Special awards luncheon honors individuals and groups that have made significant contributions to advancing the Test and Evaluation (T&E) profession.

The International Test and Evaluation Association (ITEA) annually presents six (6) Professional T&E Awards to individuals and groups that have made significant contributions to advancing the test and evaluation profession. In addition, ITEA also presents the Board of Directors’ Award, the President’s Award, Energizer Award, the Chapter of Excellence Awards, and the Chapter of the Year Award to recognize individuals and Chapters for their significant contributions to the Association. The International Test and Evaluation Association (ITEA) Board of Directors and Stephanie Clewer, the ITEA Awards Committee Chair, relies on ITEA members and T&E leaders to identify and submit nominations of individuals and teams worthy of recognition by the 2017 ITEA T&E Professional Awards Program.

The following individuals and teams will be recognized at the 2018 Awards Luncheon, which will be held on Wednesday, December 12th, during the 35th International Test and Evaluation Symposium at the Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Hotel & Resort in Oxnard, CA.

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ALLEN R. MATTHEWS AWARD – Edward Greer

For the Allen R. Matthews Award, ITEA is pleased to present this honor to Mr. Edward Greer in recognition of his exceptional, long-time dedication to the test and evaluation community. Mr. Greer, a native of Hollywood, Maryland, began his career as an electronics engineer at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland. His illustrious government service spanned various positions of increasing authority and influence, culminating in the politically appointed, dual-hatted position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Developmental Test and Evaluation and Director, Test Resource Management Center. For over 40+ years he has been a staunch advocate for the development of test processes and instrumentation modernization to ensure the viability of the nation’s Major Range and Test Facility Base. All his efforts have been in pursuit of excellence in support of Department of Defense and industry acquisition efforts. Mr. Greer was the recipient of the 2017 ITEA President’s Award in recognition of his tireless devotion to test and evaluation, and he continues to serve ITEA as the current and past president of the ITEA Southern Maryland chapter. ITEA is pleased to announce Mr. Greer as the well-deserved 2018 recipient of the prestigious Allen R. Matthews Award.

 

RICHARD G. CROSS AWARD – John C. O’Connor – US Naval Test Pilots School

The 2018 ITEA Richard G. Cross Award is presented to Mr. John C. O’Connor of the United States Naval Test Pilot School for exceptional achievements in Test and Evaluation education. Over the past year as Chief of Academics, Mr. O’Connor led the rigorous academic course of instruction to train 72 test pilots, flight officers, and engineers enrolled in the 11-month curriculum and delivered classroom instruction to 241 personnel enrolled in flight test specific short courses. During his 20-year career in T&E education, he has played a direct role in transforming more than 5700 experienced pilots, flight officers, and engineers into critical thinking flight test and evaluation professionals essential to the successful execution of complex developmental test programs supporting the delivery of enhanced capabilities to warfighters throughout the Department. Recognizing the need for new flight test techniques and data analysis methods to evaluate increasingly complex aircraft and systems, Mr. O’Connor led research to develop and evaluate advanced cueing modalities for flight in challenging environments, improved methods for handling qualities analysis, and innovative approaches for testing automated systems. Mr. O’Connor’s contributions to the education, professional development, and mentoring of flight test and evaluation personnel exemplify the highest ideals represented by the ITEA Cross Award.

 

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile Integrated Systems Test Team – NAVAIR

The Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile test team has shown remarkable flexibility, dedication to the mission, and exceptional use of early T&E, integrated test, and innovative practices, through their preparation and test of this urgently needed anti-ship capability. The team has worked with a myriad of diverse and geographically-dispersed stakeholders to routinely challenge institutional norms to create an abbreviated test strategy to get results quickly. This led to execution of 1 Flying Test Bed event; 5 B-1B Captive Carry events; 8 F/A-18 software integration flight test events; and 4 live fire integrated test events, to include 2 2-missile salvo (multi missile) events. Further, the team’s use of CBT&E enabled rapid execution of the test program, provided the data required to support a viable Fleet envelope, and at the same time produced nearly $5M of total savings by significantly reducing the number of test flights. Their willingness to adapt and overcome numerous challenges has paved the way to get this much needed weapon to the Fleet in record time and has set the standard for rapid test efforts. The LRASM test team’s outstanding accomplishments, exemplary performance, and unwavering dedication to Test and Evaluation for the US Navy make them the ideal recipient of the ITEA Special Achievement award.

 

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Aerial Refueling Receiver Simulator Tool Team – JT4

The ITEA Technical Achievement Award is presented to the Joint Test, Tactics, and Training (JT4) Aerial Refueling Receiver Simulator Tool (RST) Team for their exemplary performance in the design, integration, test, and operation of the world’s only ground-based system capable of measuring the fuel flow and pressure from an aerial refueling aircraft to a simulated aircraft. The RST provides the DOD and coalition partners the ability to simulate characteristics that affect surge pressures during the aerial refueling process prior to flight, eliminating the cost and time to instrument an operational aircraft and flight safety risks to the aircraft and flight crew. Working with 412th TW Test Instrumentation Division, Edwards AFB, and under direction of the Aerial Refueling Program Office, EZFA/ARCA, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, the RST Team employed a rapid prototype design and test methodology that combined the expertise of operations and maintenance personnel and engineering staff. This methodology reduced the design cycle time by producing workable models with little to no re-work. Projected to save over $10M in instrumentation, aircraft modification, and flight costs over its lifetime, the RST was delivered at a cost of $1.5M, half the cost and one year earlier of that proposed by other contractors.

 

PUBLICATIONS AWARD – Michael Barton, PhD, and Venkat Dasari, PhD

These two authors made significant contributions to test and evaluation in an outstanding article titled “Next Generation Intelligent Test Network Environments” in the March 2018 issue of The ITEA Journal of Test and Evaluation. The authors described how current technologies could be injected into developmental testing before the same technologies appear in tactical systems. The authors foresee mounting pressures on test teams, and they propose satisfaction of test technology requirements by research investments in areas like high performance computing, intelligent instrumentation incorporating advanced processors, and programmable networks. They acknowledge that the maturation of research developments into new test capabilities will require close cooperation between the research and test communities. Please join me in honoring these two outstanding authors.

 

JUNIOR ACHIEVER AWARD – Captain Christopher Handy, USAF

Captain Christopher M. Handy, United States Air Force, distinguished himself by exceptionally meritorious achievement as the Flight Test Engineer while assigned to the Air Force Joint Test Program Office, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada and the Flight System Test Engineer while assigned to the Arnold Engineering Development Complex. During this period, Captain Handy was the test director to a 60-person Nationally Derived Information test that merged multiple Link-16 efforts and validated a $5 billion system in United States Pacific Command. His efforts calibrated two wind tunnels, validated flow quality, expanded the envelope by 8%, and provided the best data accuracy in 65 years. He perfectly executed a $1.2 million hypersonic test that shaped design for a Mach 10 weapon keeping the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on track for a 2018 test flight. Finally, Captain Handy led the development and testing of Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for a 109-person inter-continental ballistic missile convoy team that updated an antiquated Air Force Global Strike Command requirement.

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ITEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ AWARD – Stewart “Stu” Burley (posthumously)

The 2018 ITEA Board of Directors Award is reserved for an individual who has contributed to the growth, development, goals, and mission of the Association. The ITEA Board of Directors has the pleasure of presenting the 2018 ITEA Board of Directors’ Award to Stu Burley. Unfortunately, this award is being presented posthumously, as Stu left us this past August. Stu was instrumental in not only opening the Pacific Missile Range Facility, but also founding the ITEA Mid-Pacific Chapter for the test professionals working at the range. Stu was instrumental in bringing the International Test and Evaluation Symposium to Hawaii, hosting the Symposium on three occasions—including next year’s Symposium. Stu’s tireless energy and passion for test and evaluation touched everyone around him. It is with great pleasure that the ITEA Board of Directors takes this opportunity to formally thank and recognize Stu for his hard work, and the leadership he showed to the ITEA membership and the T&E community.

 

ITEA PRESIDENT’S AWARD – Darryl Johnson, CTEP, Southern Nevada Chapter

The 2018 ITEA President’s Award is reserved for an individual who selflessly steps up to assist the president in the execution of the organization’s goals and missions. As ITEA President, I am proud to present the 2018 ITEA President’s Award to Mr. Darryl Johnson, CTEP, of the Southern Nevada Chapter. Over the past year Darryl has embraced and fostered the President’s goal to ensure that ITEA remains “The Premier Global Association for T&E” by advancing the test and evaluation profession through: Providing professional development and networking opportunities; Facilitating the sharing of best practices; Recognizing professional achievements through awards, scholarships and STEM grants; and, Educating the T&E workforce through hosting valuable, high quality, and content rich training sessions. Throughout 2018, Darryl volunteered countless hours supporting both ITEA and his local Chapter to reach more T&E professionals. His personal efforts resulted in increased membership for the Southern Nevada Chapter and, as the 2018 Test and Training Instrumentation Workshop Chair, a record setting Test Instrumentation Workshop. Darryl has been a member of ITEA since 2008 and earned the Certified Test and Evaluation Professional (CTEP) credential in 2014. It is with great pleasure and honor to take this opportunity to formally thank and recognize Darryl Johnson for the hard work and the leadership he has given to the ITEA membership and community.

 

ENERGIZER AWARD – Jason Vosatka, Emerald Coast Chapter

The 2018 ITEA Energizer Award is presented to Mr. Jason Vosatka for his dedicated effort and unwavering leadership in the advancement of the ITEA Emerald Coast Chapter and ITEA’s Cybersecurity Workshop: From Requirements to Test & Evaluation. His efforts to support ITEA at both the International and Chapter Level have resulted in increased membership for the Chapter and a record setting Cybersecurity Workshop—providing quality professional development opportunities for ITEA Members and non-Members alike. Jason has served at various positions within the Emerald Coast Chapter, currently serving as the Chapter President. It is with great pleasure that the 2018 ITEA Energizer Award is presented to Mr. Jason Vosatka.