After earning his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Florida Tech., Dr. Ted Batlas received his Neuropsychology Fellowship training at JFK Medical Center. He is an Assistant Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry, at Seton Hall-Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, and a Clinical Instructor, Dept. of Psychiatry, at Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine.

For 14 years, he served as the Chief of Psychology at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and as the Director of Neuropsychology for the Meridian Neuroscience line, as well as Neuropsychology Intern supervisor at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. He has served as a consultant for the New Jersey Brain Injury Alliance and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

He had previously taught at the College of New Jersey and has served as a supervisor for students at many of the local universities. He is the Director of Neuropsychology and Counseling Associates, LLC—one of the largest private behavioral health practices in the state of New Jersey. Neuropsychology & Counseling Associates, LLC, is a multidisciplinary practice with five offices in Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex, and Burlington counties.

David Carus is a Shareholder and Registered Patent Attorney at Allen Dyer P.A. based in Orlando, Florida, and practices in the areas of patent prosecution and portfolio management. As a computer engineer, Dave has obtained patents for Fortune 100 companies in the areas of electrical and electronic equipment including, for example, mobile wireless communications devices, antennas, finger biometric sensing devices, and haptics.  Dave's patent experience also includes the areas e-commerce, digital couponing, and Internet of Things (IOT) systems.

Dave also currently serves and the President and CEO of D&J Aviation, LLC, an aircraft leasing and flight services company based out of Apopka, Florida.  

Dave's professional experience includes Test and Evaluation for defense contractor Northrop Grumman. As part of the flight test crew at Northrop Grumman, Dave designed and tested aerial ground surveillance and battle management systems on the Joint Stars E8-C Aircraft platform. 

Dave is a private pilot, and enjoys flying for breakfast, ice hockey, and spending time with his family.

Paul Cecala (BS-Psy ’85, AS-Av Mgt/Flt Tech ’85) is a certified Global Career Development Facilitator, work search author, and founder of Cecala Career Consultants. He has been coaching since 1999 and has assisted over 3000 people in either changing careers or starting their professional lives.  He specializes in creating a project plan for a job search. He is recognized for his listening skills and ability to help clients find work fast. He has been commended for his networking skills, interview techniques, and resume writing prowess. 

Paul has helmed the adult continuing professional education programs for Fairleigh Dickenson University and the County College of Morris where he was responsible for organizing and facilitating their departmental industry advisory boards. Additionally, he has worked in Workforce Development through his local Chamber of Commerce and One-Stop Career Center. 

Paul has published a job search booklet, “WORK SEARCH BUDDIES, Finding A Job With A Little Help From A Friend,” and multiple print articles on job search related topics.

 Prior to career coaching, he spent 12 years in corporate aviation working for FlightSafety International, K-C Aviation, Jet Aviation, and ending as Vice President of Aircraft Charter Sales for Atlantic Aviation. 

Paul was a board member of the FIT Alumni Association from 1991 to 1998 holding positions as President (1996-1998), Vice President (1994-1996) and Alumni Admissions Recruiting Cmte Chair (1991-1994). While at Fla Tech, Paul was student athletic trainer to the men’s soccer and basketball teams, held part-time jobs at an ice cream shop and the university mailroom, was leader of the Catholic Campus Ministries Newman Club, and was a student ambassador for the Admission Dept. 

Paul has been a board member for his church (8 years) and a community development corporation (2 years). He also spent 25 years in the USAF Auxiliary – Civil Air Patrol working his way to Lt Colonel and Vice Commander for New Jersey. 

Paul lives in Lake Parsippany, NJ with his husband since 1996 and FIT grad, Dan Nazzaro (BS-Psy ’95) and their teenage son.

John Gorvin is a Massachusetts native, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree (Stonehill College) and Master’s Degree (Boston College) before completing his Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology at Florida Tech in 1990. 

John returned to Massachusetts and became licensed as a Psychologist in 1992, and has subsequently worked in various outpatient and inpatient clinical settings, evaluating and treating adolescents and adults.  John later completed a Neuropsychology Recertification through the Fielding Graduate University in 2005. He is presently employed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Developmental Disabilities.  

John is a volunteer for the Stonehill College Alumni Association, past chair of the Stonehill College Annual Fund, and past member of the Stonehill College Alumni Council.    He also serves on the Board of the New England Chapter of the Florida Tech Alumni Association. 

John also has taken up distance running, trains with a local running club near Boston, and volunteers annually at the Boston Marathon. 

Kyle Graham

Dixie Chemical

Vice President of Operations

Kyle Graham is a 2006 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point where he earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.   Additionally, Kyle graduated from Florida Tech in 2011 with an MBA concentrated in Finance and Accounting.

Kyle is a United States Army Veteran where he attained the rank of Captain while serving from 2006 to 2011.   During this time Kyle had one deployment as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom V.  During this deployment Kyle distinguished himself earning both a Bronze Star and an Army Commendation Medal with Valor. 

After Kyle completed his military service, he entered the petrochemical industry where he has been a manufacturing leader since 2011 holding positions such as Maintenance Manager, Operations Manager, Logistics Manager, and Plant Manager for both Dow Chemical and Covestro.   In 2022, Kyle joined Dixie Chemical as their Vice President of Operations.  

Kyle resides in Houston, TX with his fiancé Hailey, their two children, and their dog Bourbon.

President, CEO, and Board Member

Food Industry

Kyle is a consummate professional and trusted President, CEO, and Board member; relied upon to deliver results. He is best known for influencing culture change built on trust, resulting in high-performing teams that drive momentum behind aggressive turnarounds and next-level productivity.

He is branded as having a servant leadership style that is resilient in the face of challenges. Kyle’s background as a United States Marine serves as an unerring compass to this date, strengthening his strategic and tactical approach to resolving complex business opportunities.

Kyle has assumed senior charter of a series of strategic business transformations—from converting teams into top producing revenue engines to consolidating operations for maximum profit while revamping business models to protect returns. He has held P&L accountability of as much as $1B and delivered triple-digit growth exceeding $100M. His career is comprised of the highest-level leadership as President and CEO within the public and private sectors.

Kyle started his Food Manufacturing and Executive Leadership career as a sought-after Food Industry Management Consultant. Kyle has assisted more than 300, food, beverage and CPG companies to transform their culture, attain operational excellence, and generate growth. From there he went on to serve in a multitude of leadership roles across the food industry to include his past three roles as a successful president and CEO of Rembrandt Foods, Trilliant Food and Beverage and TNT Crust, LLC.

In his spare time Kyle is spending time with family, teaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as a 1^st degree black belt, skydiving, scuba diving, flying airplanes or fulfilling his charitable endeavors and community giving.   

Kyle holds a Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership from National University and a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology from Florida Institute of Technology. He and his wife Nicole reside in St. Charles, MO with their two children.

Ansley received a dual Bachelor of Arts in Deaf Education and Elementary Education from Flagler College and a Master of Science (2005) and Ph.D. (2020) in ABA from the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT).

Ansley has had a variety of clinical work experiences, including founding an ABA-based school, running an early intervention clinic, working with adults in group homes and community settings, consulting nationally and internationally, and teaching.  

For the last seven years, Ansley has served as Nemours Children’s Hospital first lead behavior analyst with the goal of embedding behavior analysis in a hospital setting. At Nemours, she is part of a multi-disciplinary assessment team for children with complex medical conditions and intellectual disabilities; she also leads an ABA team in providing services to children and parents. As part of her role, Ansley uses ABA and OBM in training the administrative teams, medical residents, medical students, and other medical divisions on the utility and value of our science. 

Finally, she has published over 17 articles and book chapters and secured over $4.5 million in grant funding.

Dr. Hodges is a retired Army Officer and Decorated Combat Veteran.  As a Career Army Officer, Dwayne was a Communications and Electronics officer, Information Security Officer, Logistics Officer, and Transportation Officer.  During his enlisted tenure, he was a Military Police Officer and Transportation Specialist.

Dr. Hodges has almost 20 years’ experience in Higher Education as Professor, consultant, and serving on various advisories boards and committees, and he was a Key contributor to the Cybersecurity Curricula in 2017 guidelines for Post-Secondary Degree programs in Cybersecurity working with George Washington University and other industry partners.

Dr. Hodges is extremely active and passionate about Higher Education, He has taught and developed courses in several academic disciplines at the undergraduate and graduate levels to include criminal  justice, criminal law, Homeland Security Preparedness, and Deterrence , Information Assurance ,  Computer Network Security, Penetration Testing, Incident handling, Topics in information assurance, Cryptography, Internet and Data Web Wecurity, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning, Organization Management and Business administration (MBA), Cryptography, Forensics Investigation , Digital Forensics and Technology Practices.

Dr. Hodges was the Technical Editor for the popular CISSP Exam Cram for Pearson Education North America, for the global premier cybersecurity certification that covers all major domains in cybersecurity.

Dr Hodges is also a 5 Star Cybersecurity Instructor for Udemy for Business collection, developing and teaching courses in Advanced Cryptography Concepts.

Dr. Hodges, has author of several cybersecurity publications, to include an Executive Position in Military Leadership, leadership is a passion for Dwayne, while always strives to improve leadership and encourages for inclusion, while including the right people in the room to make leadership decisions.  “Rank is often confused with the right people.”

Dr. Hodges holds a Doctor of Education: Organizational leadership (Ed.D.), Master of Science- Information Systems Technologies: Management Information Systems, and a Master of Science- Public Administration, and a BA Bachelor of Arts- Sociology: Criminal Justice

He is a 2023 Global Top 100 Awardee C|EH Hall of Fame Author, featured TedX speaker, featured speaker for State of Cyber Security during Cyber awareness month, and has contributed to the National Institute of Standard Technology NIST on topics of PKI, with experience testifying in front of the National Academy of Science on cybersecurity threats. 

Dwayne’s military tenure was highlife by success, he was and ensiled Soldier and a Commissioned officer. As an honor graduate of the Basic Non-Commission Officer Course, he was selected for promotion to E-6/ SSG, prior to being appointed to 2LT.

During his tenure, he graduated from several services schools, to include, but not limited to Joint Professional Military education, Army United States Army Command and General Staff College, United States Army Combined Logistics Captains Career Course, Signal Communications School/School Information Technology, United States Army Signal Center, United States Army Transportation School, United States Army Military Police School, United States Army Airborne School, and United States Army Pathfinder School.

Dwayne’s deployments include Operation Iraq Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, Multination Force and Observers, with Numerous awards and badges to include, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, NDS, ACM, Expert German Infantry Badge, US Paratrooper Badge, and US Pathfinder Badge.

Dr. Hodges held various vantage point positions in his military career, to include, but not limited to S3, S4, XO, commanding troops, and supporting the US Ambassador to Iraq directly during OIF for military air operations and working directing with host nations to develop cybersecurity programs.

Dr. Hodes has vast experience and knowledge working with several agencies, to include, but not limited to the joint staff at the United States Pentagon, U.S. Pentagon, CERDEC, SSA, DISA, SAIC, Leidos, DoE, DoD, USAF, USA, NSA.

Dr. Hodges was the founder and owner for Wellsprings Services, where his company provided services and products to include, Cybersecurity consulting, PPE, medical devices, specialty medical instruments, and surgical devices, medical disposables, and Class VIII and V IX parts with continued growth in sales for 8 consecutive years straight while in business.

Dr. Hodges is a Devoted husband, father, and family man, and currently resides in Melbourne, FL with his wife Marisol, where they recently located to the area to transition into their “good” years, and slow down a bit.

 Dwayne now works for AT&T Cybersecurity, where is supports the strategic business initiatives for the AT&T Cybersecurity Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) in areas of GRC.

Dwayne and Marisol have three adult kids, and one grandson.  They love to travel, especially to visit their college age kids, their son attends the University of Miami and Daughter attends the University of Tampa, and they enjoy going to Disney with their grandson in between.

Dwayne Loves to read daily, fishing, and to be outdoors as much as possible.

Jimmy Jenkins

President and General Manager

Defense Sector

Blue Halo 

Colonel (Retired) James H. Jenkins III (Jimmy) is the President and General Manager of the AMD C4ISR Sector at Blue Halo.  Prior to that, he was the Director of Strategic Programs Strategy and Capture for Dynetics working hypersonics, high energy lasers, Indirect Fire Protection Capabilities (IFPC), space systems, sensors, and other areas.  He previously spent 5 years at Northrop Grumman culminating as the Operating Unit Director for Integrated Air and Missile Defense Systems where he had profit and loss responsibility over multiple programs including the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) and Joint Tactical Ground Stations (JTAGS) in the Missile Defense and Protective Systems Division, Mission Systems Sector in Huntsville, Alabama.  During his first years, he performed Business Development duties across all services and in the international market and was the Capture Manager for the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces C4I Modernization pursuit. 

COL(R) Jenkins retired from the Army in Jan 2014 after nearly 28 years of service.  His last assignment in the Army was as Deputy Commander for Operations for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command (SMDC).  In this role, he was responsible for the Nation’s forces that defend the U.S. from rogue ICBM attacks and subordinate Space enabler and Satellite Communications units.  His previous assignment was as the Chief of Staff for SMDC.  Before coming to SMDC, he was the Brigade Commander of the 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Hood, TX. He deployed his brigade headquarters his last year of command to command and control most of the air defense forces in the Central Command area of operations throughout the Middle East.

His first career assignment was Fort Bliss, Texas. He served in the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and 5-52 ADA (Chaparral/Vulcan/Stinger), 11th ADA Brigade. During this tour, he served in four platoon leader positions, as battery executive officer, and as assistant S3. He graduated early from the Air Defense Advance Course to serve with 2-3 ADA (Vulcan/Stinger), 1st Infantry Division in Desert Storm. He was the battalion planner during the war and later commanded B/2-3 ADA. After    Fort Riley, KS, he served as an Operations Research Systems Analyst and test parachutist with the Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate at Ft. Bragg, NC. Highlights of this tour were his duties as a test parachutist for C-5 formation drops and the new C-17. In addition, he led the first

GPS-guided parachute delivery system development and testing. In 1996, he moved to Washington, D.C., and served as an aide-de-camp for the Operational Testing and Evaluation Commanding General and later as the assignment officer for Operation Research and Systems Analyst in Personnel Command (PERSCOM). During his tour at PERSCOM, he led the efforts to develop and implement the Career Field Designation board process for the Army. After Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS, he served in 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, as the Assistant Division Air Defense Officer and Operations Officer for 4-5 ADA (Linebacker/Avenger/Stinger). In 2001, he returned to PERSCOM as the major and lieutenant colonel assignment officer in Air Defense Branch. COL(R) Jenkins commanded 3-2 ADA (PATRIOT), 31st ADA Brigade, III CORPS from 2003-2005. During command, his battalion deployed to Washington in support of a Joint Task Force-North operational mission. They also organized, developed the doctrine, and trained the nation’s first Counter Rocket Artillery and Mortar Battery for deployment to Iraq. After command, he was the Director, Office of the Chief of Air Defense Artillery at Fort Bliss. He attended the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle, PA, in 2006-07 and was subsequently assigned to Joint Task Force-North. During this tour, he led efforts to partner JTF-N with the Joint IED Defeat Organization applying their information sharing architecture and tools to JTF-Ns mission and its partners.

COL(R) Jenkins’ awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal (2nd award), Meritorious Service Medal (7th award), Army Commendation Medal (3rd award), Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (4th award), Volunteerism Medal (3rd award), other service and deployment awards, Space Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, Australian Airborne Wings, and German Armed Force Proficiency Badge (Gold).

COL(R) Jenkins graduated from West Point in 1986 with BS degrees in Electrical Engineering and Management.  He also has an MS in Operations Research and Systems Management from Florida Institute of Technology and an MA in Strategic Art from the U.S. Army War College.

Thomas “TJ” Jones, LMHC | Lionrock Recovery

Thomas "TJ" Jones was born and raised in Oklahoma. He attended the University of Oklahoma, where in 1988 he earned a BA in Political Science and a commission as a Second Lieutenant, Infantry from the Army ROTC program.

TJ spent 20 years in the Army and retired in 2008 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. TJ’s unit assignments included 3^rd Armored Division, 2nd Infantry Division, 2^nd Armored Calvary Regiment, the Multinational Forces and Observers (MFO), and the 7^th Transportation Group. TJ’s deployments include; Operation Desert Shield/Storm,  Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti, Operation Joint Endeavour in Bosnia, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In 1997, TJ was selected to attend the Logistics Executive Development Course with follow on to Florida Institute of Technology (LEDC/FIT). In 1998 he earned a MS in Logistics Management from Florida Tech.

In 2010, TJ earned a M.Ed. in Community and Addictions Counseling from the College of William and Mary. He completed his counseling residency in Virginia and became a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner (LSATP). TJ worked both inpatient and outpatient treatment programs while in Virginia. In 2016, TJ and his family moved to Jupiter, Florida where he is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and employed as a Substance Use Disorder Counselor with Lionrock Recovery.

When he’s not working, TJ is an avid master’s level swimmer. He competes year round in both pool and open water events as a member of the Palm Beach Masters Swim Team.

Leadership & Organizational Development Consultant, Cox Communications

Twenty years of professional corporate experience in the fields of Leadership Development, Consulting and Talent Management. Corporate experience includes executive coaching, leadership development and assessment, strategic planning, organizational needs assessment and interventions, leading organizational change, and succession planning.  Designed and delivered enterprise wide Leadership Development Programs to 3000+ leaders. 

Elizabeth McChrystal, Ph.D.

Accent Technologies

Vice President of Revenue Science

Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Ph.D. 2004

Fifteen years of professional experience in revenue enablement, professional services, business process analysis and change management. Lead client consultations and successful implementation of Revenue Enablement programs and technology for Fortune 1000 companies with sales teams ranging from 25 sellers to 10,000 sellers. This includes the scoping, deployment, adoption and analysis of each program’s key sales improvement metrics.

Publisher, Al Dia Today 

Communication, BS'81 | Global Strategic Communication, MS'13 

Javier Molinares came to the United States in 1991. His first job was as a cargo handler. He then drove trucks for 4 years before joining the US Army as a paratrooper of the 82nd Airborne Division. During his time in the 82nd Airborne, he completed his Associate in Arts, moved back to Palm Bay and enrolled in the communication program of Florida Institute of Technology. In 2003, he graduated Magna Cum Laude and recorded his own music CD, Vallecumbia. He later wrote for Florida Today’s business section and ultimately started the bilingual newspaper Al Día Today eight years ago.

Gaye Montgomery is an attorney and mom to two adult children. She is also the founding member of Montgomery Compliance Law PLLC (www.montgomerycompliance.com), a risk and compliance advisory practice, and a member of the Board of Managers of Grubb Properties LLC, where she chairs the firm’s Audit Committee.

Gaye’s passion, however, is building and nurturing The Women’s Compliance Collective, a global group of (currently 1000+) women in organizational compliance roles.

During her 20-year career with Altria, she spent more than ten years on the law department’s leadership team and led a number of law department practice groups, including Global Compliance; International Sales & Marketing; Sales; Sales & Marketing; Marketing, Communications & Corporate Responsibility; and Employment. 

Prior to joining Altria, Gaye was an associate at the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York City, which she joined after a judicial clerkship with a U.S. District Court Judge.

Gaye received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University, after which she worked for three years as a Systems Engineer before leaving to attend Yale Law School from which she received her J.D. degree.

Gaye holds professional certifications in cyber security oversight, information management, and European data protection and is admitted to practice law in the United States (New York, Virginia, and the District of Columbia) and the United Kingdom. Gaye is also a Board Certified Coach, having completed executive coaching programs at the College of Executive Coaching and Case Western University’s Weatherhead School of Management, among others.

Gaye brings more than twenty years’ experience on nonprofit boards across a broad range of industries and sectors: financial, education, hospital hospitality, legal, business, civic, religious, and philanthropic). 

Gaye lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she taught as an Adjunct Professor (Antitrust) at the University of Richmond Law School and currently serves as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Richmond Ballet.

U.S. Army Fellow, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) 

Michael Olsen is assigned to the National Guard Bureau (NGB) in Arlington, Virginia and holds the rank of Major. He obtained his commission as a communications officer through the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at the University of Delaware in 2005. Michael is a native of Staten Island, New York. 

Michael has worked at NGB, the federal headquarters of the Army National Guard, since 2009, following a one-year combat deployment to Iraq. Throughout his tenure, Michael has held a number of high visibility positions managing national-level programs critical to the mission of providing oversight, funding and support to the 54 States and Territories of the Army National Guard. 

At NGB, Michael initially served as a data analyst providing quantitative and qualitative analysis, strategically forecasting future requirements to inform senior leader strategic decisions on Army National Guard personnel and resources. From 2013 to 2015, Michael concurrently served as a Company Commander with the Army National Guard in Yonkers, New York. In this role, he was responsible for the health, welfare and training of 134 soldiers and communications equipment worth $25 million. Following Michael’s command position, he served at NGB as a Program Manager responsible for the Army National Guard’s Basic Training program. In this role, he was accountable for the planning, programming, budgeting and execution of $620 million annually. 

In 2016, Michael began his position as a Congressional Liaison with duty at the Pentagon and Capitol Hill. In this role, he was responsible for formulating, coordinating, and executing the National Guard's congressional policy and strategy. Michael developed comprehensive congressional engagement strategies for senior military leaders, and disseminated critical information on all major congressional activities. Michael returned to his role as a data analyst in 2019, serving in a supervisory position with the NGB Strength Maintenance Division to provide quantitative and qualitative analysis on all matters relating to Army National Guard recruiting and retention. 

Michael earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations with a concentration in U.S. Foreign Policy from the University of Delaware, and a Master of Science in Project Management/Operations Research from the Florida Institute of Technology. He also holds a Certificate in Legislative Studies from the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. 

Michael currently resides in Washington, DC with his wife Erica, son James, and daughter Olivia. 

Melissa Parker came to Brevard County through the military after her father was transferred to Patrick Airforce Base in 1987. A graduate from Satellite High School, she later obtained her degree as a Registered Nurse from Eastern Florida State College and worked in the Acute Care settings at Holmes Regional Medical Center and Florida Hospital, specializing in Orthopedics, Neurology and Trauma. She keeps her RN license active and is currently President of Precision Screening, Inc. a boutique, pre-employment background screening and verification service provider which she founded in 2008.

Melissa and her husband Ted live in Indialantic, FL, and have two children, son Brendan and daughter Carson. Their son was diagnosed with autism in 2010 and attended The Scott Center for Autism to receive early intervention ABA Therapy.  In 2015 Melissa and Ted founded their non-profit, The Parker Foundation for Autism and Child Development, to provide free resources to children and families impacted by autism and special needs through three fully funded programs specializing in education, sports, and the arts. Melissa also serves on the Board of Directors for the Senior Resource Alliance and is an active volunteer at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School where their children attend.

Melissa is an artist, a sports enthusiast, and educator who has a genuine love for bringing people together; she developed The Parker Foundation’s “Be a Buddy” initiative as a platform for bullying prevention and to empower young peer volunteers to connect with special needs children in hopes of crushing barriers and encouraging young leaders to embrace diversity to help build a kinder, more understanding and inclusive world for all.

Joel Thomas is the president/CEO of the Winter Haven Hospital Foundation. His academic background includes an MBA/HA from the Florida Institute of Technology, a MA from Rollins College, and a BS from Florida State University. He is a past member of the Florida Tech Alumni Association board of directors. The WHH Foundation has recently conveyed a major multi-year grant to the Florida Tech College of Psychology. The grant allows Florida Tech clinical psychology doctoral students to train at the FSU College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program in Winter Haven.

US Army Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Tony Davila is the founder and CEO/President of Knight Technical Solutions, LLC (KTS). He brings a wealth of experience from an extensive career in the Army, and expertise with Special and Conventional Operations in Military Intelligence, Maneuver Warfare, Psychological Operations, Information Operations, Electronic Warfare, Technical Operations, Aviation, Cyber, and Space. His 33-year career in the Army begin as an enlisted recruit and was later promoted to the Non-commissioned Officer (NCO) ranks. He was then selected for the Army’s Green-to-Gold program with Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) where he earned his commission as a Lieutenant. His distinguished military career in peacetime and in combat has earned him numerous accolades, awards, special assignments and positions, and promotions. 

As the Founder, CEO/President of Knight Technical Solutions (KTS), Tony relies on his extensive experiences, education, and leadership skills to innovate new disruptive technologies such as novel combustion engine research and development, recoil reduction systems production, solar power pack designs, among several other technologies. His life experiences and education have enabled his company to innovate with new technologies that will improve both military and civilian lives in the future. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for Huntsville Special Operation Forces Network where he reaches out to multiple local communities as the Outreach Director for STEM and Technology. 

As a commander and program manager, Tony has extensive experience in managing the Army’s Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) – Gray Eagle and Hunter, with experiences in acquisition, testing, research and development, and operational integration of multiple unmanned systems in the Department of Defense to include manned and unmanned teaming (MUM-T) 

Tony received his B.S. in Computer Science from Christopher Newport University at Newport News, Virginia in 1991. His M.S. in Systems Management/Information Systems from Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida in 1999. 

Kenny Watts, Madison, AL

Kenny Watts graduated from FIT in 1971 with a BSEE and a student number #979.  In 1968, he was one of the original 9 members of the of the first ever FIT Rowing Team and the team captain and first alumni. As an original crew member, Kenny was a personal acquaintance of Dr. Jerome Keuper who was the team’s greatest fan. At FIT, he was the Vice President of the Student Government Association and an EE Lab Assistant for Dr. Walter Nunn (a fellow Marine) for whom the FIT Endowed Chair in Electromagnetics is dedicated.

With the Vietnam war in full swing in 1971 and with a low draft number, after graduating from FIT, Kenny joined the Marine Corps, was commissioned via the Officer Candidate School, and trained as an Airborne Electronic Countermeasures Officer (ECMO) flying missions in the EA-6A and RF-4B aircraft aboard the USS Midway and USS Coral Sea. In 1975, from the USS Coral Sea, Kenny flew the last Marine Corps fixed-wing aircraft out of Vietnam at the completion of the Saigon evacuation where he provided radar jamming from his EA-6A to protect the helicopters performing the evacuation.

Kenny then attended the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA where in 1977 he received a MSEE.  He then served as a flight test engineer for an aircraft C3 system and worked in-plant with the engineering team at Hughes Aircraft Company in Fullerton, CA. He left active duty in 1981 and continued to serve in the Marine Corps Reserve until 2001, rising to the rank of Colonel. His Marine Corps Reserve assignments included tours as a Forward Air Controller, Artillery Battery Commander, Battalion Intelligence Officer, Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) Intelligence Officer, Deputy Director of the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity, and Faculty Member at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College.

In his civilian career, Kenny worked for Raytheon Company in Huntsville, AL as a Senior Systems Engineer and Senior Business Development Manager.  Kenny received two business development awards from Raytheon for his leadership in fielding near-term threat response systems. The first award was for his role in the first 72 hours after the 911 terrorist attacks, for deploying Raytheon radars, C3 systems and missiles to the National Capital Region to create an air defense umbrella.  The second award was for his role in adapting the Raytheon shipborne Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) for land use in Iraq to detect and destroy incoming mortar and rocket weapons.

Kenny retired from Raytheon in 2013 and still works as a part time consultant for Huntsville aerospace-defense companies.  He is working with the FIT College of Engineering and Science to help pursue DoD, DoJ, and NASA research programs in Huntsville, AL.