Role: Founding Technical Lead / Lead Systems Engineer
Context & Challenge:
At GTRI, I helped co-found and lead the Strategic Sustainment Team (SST), a cross-disciplinary applied research group focused on transforming aviation maintenance and logistics. The goal: reimagine how the Department of Defense and commercial aviation manage sustainment through optimization, emerging technology, and systems thinking.
Approach & Architecture:
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Employed systems engineering to define maintenance process bottlenecks and create a vision for innovation.
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Applied Theory of Constraints and operations research for system-level problem framing.
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Designed a modular architecture for maintenance feedback and data integration, combining field data, predictive analytics, and decision-support tools.
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Orchestrated stakeholder workshops with Georgia Army National Guard to co-develop actionable frameworks for maintenance inspection and process improvement.
Impact & Outcomes:
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Established actionable solutions for reducing phase maintenance inspection times in H-60 Blackhawk units.
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Created a collaborative ecosystem with academia, military, and industry — scaling innovation beyond GTRI.
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Positioned SST as a thought leader in sustainment innovation, bridging research and operational execution.
- Developed an $11M+ research portfolio, led a team of 15 researchers, and presented to the three-star general in charge of United States Air Force logistics
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