Talon Talks

Janet is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Stellar Solutions Inc., a leading provider of high-impact engineering services to significant intelligence, defense, civil, commercial, and international customers. She is responsible for strategic management of the global aerospace portfolio for this small, woman-owned business entering its 27th year. Grondin has also served as Vice President for Intelligence Programs, overseeing numerous mission domains including satellite space and ground systems acquisition, systems engineering and integration, and operations support. Prior to these roles, Grondin was VP for Defense Programs, responsible for efforts in space superiority, launch enterprise integration, and web services; major programs like the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Space-Based Infrared System; and capabilities in missile warning, weather, precision navigation and timing, and communications. She graduated from Embry-Riddle’s Prescott campus in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering. She also has several master’s degrees from the Air Force Institute of Technology and the Air War College and the Air Command and Staff College.

Ron has been an engineer at Boeing for 30 years. He has worked on testing weapons systems for unmanned aerial vehicles and was involved in the early years of using carbon fiber composites in aircraft construction. He now collaborates with other manufacturers in setting international standards for aircraft components. He also is an early member of the Prescott Campus chapter of Alpha Eta Rho, and studied engineering at both the Daytona Beach and Prescott campuses.

We interviewed three alumni who supported Operation Allies Refuge, the international airlift that evacuated 120,000 people from Kabul, Afghanistan in August 2021, for “Providing Refuge,” a story in the Fall/Winter 2021 issue of Lift Magazine. This episode of Talon Talks is an edited version of the interviews recorded for that story, and includes details that wouldn’t fit in the print piece. The nature of its purpose means the audio is also a bit rougher than usual. Our guests were Adam Cooper (’13), Doug Mayo (’11), and Matt Steele (’09, ’18), who all commissioned out of Embry-Riddle’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 157 and are active in the United States Air Force. Find the story at lift.erau.edu/providing-refuge

Hina Kazmi has led an impressive career since earning her aerospace engineering degree from Embry-Riddle in 1993: from spacecraft engineer at Boeing to program manager for NASA’s SOFIA airborne telescope. She is now working in Northrop Grumman’s Tactical Space Systems Division and teaches public policy at George Mason University. We discussed how space exploration can unite humanity; her thoughts on the intersection of engineering and public policy; and the relationship between public and private interests in space. We also talked about how the classic novel Moby Dick weaves technical aspects of whaling with commentary on the human condition.

Kathy Wood (’93, ’18) spent most of her career in aerospace engineering, working for 12 years as director of nacelle programs at Collins Aerospace and at United Technologies. She is now a visiting associate professor at the Prescott Campus College of Engineering. Embry-Riddle has multiple open faculty positions and is encouraging experienced alumni to apply. We talked with Kathy about her career, the transition to academia, and her love of polo.

As Integrated Product Lead at Collins Aerospace, Nishi is working to integrate the first-ever touch screen cockpit displays on commercial Boeing aircraft. She is also the founder of Project LaunchPad, an organization that focuses on student mental health awareness as well as democratizing knowledge for pursuing higher education. We discussed her work at Collins, why she chose to move around the world to attend Embry-Riddle, and how that experience of culture shock combined with her own high standards for academic achievement led her to create a support program for students facing difficulty with transition to college, attaining mental health support and academic success.

Lisa Anderson (’99, ’03) is one of our Distinguished Alumni Award winners for 2021. She is chief of the commercial air travel safety unit at the United Nations, a program she developed. She has a long history working in aviation and in industry groups, and volunteering with a variety of organizations doing good around the world. We talked about the reasons that UN program exists; what triggered her career change away from flying; how vocal coaching affected her job prospects; why volunteering and mentoring is important to her; and much more. The views that Lisa shares are her own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations.

Jared and Kurt are both involved in aerial firefighting — Jared as pilot of an Avro RJ85 jet for Aeroflite Aerial Firefighting, and Kurt at the Prescott air tanker base. In 2020, during the raging wildfire season on the U.S. west coast, Kurt also took time off from his day job as assistant director of admissions at Embry-Riddle, to fight wildfires on the ground. We talked the ins and outs of aerial firefighting; their history with Embry-Riddle’s flight program and legendary instructor Dick Samuels; and the competitive success of Prescott’s Golden Eagles Flight Team, where Jared served as head coach for 7 years. Find more episodes and subscribe to Talon Talks wherever you get your podcasts.

Matt Savoca is co-founder of Kutta Technologies, which is a manufacturer and supplier of command-control-communications software applications and components, with a focus on government and defense applications. He is now the company’s executive vice president, since its acquisition by Sierra Nevada Corporation in 2015. He graduated from Embry-Riddle’s Prescott Campus in 1994 with a degree in Aerospace Engineering and served as SGA President at the time, advocating to the Board of Trustees against moving the Prescott Campus to a new location. We talked about his choice to attend college in his mid-20s, why he chose to run for SGA president, and where his career led him, as well as technical details of Kutta Technologies’ drones and components.

In this special episode of Talon Talks, we speak with three representatives from FedEx Aircraft Maintenance who were visiting the Daytona Beach campus to talk about their Purple Runway Scholarship, and meet with this year’s scholarship recipients. Our guests were: Scott Ogden, vice president of FedEx Aircraft Maintenance; Tony Castro (’91), who is senior manager of manpower planning and business analysis; and Doug Johnson (’91), manager of apprentice aviation maintenance technicians program.

Jenna is a senior vice president and financial crimes director for Wells Fargo bank. She manages a team that investigates everything from fraud to terrorist financing. She graduated from Embry-Riddle’s Global Security and Intelligence Studies program, and has a masters on international policy and terrorism from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. We discussed how she got into the work of investigating global financial crimes, and the things that keep her going in her work.

Modularity Space is developing low-cost modular satellites that can be repaired, refueled, and upgraded in space, in an effort to make the satellite industry more sustainable. Nolan Coulter is their co-founder and Chief Technology Officer. We talked about satellite manufacturing standards, what it takes to put satellites into space, satellite maintenance and refueling needs, and the future of commercial space in an era of growing amounts of space junk.

John Maris is the rare Embry-Riddle triple alumnus: He has two masters degrees, from 1982 and 1983, and was an early recipient of an Embry-Riddle doctorate in 2017. He’s an experimental test pilot, an expert on aerodynamics, and chair of the Royal Aeronautical Society of Montreal. He also serves on the Industry Advisory Board at Embry-Riddle’s College of Engineering in Daytona Beach. We talked about how he started his company, Marinvent, what it’s like to be an experimental test pilot, and a glimpse into the interactive discussion he’s giving on aerodynamics. To sign up for the talk, “Perspectives on Aerodynamic Drag,” happening on Feb. 18, visit the RAES Montreal website.

Stephanie Miller is executive director of technology transfer and research park initiatives at Embry-Riddle, which means she manages operations at our research park, including the Micaplex Business Incubator. She has a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular genetics from University of Virginia; she received an MBA from Embry-Riddle in 2018. She’s also into fast cars and vintage sewing machines. We talked about her doctoral research, the pitfalls of starting a business from an invention, and what the Micaplex does for startup businesses that incubate there.

Stacy is chair of the Helicopter Association International’s board of directors and is a helicopter captain for Executive Jet Management. She was previously a Huey and Black Hawk pilot for the US Army, then a test pilot for Sikorsky. She has flown tours, air ambulance, and done movie flying with the Screen Actors Guild. We talked about transitioning one’s career from the military to civilian world, what networking means, and how going to Embry-Riddle for two degrees later in life helped advance her career.

Mark has been a pilot for more than 3 decades, starting with TWA. He’s still flying, now for American Airlines, and is also an author of several fiction and nonfiction books. We spoke about his early career flying 19-passenger Twin Otters in the Caribbean, to his wild checkride flying into Berlin during the Cold War. We also discussed his experience following the crash of TWA Flight 800 — his fiancée and one of his mentors were both on board — and his struggle with grief afterward, which eventually led him to write “13,760 Feet: My Personal Hole in the Sky.”

Dana is the founder and Chief Academic Officer of American High School, an accredited, entirely online high school. She is responsible for curriculum, growth strategy, culture, operations, R&D, sales, product development and launch, marketing, and overseas expansion. We discussed why she decided to start an online school in the early 2000s and how her business has been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Dana is the founder and Chief Academic Officer of American High School, an accredited, entirely online high school. She is responsible for curriculum, growth strategy, culture, operations, R&D, sales, product development and launch, marketing, and overseas expansion. We discussed why she decided to start an online school in the early 2000s and how her business has been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to flying 737s for United Airlines, Korry Franke is an author and inspirational speaker. His book, 3 Feet to the Left: A New Captain’s Journey from Pursuit to Perspective, is a memoir which chronicles the year in his life when he faced many professional and personal struggles as United’s then-youngest captain. We discussed his education at Embry-Riddle during and after 9/11, why he chose to stay in aviation, the nature of leadership, what happens when two airlines merge, as well as the tough times faced in that year as he and his wife were expecting a baby. The views expressed by Korry Franke on this podcast are his and his alone, completely independent of any United Airlines affiliation.

Tim Perry came to Embry-Riddle while he was serving in the Air Force. He graduated in 1986 from our Prescott Campus with a degree in professional aeronautics and continued to serve in the Air Force during the first Gulf War. He was one of the pilots who flew the EC-135 for Operation Looking Glass. We discussed his time in the Air Force, but also how his work in the private sector and his spiritual path led him to form Nationwide Chaplain Services and 10-41 Incorporated, two organizations which provide counseling and psychiatric services geared toward first responders. Programming note: This episode includes some discussion of incidents that police officers and other first-responders face, and may not be suitable for younger listeners.