Executive Team

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An independent senior executive advisor and President of the Steudle Executive Group, LLC focused on advancing national transportation policy. Kirk served as Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation from 2006-2018. 

A strategic leader, trusted advisor and founder of Turnbucle Soundings LLC, focused on digital transformation, business aligned security, and enterprise risk management for Federal, State, and local government. David served as Michigan’s Department of Technology, Management and Budget director and Chief information Officer; U.S. Office of Personnel Management CIO (Post Breach), and Principal Deputy CIO for the U.S. Department of Defense. 

John H. McConnell Chair Emeritus Professor of Business Administration in the Department of Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University:  Dr. Closs was designated as a CSCMP Distinguished Fellow.  Dr. Closs is the academic director of many MSU Executive Programs and regularly teaches executives in five of the seven continents.  Dr. Closs has consulted for firms in the consumer goods, automotive, pharmaceutical, electronics, health care, industrial, and government. 

Recognized leader in Cybersecurity and founder/CEO of the Cyber Strategy Institute. “Sully” has more than 25 years focused on Cybersecurity across a myriad of sectors including but not limited to the DOD, Energy, Transportation, Health Services, Education, and Commercial sectors. During his time serving in the US Air Force, Sully held positions as Technical Director, Current Operations Division (USCYBERCOM) and Director, Joint Operations Center (USCYBERCOM).

As Senior Vice President (SVP) and Chief Integrity and Compliance Officer, Dawn leads Trinity Health’s system-wide Integrity, Compliance, Internal Audit and Enterprise Risk Management Programs, including promoting the principles and objectives of the programs to colleagues, medical staff, governance and others within Trinity Health.
 

Ghost Works Marine, is recognized as a leader in bringing the next generation of marine platforms for both the commercial and military sectors to fruition. As the Director of Operations, and a US Navy Veteran, Patrick has been the tip of the spear managing development, design, and manufacturing within an engineering and manufacturing environment that applies the most advanced construction methodologies and emerging technologies available. 

An accomplished technology practitioner, whose mission has and continues to be leveraging advanced technologies such as Generative AI to boost creativity, productivity, and competitiveness. Dr. Pulsipher’s experience spans various industries including medical imaging, telecom, and cloud computing among others. Currently, as Intel’s Chief Solutions Architect, Dr. Pulsipher collaborates with government agencies and enterprise organizations such as IBM, GE, and Toyota. Dr. Pulsipher has published 3 books on technology and technology management. 

For over 30 years Victor both watched and contributed to the growth and evolution of the software sector with an emphasis on data science and data management in concert with AI and Machine Learning. His expertise has been applied to various industry and government sectors including telecom, transportation, energy, health, and finance. As CTO of Elder Research, he helped establish it as a leader in data science and analytics,  introducing methodologies and processes that enable linkage of data and analytics strategy to corporate goals, operationalizing these assets and ideas. 

As the Vice President of Operations at Avflight Corporation, brings an impressive 27 years of aviation experience to the table, with the majority of that time dedicated to Avflight. His expertise spans commercial, business, and general aviation services, making him well versed in the industry. Meszaros plays a pivotal role in the development and marketing of Avflight's network offerings, ensuring that they meet the highest standards of safety, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

D/F/Lieutenant Jim Ellis serves as the commanding officer of the Michigan State Police (MSP) Cyber Section within the Intelligence Operations Division, where he leads an expert team of over 100 MSP personnel, affiliate law enforcement officers, and three cyber K9 dogs across eight offices statewide. A visionary leader, he co-founded and spearheaded the establishment of the Michigan Cyber Command Center (MC3) and currently leads the Computer Crimes Unit (CCU) and the Michigan Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC). Lieutenant Ellis is actively engaged with numerous national, state, and local critical infrastructure and cybersecurity organizations and serves on several key advisory boards. With a distinguished 30-year career at MSP, he is a highly credentialed cybersecurity expert, holding multiple industry certifications.

Dr. Cahill has a B.S. in Applied Physics from the University of California, Davis (1990), a M.S. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Washington (1994), and a Ph.D. from the University of Nevada Reno (1996). Her postdoctoral fellowship was a Fulbright Fellowship to University College Galway, Ireland.  Currently, Cathy is the Director of the Alaska Center for UAS Integration (ACUASI), the University of Alaska's Center of Excellence for UAS Research where she currently oversees ~$35M of Federal, State, and privately-funded research grants and contracts focused on UAS research, operations, regulations, policies, and procedures. In her role as Director of ACUASI, Dr. Cahill leads the FAA's University of Alaska UAS Test Site, heads the FAA's BEYOND Alaska site, and is the prime point of contact for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, one of the 18 core universities in the FAA's Center of Excellence for UAS Research (ASSURE). She was a U.S. Secretary of Transportation-appointed member of the FAA's Advanced Aviation Advisory Committee.