of healthcare operations and health informatics expertise spanning HHS, DOD, and the private sector.
Over the past ten years she served as a Senior Technical Advisor at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) leading innovation projects enabling access to and analysis of data for supporting FDA’s regulatory review processes and policy decisions. This included serving as a subject expert on CDER’s Opioids Governance Board providing leadership and coordination of informatics activities for developing and implementing a national, enterprise and cloud-based Opioid’s data warehouse and analytics system. She was appointed by FDA as a Public Private Partnership liaison for a newly established Consortium where she presented and received information, and views on behalf of CDER aimed at bridging scientific gaps in drug discovery and development.
Dr. Ford was handpicked by the Health and Human Services (HHS) Deputy Secretary as one of the first FDA representatives and USPHS Officers to serve as a fellow in the prestigious White House Leadership Development Program (WHLDP). As a WHLDP Fellow, Dr. Ford enabled the successful transfer of the National Background Investigations Bureau from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to the Department of Defense (DoD). During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Ford provided public health guidance to the DoD workforce aiding DoD’s continued mission-sensitive operations. For such outstanding efforts, Dr. Ford was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, marking the first time a WHLDP fellow received such a distinguished, and
individual award. Following the passage of 2010 Affordable Care Act, she was 1 of 6 federal employees selected to support HHS’s newly established health domain governance office where she served as a Business Architect and a member of HHS’s IT Project Management Office, responsible for managing and identifying commonalities among a $7B Health IT investment portfolio comprised of more than 700 investments across HHS.
Dr. Ford served as the Deputy Director for Planning in HHS’s, Administration for Children and Families in the Office of Human Services and Response where she coordinated federal planning, policy, and operations for emergency and disaster preparedness, response, and recovery leading nationwide implementation of Emergency Support Function-6, human services.
She coordinated the delivery of Federal human services activities across ten regional offices when local, tribal, and state response needs exceeded capabilities during federally declared disasters and public health emergencies. Dr. Ford was awarded an Outstanding Service Medal for developing core data measures and planning efforts across ACF’s human services programs impacted by the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.
At HHS’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), she served as a Senior Health Insurance Specialist and Enterprise Architect in various roles over a decade, which included serving as a HIPAA expert, health informatics expert, and helping stand up the newly established Medicaid Integrity Group, Division of Fraud Research and Detection. She provided leadership and subject expertise for developing CMS’s first electronic detection system Data Engine/Data warehouse, for combating fraud, waste, and abuse across its 56 State Medicaid programs to safeguard the health and welfare of Medicaid recipients nationally. Dr. Ford also served as a subject expert implementing nationwide health initiatives enabling Federal governments to exchange electronic health information under the President’s e-Government, Consolidated Health Informatics initiative, which included serving as a Healthcare IT Standards Panel Technical Committee Standards Reviewer. She co-developed CMS’ 1st Health Care
Administration segment architecture that enabled consolidation and reuse of existing technologies across CMS’ disparate Health IT investments. Dr. Ford was appointed as one of FDA’s designated Critical Partner Reviewers, to serve as an agency representative for establishing key alignments to a newly released Business Reference Model that helped identify commonalities among Health IT systems across HHS’s eleven operating and staffing divisions.
Dr. Ford served as an acquisition professional spanning 20 years in the Federal Government performing contract management, program, and project management activities. She was certified by the Federal Acquisition Institute as a Program and Project Managers (FAC-P/PM) Level-III and Contracting Officer’s Representatives (FAC-COR) Level-III where she led, developed, and managed large government contracts and IT across the government.
Dr. Ford holds a Doctor of Public Health degree in Health Advocacy and Leadership, a Master of Health Administration degree, and a Master of Information Systems degree. She is a recipient of the Executive Leadership certificate from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Leadership Education and Development Program.
Additionally, she is a graduate of the Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executives program and is a formally trained Enterprise Architect with extensive health IT and health operations experience in the federal and private sector