Hal Chrisman:
Vice President • ICF SH&E
Hal Chrisman brings to clients 26 years of aviation and aerospace industry experience split evenly between consulting and executive–level industry positions. Mr. Chrisman leads ICF SH&E's Defense and Rotary Wing Practice, but has expertise across the commercial and military aerospace OEM and MRO sectors. His functional focus has been strategic planning, process improvement, industrial marketing and due diligence. His experience has been focused on the defense industry, but spans all major market segments including commercial air transport and business and general aviation. Prior to joining ICF SH&E, Mr. Chrisman was a Principal with AeroStrategy, a boutique consultancy focused on the aviation and aerospace industries. Previously, Mr. Chrisman was Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for Pemco Aviation Group, Senior Vice President of Business Development for Aerospan, a spare parts eBusiness Joint Venture between AAR and SITA, Senior Director - Aerospace and Defense Solutions for Oracle Corporation, and a Principal with The Canaan Group, an aerospace consultancy. He began his career as a project engineer with Williams International, a leading gas turbine Original Equipment Manufacturer. Mr. Chrisman holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Hanover College, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA from the University of Michigan.
David Mandell joined AIA as Vice President, Membership and Business Development in January of 2010. He is responsible for recruitment and retention activities for membership, new business development and executing and improving member services. Prior to joining AIA, Mr. Mandell was the President & CEO of The p.i.n.k. Spirits Company, where he was responsible for developing, creating, and launching the first line of ultra-premium spirits infused with caffeine and guarana. The company was an award-winning enterprise and was successfully sold in May 2009. Prior to founding p.i.n.k., Mr. Mandell was the chief of staff to FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey. In this role, Mr. Mandell was responsible for assisting the Administrator in the day-to-day management of the agency, which has 50,000 employees and a $14 billion dollar budget. A key advisor to the administrator on all policy, press, legal and management issues, Mr. Mandell helped lead the development and execution of its first five-year strategic business plan tying employees' pay to organizational goals. Before joining the FAA, Mr. Mandell was Counsel to the Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board and a corporate litigator at the law firm of Blank Rome in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Col William Buckey was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1980. After being designated a Naval Aviator, his first FMF tour was with VMFA-312 flying the F-4 Phantom. He then served as an advanced jet instructor at NAS Pensacola, FL and Meridian, MS. After transitioning to the F/A-18, he deployed with VMFA-451 to the Mediterranean with Carrier Air Wing-13 aboard the U.S.S. Coral Sea (CV-43) in 1989, and subsequently participated in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990-91, where he flew 38 combat missions. In 1992 Mr. Buckey left active duty and spent seven years as a Professional Staff Member in the U.S. House of Representatives. Col Buckey attended the U.S. Naval War College during academic year 1999-2000 then joined the Washington staff of Governor Jeb Bush, advising the Governor on national security, space, and veterans issues from 2000-2003. In 2003 he returned to active duty as the Military Assistant to the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Technology Security and was further assigned to the staff of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq where he was Chief of Staff to the Inspector General. A member of the Senior Executive Service, he spent two years at NASA Headquarters before his appointment as Principal Assistant Deputy Undersecretary of Defense in Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E). Colonel Buckey is a graduate of the U.S. Naval War College with an M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies, Joint Forces Staff College, The International Joint Operations Planning Course at HMS Dryad, Southwick, England, and the Senior Managers in Government Course at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
William Buckey:
VP, Business Development & Sales Defense, & Govt. Market • Embraer
David Mandell
:
VP, Membership & Business Development • AIA
Alan K. Baker: Airlift Business Development • Boeing
Alan Baker is an Airlift Business Development Representative for Boeing's C-17 Program in Long Beach, California. In that capacity, he is responsible for marketing and sales for the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, and for the strategy that develops new mobility products to meet customer needs and ensure long-term airlift growth for the company. Alan joined the company in July 2007. Before coming to Boeing, he completed a highly successful career in the United States Air Force where he held key jobs at the squadron, wing, major command and joint command levels. He was the Director of Staff at Headquarters Air Mobility Command and commanded the 634th Air Mobility Support Squadron at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. He was a command pilot with over 3,500 flying hours in the C-5 and C-130 aircraft. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California where he received his bachelor of science degree in business administration. He has a master of science degree in operations management from the University of Arkansas and is a graduate of the United States Air Force Air War College, Joint Forces Staff College, United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College, United States Air Force Command and Staff College, and United States Air Force Squadron Officer School.
Ron Stearns: Research Director • G2 Solutions
Since joining G2 Solutions in 2007, Ron Stearns has been responsible for consulting fulfillment, business development and research report delivery with an emphasis on defense and unmanned systems. As an analyst, he is a member of G2 Solutions teams tasked with providing product positioning, technology to market, price/ position to win, customer needs analysis and forecasts. Prior to G2 Solutions, Mr. Stearns was the Director of Aerospace & Defense Consulting, North America for Frost & Sullivan. In close to ten years at F&S, he led research in commercial remote sensing and GPS markets, space access, aircraft, avionics, DoD acquisition and simulation and training markets. He authored more than 14 reports on geotechnologies, simulation and training, commercial launch services, aerospace materials and imaging radar markets. Mr. Stearns was a featured speaker at the 2011 SpeedNews Defense Suppliers Conference, the 2011 and 2012 Technology Training Corporation’s Unmanned Systems West Conference and AUVSI’s 2010 and 2011 Unmanned Systems North America, and is quoted regularly across a broad range of defense publications. Mr. Stearns holds a Master’s Degree (Public Administration) from California Lutheran University and a Bachelor’s Degree (Journalism) from Pepperdine University.
Philip Finnegan: Director, Corporate Analysis • Teal Group
Philip Finnegan is Director of Corporate Analysis at Teal Group. He has provided strategic and market analysis for clients in commercial aerospace and defense, including major U.S. and European prime contractors. He also writes and edits Teal's Defense and Aerospace Companies Briefing, which analyzes the performance, outlook and strategies of 50 aerospace and defense companies in the United States, Europe, Asia and South America. He is a co-author of the annual World Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems with responsibility for UAV companies. He has a monthly industry column in Homeland Security Today. Frequently cited as an expert on defense and aerospace companies, his comments have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the International Herald Tribune, Forbes, Fortune and numerous other publications. Before he joined the Teal Group, Mr. Finnegan covered business trends and international security issues for Defense News, a leading publication covering the worldwide defense industry. Earlier he worked for a year covering Central America as a special correspondent for U.S. News and World Report based in El Salvador. Mr. Finnegan earned a Bachelor's of Arts Degree in modern European history from Carleton College, a Master's of Arts in Modern European history from Stanford University, and an Master's of Arts in economics from the American University in Washington.
Jeff Roncka: Managing Partner • Renaissance Strategic Advisors
Jeffrey Roncka is a Managing Partner of Renaissance Strategic Advisors. Mr. Roncka’s background in the defense industry spans both the public and private sectors, including positions in Federal Government, investment banking, management consulting, litigation support services and governance, and having served on the board of directors of a publicly traded aerospace supplier. He has years of experience in due diligence support, corporate planning, customer and program analyses, opportunity identification, and other analytical services. He specializes in the U.S. and international defense industry and in strategic planning and business development processes. Mr. Roncka joined RSAdvisors in 2011. His prior experience includes eight years at Charles River Associates, where he led their Washington DC-based defense consulting team. Prior to that, he served as Senior Vice President at Global Technology Partners, LLC, a transaction advisory boutique founded by former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry and affiliated with the Rothschild family of investment banks. Mr. Roncka’s Federal Government experience began with his appointment as a Presidential Management Fellow in 1995, after which he spent five years in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Technology. Mr. Roncka graduated from Harvard College with an A.B. Degree in Modern European History and subsequently completed his Master’s Degree in National Security Policy from The George Washington University.Sean Walker is a Managing Director in the Aerospace and Defense Group at Salem Partners LLC.
His successful fourteen year track record of capital markets advisory includes M&A, cap raises,
leveraged recaps, work outs and divestitures, along with a host of cross border transactions. Having
served in the military for over eight years as a Naval Flight Officer in the F-14B Tomcat, Mr.
Walker is able to offer a unique perspective that reconciles business strategy with real world, tactical
application. His clients have ranged from private equity groups to modest, family-owned companies
to publicly traded, international corporations.
Mr. Walker received his Bachelor's Degree in Economics with a concentration in Finance from
the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, and a Master's Degree in Business
Administration from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA. He holds FINRA
Series 7, 63 and 24 securities licenses.
Rick Gibbs: Northrop Grumman (Retired) • Air Force Association
Rick Gibbs served in the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard, and U.S. Air Force Reserve from
January 1969 through May 2001. His career spanned the gamut from flying F-4s in Vietnam to F-111s
in peacetime to five years in Air Force Acquisition in the Pentagon. In his civilian career, he worked
in business development for the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, which was later acquired by the
Northrop Grumman Corporation. During his 31 years in aerospace, he worked on the F-16, B-1B,
DMSP, and SBIRS programs.
Currently, Mr. Gibbs wears many hats. He serves as a Secretary of Commerce appointee to the
California Inland Empire District Export Council. For the last six years, he has served on the
Riverside County Transportation Commission. He has also served his community of Murrieta,
California as Mayor and council member since 2005. And today, he is representing the Air Force
Association as an Air Power Advocate.
Dr. Tilden N. (Mike) Mikel: VP & Chief Engineer, Military Programs • Bell Helicopter
Dr. Tilden N. (Mike) Mikel is currently the Chief Engineer for Military Programs for Bell Helicopter. In this position, he is responsible for the technical integrity of all Bell Military Products. This includes the current Bell production programs (USMC AH-1Z Attack Helicopter, USMC UH-1Y Utility Helicopter, USMC MV-22 Osprey Tiltrotor Aircraft, USAF Special Operations CV-22 Osprey Tiltrotor Aircraft, and the Army OH-58D Kiowa Warrior Armed Scout Helicopter.), as well as all of Bell’s legacy aircraft flying in the armed services of countries around the world. Dr. Mikel’s previous assignments were as the Chief Engineer for the H-1 Program and the Chief Engineer for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. He has previously served at Bell Helicopter as Group Engineer of Operations Analysis and as a Staff Engineer in the Bell Engineering organization. In addition to contributions to the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior and V-22 Osprey Programs, he has been involved throughout this time in all upgrade activities associated with the H-1 family of US Army and US Marine Corps helicopters. He has served as an Integrated Product Team Leader (Survivability and Live Fire Test) on both the V-22 Osprey and the H-1 Upgrade Programs. Dr. Mikel received his Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering and Masters of Science Degrees in Industrial Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University. He received his PhD in Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington.Frank Houston: Senior Group Vice President, Corporate • Esterline
Mr. Houston joined Esterline early in his career at one of their Control Systems operations, Korry
Electronics, where he held a series of senior management assignments in operations, customer
service and marketing, eventually becoming Chief Operating Officer and later President. He also
accepted an assignment as President of Esterline’s Advanced Input Systems operation in Coeur
d’Alene, Idaho, shortly after Esterline acquired the business. He played a key role in integrating that
organization into Esterline.
In 2005, Mr. Houston was appointed to the position of Group Vice President for Esterline and was
promoted to Senior Group Vice President in 2010.
Mr. Houston holds an MBA from the University of Washington and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political
Science from Seattle Pacific University. He is a member of the Aerospace Industries Association
and the Manufacturers Alliance. He is also a member of the Executive Council for Seattle Pacific
University’s School of Business and Economics.
John Tylko: Vice President, Business Development • Aurora Flight Sciences
John Tylko was a founding member of Aurora's Board of Directors and has been continuously involved with the company since its inception in 1989. Mr. Tylko was an Advanced Manufacturing Engineer at General Electric's Aircraft Engine Group from 1979 to 1981 where he was responsible for development of composite material structures on the F-404 and T-700 military aircraft engines. Mr. Tylko co-founded General Computer Company in 1981 and served as its Chief Operating Officer from 1987 to 2003. GCC developed a variety of innovative products in the consumer electronics and personal computer markets. Mr. Tylko was responsible for all aspects of operational management necessary to grow the company from a startup to over $50 million in revenue. Mr. Tylko served as Vice President of Aurora Flight Sciences since May, 2003. He led Aurora's Aerostructures business sector through May, 2006 and was responsible for successfully managing Aurora's Global Hawk manufacturing program. He led the transition of Aurora's West Virginia manufacturing plant to a state of the art composite structures manufacturing center. In May, 2006 he assumed overall responsibility for Aurora's business development and strategic planning. Mr. Tylko holds a Bachelor's Degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a lecturer at MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics.Roy Levy: Defense Initiative Group • CSIS
Roy Levy is a Consultant with the Defense-Industrial Initiative Group at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS), where he specializes in financial aspects of the U.S. defense industrial
base as well as DoD budgets and acquisition policies.
Before joining CSIS, Mr. Levy was a Policy Analyst with a New York City-based economic research
firm and was a Fellow at the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies between 2007 and 2009. He is the
author and co-author of several published articles on international security issues.
Mr. Levy holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Economy from the City University of New York.
Tom Captain: Principal & Vice Chairman, Global & U.S. A&D Leader • Deloitte
Tom Captain provides industry specialization to client teams and spearheads initiatives to enhance
Deloitte’s position in the marketplace.
Since joining Deloitte LLP in 1981, he has specialized in operational restructuring, industry strategy,
investor due diligence, cost reduction, product development, engineering operations, manufacturing
productivity improvement, information systems and program management across multiple functions.
His A&D industry experience spans commercial passenger and freighter aircraft, military fighter/
attack and cargo aircraft, defense electronics, avionics, launch vehicles, satellites, net-centric warfare,
destroyer, aircraft carrier, missiles, munitions and land armament programs. He has been involved
with some of the major industry consolidation, merger and transformation initiatives in the United
States, Europe and the Asia Pacific regions.
Mr. Captain received an MBA degree from Seattle University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the
University of Washington.
Edward L. (Ted) Werner - Managing Director • Philpott Ball & Werner
Mr. Werner is a Managing Director at Philpott Ball & Werner. Over the past 17 years, he has advised
companies on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, strategic evaluations, transaction integration, market
analysis, capital raising and fairness opinions. Ted has also advised numerous business owners and
senior managers on issues pertaining to shareholder liquidity and maximizing shareholder value.
He has extensive experience in advising private and public companies in the Aerospace, Defense,
Intelligence and Controls markets.
Ted is a member of the Advisory Board for National Technical Systems, Inc. He graduated from the
Military College of Vermont – Norwich University, received a Masters in Business Administration
from the Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University and completed the Executive
Program on Negotiation at MIT/Harvard.
Oliver Althoff is a Director for Aerospace, Defense and Transportation financings in CIT’s Leveraged Finance practice focusing on business development and transaction underwriting for middle-market companies across the entire supply chain. He develops and cultivates relationships among middle-market Private Equity companies with investment interests in the Aerospace & Defense market, as well as directly with companies on the East Coast (incl. Canada). To date, his primary focus has been on growth and acquisition capital, as well as restructuring transactions. His transactions have gone across the capital structure with an investment hold emphasis on senior debt/credit transactions. Over the past 5 years, he has committed to more than 30 transactions representing over $1.25Bn in available financing.
Prior to joining CIT’s Transportation Finance team, Mr. Althoff worked at GE Capital where he underwrote restructuring transactions, many of which included Airlines and assisted in portfolio management and P&L strategic planning efforts for the Corporate Finance group. He also held positions with Fleet Boston Financial and at the management consulting firm, Mitchell Madison Group.
Mr. Althoff his MBA in Finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and holds a B.A. as well as a M.P.A. in Economics from Cornell University.
