Skills Gap Career Panel Speaker Bios:
Daniel (Dan) Olberding
Daniel Olberding is Division Director of Engineering and Huntsville Design Center for Strategic Missile & Defense Systems (SM&DS), responsible for technical excellence of all SM&DS products, personnel and systems.
Named to the position in 2001, Dan manages the deployment of engineering personnel, processes and tools across all SM&DS programs; and the promotion of practices, disciplines and cultures which lead to the success of complex Missile Defense missions.
In the last six years, under Dan’s direction, the Huntsville Design Center has grown from a few talented engineers to a team of about 250 engineers who share their talent and expertise in support of a wide variety of space, defense and commercial programs and products – including the new 787 commercial airplane. The team is a brain trust for Huntsville, hosting critical skills that are essential to growing aerospace excellence for SM&DS and for Boeing.
A 27-year veteran of the Aerospace and Defense Industry, Dan has undertaken a number of challenging and diverse leadership assignments, beginning as a structural dynamics engineer on the Space Shuttle Program. In his first leadership assignment, he contributed to the successful turnaround of Hellfire missile production and would later lead an organization which successfully developed advanced infrared seekers for both tactical missile and Exo-atmospheric Kill Vehicle applications. He then served as Director of the Boeing product group responsible for developing, qualifying and producing the orbital-replaceable units of International Space Station’s electrical power system.
Prior to his current assignment, Dan was responsible for establishing a strong Mission Assurance program for SM&DS, working with the customer and implementing a comprehensive employee training program.
Dan is a native of Kansas and earned his Bachelor of Science degree (1978) and Master of Science (1980) degrees in Mechanical Engineering at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Dan, his wife Lorna, and sons Nicholas and Noah reside in Madison, Alabama. His other interests include group fitness instruction, golfing and travel.
Carolyn Y. Lord
Owner of Omni Team, LLC, winner of the Chamber Small Business of the Year Award for Business Services in 2004. Omni Team creates and delivers innovative programs in communication, leadership, diversity, teamwork, recruitment, and change management to meet unique needs.
She has helped businesses close plants, downsize, or replace individuals. She has spent over 14 years helping thousands of distraught, displaced workers transition to new opportunities. She has interviewed thousands of people from production floor to executive suite on job satisfaction, dreams, and career paths.
She was a Business Analyst for Rockwell International in the Telecommunications Advanced Technology and Engineering Department where she taught engineers, evaluated new hardware and software, and planned computing strategies for over 400 engineers.
Carolyn is active in the Huntsville community having served as President of the WEDC Foundation, the North Alabama Chapter of ASTD, and on the board of The Vine Pastoral Counseling Center.
Carolyn graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in Business Administration from Upper Iowa University and has completed postgraduate courses in Human Behavior and Organizational Development. She is certified as a Professional Dynametric Program® representative, an integrated management system, is certified to Train PDP Mentors, and is certified in Mandt Workplace Violence Response.
Lucia Cape
Lucia Cape has been Vice President for Workforce at the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County since October 2006. She was charged with establishing the Chamber’s Workforce Division in response to the workforce challenges brought on by the region’s economic growth, including the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act that brought thousands of jobs to Redstone Arsenal. Her responsibilities include workforce recruitment and retention, young professional programs, K-12 and higher education, career awareness, and skills development specifically around science, technology, engineering and math. She serves on the Region 2 Workforce Council that advises the Alabama College System on its investments in community colleges and technical education.
Prior to joining the Chamber staff, Ms. Cape was a contractor to the Marshall Space Flight Center’s Academic Affairs Office from 2002-2006 where she worked in informal education, including business/industry partnerships. From 1999-2002 she was a Presidential Management Intern and then a contractor to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, focusing on public health partnerships, communication, workforce and law. She worked as a technical editor for environmental contractors to the US Army Space and Strategic Defense Command in the mid 1990s.
While earning her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia, Ms. Cape interned with the Huntsville News and then served as the paper’s design director before the paper was closed in 1996. She supported the Huntsville Times in launching its Homes for Today magazine in 1997 before returning to the University of Georgia to pursue her master’s degree in public administration. She is a former Army Brat who lived on Redstone Arsenal twice growing up. She is married to Huntsville native Mark Torstenson, owner of The Fret Shop, and has two children, Evelyn (6) and Julian (4).
Nancy Bates
Nancy Bates is a Sr. Human Resource Specialist with Jacobs Technology’s Engineering, Science, and Technical Services (ESTS) Group at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. She joined Jacobs Technology in 2007 as a Recruiting Coordinator responsible for providing strategic leadership to recruitment initiatives and the Co-op/Intern Career Development program. She was promoted to Human Resources Team Lead in 2008.
She has been involved with various workforce development programs such as the Southeast Regional Cooperative Education Conference and job shadowing programs with the Jacobs ESTS Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Council. Nancy has also been an active participant with the Jacobs ESTS Group Professional Women’s Collaborative, Jacobs’ LIFE Committee, and NASA’s Sally Ride Festival.
Before joining Jacobs, Nancy worked for SCI Systems, Inc. for over 20 years in Human Resources. She held various manager level positions with SCI Systems, Inc. corporate headquarters and Sanmina-SCI including Compensation and HRIS Manager and Human Resources Manager for the Southeast Region. During her tenure she assisted with consolidation of plants, advised management on succession planning and reorganizing and expanding business units. Nancy further performed due diligence for corporate acquisitions in the U.S. and Brazil.
Nancy earned her BS in Personnel Psychology from Athens State University in 1990. She has been certified as a Senior Human Resources Professional since May 2003. She recently graduated from the year-long Jacobs Technology Leadership Development program.
Nancy is a member of the Huntsville Industrial Liaison Group, the North Alabama Business Ethics Roundtable, and American Society for Training and Development North Alabama, Society of Human Resource Managers. She has served as Certification Director and a contributed to the Community Relations, Diversity and Programs committees of the North Alabama Society of Human Resource Managers (NASHRM). She is currently supporting the NASHRM Diversity Committee as being a mentor in the H.E.R.O. program that helps veterans transition into the workplace.
Bob Berinato, Panel Moderator
Dr. Bob Berinato came to Huntsville in 1985 after graduating from Georgia Tech with BS Degrees in Applied Physics and Mechanical Engineering. He has been employed at Dynetics since 1985, and currently serves as Chief Research Scientist. His responsibilities include management of Dynetics’ Internal Research and Development program, and providing customer support in the areas of sensor technology and signal processing. Throughout his professional career, Bob has engaged in part-time graduate work at UAHuntsville, earning his MS and PhD in Electrical Engineering in 1987 and 1993, respectively, and his MS in Applied Mathematics in 2007. He serves as an adjunct associate professor in the ECE Department, and has taught 14 different courses in the communications and signal processing areas since 1995. He has also taught 6 continuing education short courses to the local community. Bob currently serves as the chairman of the local IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society, is participating in the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Committee, is a board member of The Schools Foundation, and is a member of Leadership Huntsville / Madison County Class 24.
Plenary Speaker Bio:
David A. King, Executive Vice President
Dynetics Integrated Systems and Special Programs
David King is Executive Vice President and manager of the operating unit, Integrated Systems and Special Programs, which includes the newly formed Space Systems Division. Mr. King is also a member of the Dynetics Board of Directors. He joined the company in April 2009. Mr. King has 25 years’ experience in space systems development and operations and in running large organizations. He retired from NASA as the center director of the Marshall Space Flight Center in 2009, where he was responsible for overseeing 7,000 onsite employees and contractors and a $2.7 billion budget. Mr. King holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of South Carolina and a master’s in business administration from the Florida Institute of Technology.
Mr. King is a former Space Shuttle launch director and director of shuttle processing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He played key roles in more than 100 space shuttle missions during his tenure at NASA and led the Columbia Recovery team following the Columbia accident. He then led the Marshall Space Flight Center team through “Return to Flight” efforts and implemented the investigation board recommendations, including implementing “Technical Authority” for all programs at Marshall. He also implemented a comprehensive management system for the Marshall Space Flight Center, enabling informed business decisions and building a strong management team.
Mr. King has been recognized for his leadership and technical achievements and has been awarded the National Space Club Goddard Memorial Trophy, the NASA Medal for Distinguished Service, two NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals and the Distinguished and Meritorious Presidential Rank Awards as a career senior executive. He serves on the board of directors for the Huntsville Chapter of the National Space Club, The Enrichment Center, Kairos Foundation in Florida and Westminster Christian Academy in Huntsville.
