2021-2023 Board Candidate Profiles

I care deeply about the cost community and want to do whatever I can to enable the health and growth of our profession. That is why I am running for ICEAA’s top leadership position. The whole point of a professional association like ICEAA is to promote the profession it represents. In doing so, ICEAA delivers value to the beneficiaries of our profession and its members. I have a concern that the cost estimating, and analysis profession is losing its luster. I have noticed that fewer senior Government leaders and their industry counterparts attend our annual national conference. I want our typical stakeholder (e.g., program manager, senior acquisition executive, contracting officer, business financial manager, budget analyst, etc.) to truly understand what you do and recognize the value you deliver. Meanwhile, consumers of our cost and analysis services are faced with more not fewer challenges. At the same time, young, bright, ambitious analysts are entering our field. They are eager to learn and do impactful work. They need enablement to learn new skills and grow. They need a relationship network that matters. They need exposure to different perspectives. They need to believe they can have an impact in order for them to make an impact. If elected, I will lead ICEAA and, by extension, our cost and analysis profession, to greater relevance internationally by:

• Increasing engagement with senior leaders leading to increased ICEAA visibility and support,
• Creating new collaboration opportunities where information, knowledge and ideas are shared for the express purpose of breaking new ground (i.e., action) that advances our profession,
• Creating new opportunities to train and develop professionals more effectively in both the Government and OEM communities, and
• Supporting networking events that enable substantive dialog.

I believe I am the right person to lead ICEAA because:
• I realize talk is cheap and execution is everything. I don’t view the ICEAA President a hobby or means to further my personal brand. I consider it a privilege and enormous responsibility and will therefore treat it as a job. I’ve been in the “hot seat”. I’ve been the accountable person. I have a track record of professional success in the private and public sectors.
• I have the right leadership experience and perspective regarding positive association change to make a real, lasting difference for the community at large.
• I have a relationship network that is of value to ICEAA. Over the years, I have earned the trust and respect of senior Government and commercial leaders. I will use this network to promote our profession as well as seek direct feedback on how we can better serve them.
• I am willing and able to invest the time, energy and political capital to affect the type of change that I and many of you believe is necessary for ICEAA to deliver the right value to membership and grow our profession.
• I will ensure that association effort and funding is focused on offerings and initiatives that enable technical excellence, collaboration and innovation, each of which will in its own way serve to foster the relevance of our profession internationally.

Bio:
Bob Hunt has over 40 years of cost estimating and analysis experience. He has served as Treasures of ICEAA, and Executive Vice President of ICEAA. He received his Society for Cost Estimating and Analysis (SCA) Certification in 1991. He has served in senior technical and management positions as President Dulos Inc, President Galorath Federal, CALIBRE Systems (Vice President), CALIBRE Services (President), SAIC (Vice President), the U.S. Army Cost and Economic Analysis Center (Chief of the Vehicles, Ammunition, and Electronics ICE Division, U.S. Army Directorate of Cost Analysis (Deputy Director for Automation and Modeling), and other Army analysis positions. He is the author of multiple technical papers published for ICEAA, IEEE, DCAS, and other professional journals. His published works include: Cost and Data Issues facing Today’s Cybersecurity Analysts, How to Estimate and Manage Large Federal Software Development Programs, Price-To-Win Analyses, Should Cost Analysis, Cost Estimating for Agile Software Development, and Applying Earned Value to Agile Software Development. He has served as a track chair and technical presenter for multiple SCEA, ISPA, SSCAG, ICEAA, AIAA, and IEEE Conferences.

Mr. Hunt has provided information technology systems and software program assessments, and IT and software cost estimating for commercial and federal clients including the U.S. Army, Customs and Border Patrol, the Department of Defense, NASA, and various commercial clients. In addition to his ICEAA Treasurer responsibilities, Mr. Hunt has held leadership positions and made technical presentations for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), served as the Chairman of the Economics Technical Subcommittee of the AIAA, the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP), and the IEEE.

Mr. Hunt received his Master of Science degree from Virginia State University and his Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth, both degrees Mathematics Education.

Mr. Hunt has been married to his wife Barbara for 52 years. They have two children and three grandchildren. He is an active church member. Mr. Hunt has been an active participant in local Public Service. He was elected to the Tri-County/City (TCC) District of the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board (SWCB). He served as Chairman of that Board in 2009 and Treasurer in 2010/2011. He was also elected to the Stafford County School Board from the Aquia District. He was appointed to the Stafford County Utilities Commission and Served as Chairman in 2008 and 2009. He serves on the Agricultural/Purchase of Development Rights Commission of Stafford County. Mr. Hunt has served as President and Secretary of the Stafford Education Foundation; a 501(c)3 IRS Charity dedicated to supporting public education in Stafford County.

I am currently seeking the position of Executive Vice President of the ICEAA board because I passionately believe in the mission of ICEAA. I have worked alongside the ICEAA office staff for many years in my volunteer positions and think I would be an asset in the role of executive Vice President. As a previous member of the executive committee on the ICEAA board, I am extremely familiar with the expectations of the duties and time commitment required. I would like to continue to have this voting member role on the board as I think there is much we could do to further the visibility of our organization, continue to push the ICEAA training opportunities, and actively work to bring in new members from previously underrepresented communities. I have already been a part of introducing novel ideas forward to the board and updating our bylaws and constitution on the international level.

I am a CCEA® with over 15 years of Department of Defense acquisition cost estimating and program analysis experience and have been extremely active in my support for the ICEAA workshop and international board. In addition to serving as the Workshop Chair/co-chair for many years, I was the ICEAA Board Secretary for 2019-2021. I have spent my whole career supporting Navy, Air Force, and Army programs with various aspects of project management, strategic planning, and cost estimating support. At MCR, I teach our internal training classes for cost estimating since 2013, have helped with the push to get more of our analysts certified, and have been an advocate for ICEAA involvement. I graduated in 2005 from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Applied Computational Mathematics with a Concentration in Statistics. I currently live in a suburb of Tampa, Florida with my husband, 2 young sons, 2 rescue hound dogs, and a hedgehog.

Relevant ICEAA experience
• ICEAA Board Secretary 2019-2021
• Received my CCEA certification in 2012 and recertified in 2017
• Attended the ICEAA annual workshop every year from 2012-2019
• Track Chair at the ICEAA workshop 2012 & 2013
• Presented CeBOK training at every ICEAA workshop from 2013-2019
• Deputy Program Chair for the annual ICEAA workshop 2014-2018
• ICEAA outreach committee member
• ICEAA Program Chair for the 2019 ICEAA workshop
• ICEAA Program Deputy for 2021 ICEAA virtual workshop

I am currently seeking the position of Secretary of the ICEAA Board. I have been a member of ICEAA (or ISPA) for more than 20 years and have been active in this organization throughout that time. Not only have I attended every yearly Conference since 1998 – I have presented at least one talk at each of these Conferences as well as offering CEBOK training at many. I have also been a cost estimating evangelist through publications and presentations of content in various cost estimating and software venues. I regularly attend and make myself available to deliver content to local chapters as appropriate. I believe ICEAA is in a unique position to impact the cost community in so many positive ways, including providing training and professional certifications as well as numerous opportunities for invaluable networking with other cost professionals. Even through the weird times experienced in 2020, ICEAA has done an exceptional job keeping the cost community engaged, informed, and interested in improving their skills. As my term as Region 1 Director comes to a close, I would like to continue to help propel this extraordinary organization forward as a member of the Board. I believe the position of Secretary is a good fit for my experience and talents. As a Board member over the last four years, I have had the opportunity to learn the workings of the Board and the roles of various Board members, putting me in an excellent position to hit the ground running in this position. I have had the opportunity to participate in discussions, working groups, committees and decisions that have impacted this organization in a positive direction over the last four years and I am excited at the prospect of being in an even better position to engage and make a difference.

Bio:
Ms. Minkiewicz is a software measurement expert dedicated to finding creative solutions focused on making software development professionals successful. She has over 35 years in the software cost estimating industry researching all aspects of the software development process and providing thought leadership to the software community. Ms. Minkiewicz is the Chief Scientist at PRICE Systems, LLC. In this role, she leads the cost research activity for the TruePlanning® suite of cost estimating products and related services that PRICE provides.

Ms. Minkiewicz has an MS in Computer Science from Drexel University and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Lehigh University. She has published many articles on software measurement and estimation in Software Development, Crosstalk, and the Journal of Software Technology and has been a contributing author for several books including “Systems Cost Engineering” (Glower, 2010), “The Closed Loop: Implementation Guide for Activity Based Budgeting” (CAM-I, 2004) and “IT Measurement: Practical Advice from the Experts” (Addison Wesley, 2002). Her research is frequently cited in technical papers and presentations and she holds a patent for research conducted into the estimation of object-oriented software.

She frequently presents at industry conferences on many topics associated with hardware, software and systems estimation and has received numerous best paper awards for her research papers. She is a member of the International Cost Estimating and Analysis Association (ICEAA), Military Operations Research Society (MORS) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE) and has served on committees setting standards and best practices for estimation, measurement, and benchmarking with the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), Project Management Institute (PMI), the international Cost Estimating and Analysis Association (ICEAA), and The Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing International (CAM-I). In 2012, Ms. Minkiewicz received the ISPA Frank Frieman Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to the estimation community. She was also inducted into the Drexel Alumni Circle of Distinction in 2012.

Relevant ICEAA Experience
• Region 1 Director for 2018-2021
• Currently participating with the ICEAA Working Group responsible for review and guidance for software CEBOK (sCEBOK) exam and corresponding training (2019-2021)
• Member of the ICEAA Awards committee (2018 & 2019)
• Member of the ICEAA Nomination Committee (2019)
• Member of ICEAA (and formerly ISPA) for over 20 years
• Have attended and contributed content at the ICEAA (or ISPA or ISPA-SCEA) Conference every year since 1998.
• Regularly contribute content to local chapters and participate in working groups
• Regular reviewer of abstracts and presentations for the annual ICEAA Conference
• Regular reviewer for best paper awards for annual ICEAA Conference
• Frequent participant in delivery of cost estimating training at the ICEAA International Conference

I enjoy learning all I can about different perspectives in cost estimating and would like the chance to serve an organization that has helped expose me to many different methods and perspectives. By serving on the Board, I can help contribute my knowledge to the organization and be on the forefront of cost estimation. Our work is quickly evolving to include the incorporation of more data driven methods and tools, and I feel that ICEAA is uniquely positioned to help the industry embrace this change, as well as educate the cost community about these new methods.

As Treasurer, I will attend and contribute to all Board of Directors’ meetings, and will receive and disburse ICEAA’s funds with proper authorization. I will leverage my experience both from serving on my condominium board, as well as my experience as a Technical Manager, to prepare the year-end annual report and the five-year financial plan. Additionally, while serving on the board, I would apply the skills I have learned in nearly a decade of cost estimating to help shape the future of ICEAA and assist in providing guidance to the various committees. Member outreach, certification, and knowledge sharing are particular areas of interest for me. In my various roles leading and assisting with training programs, I realize the importance of communication, not only within my company, but also externally. When we have more people providing input and ideas, it makes our jobs more efficient and enjoyable, and ensures that we are applying the absolute best knowledge available to solve the problem(s) at hand.

Although I never imagined myself becoming a cost estimator, I truly appreciate how much it has enabled me to learn about different commodities, tools, and develop new skills. Additionally, it has led me to develop a number of working relationships with industry colleagues within my company, as well externally, that make my job so rewarding and dynamic.

Despite a relatively short time as a member of the ICEAA community, I have taken advantage of opportunities to become an active member, by attending chapter meetings and conferences, and by actively working to increase membership and certification within Tecolote. ICEAA has been an invaluable organization in my career development and allowed me myriad experiences to grow, not only as a cost estimator, but also as a manager and trainer.

Bio:
Currently serves as Technical Manager for Tecolote Research, Inc., supporting their Arlington Operations and leading tasks across multiple divisions of the Department of Homeland Security, with nearly 10 years of experience in cost estimating. After completing my BS in Statistics from Virginia Tech, I began my career working as an actuarial assistant and data analyst at Ace Private Risk Services in Salem, Virginia. Upon relocating to Washington DC, I found my way to Tecolote Research, Inc. where I began doing cost estimates for the Marine Corps, then subsequently providing support for the Navy and Department of Homeland Security. Along the way, I developed an affinity for ACEIT, the cost estimating suite developed and maintained by Tecolote Research. I was then offered a role as an instructor on the ACEIT Training team, and have been conducting regular ACEIT trainings since 2018. Being able to share my enthusiasm for the ACEIT suite with analysts across the field is consistently one of the most rewarding facets of my career. Additionally, I enjoy taking an active role in helping our analysts obtain ICEAA certifications, as well as participating in Tecolote’s Analyst Training Program cost class curriculum. When not cost estimating and teaching cost estimating, I serve on the condominium board for my HOA, preparing various filings with the District of Columbia. In my free time, I also enjoy baking, and spending time with my cats and husband.

Relevant ICEAA Experience: Member of ICEAA since 2017 (Wright-Pat AFB, Kirkland AFB, and Seattle WA chapters) and CCEA

Certifications: Certified Cost Estimator/Analyst CCEA (ICEAA – 2018)

I believe that ICEAA is important to the continued development and growth of our profession. I love being a cost estimator and I am passionate about sharing my knowledge and enhancing our community’s ability to attract and groom future estimators. I want to use my broad experience with ICEAA as both a military member and as a commercial sector member to improve services and increase membership.

Having worked closely with US and foreign militaries, other US federal programs, and commercial companies, I appreciate that our body of knowledge and certifications need to serve all of our ICEAA members. As a leader of a software development group, I have extensive experience developing and reviewing requirements for programs to serve our community. I have been an active member of both ICEAA and AACEI and I see how the skills ICEAA promotes cross industry boundaries (e.g. construction, oil and gas, and transportation). As VP of Professional Development, I will strive to ensure our programs support best practices for cost estimating, cost analysis, and allied fields to build a bridge across defense and non-defense estimating communities. I will also prioritize professional development services that provide value to analysts at all stages of their careers.
Our profession is at a cross roads. Cost analysis techniques and methods are evolving with data science advancements and data is becoming more readily available. For the first time, we have young people coming out of universities with degrees in data science and we need to attract these graduates into our profession. I will strive to help ICEAA grow the professional development programs to provide the latest and most useful methodologies and techniques as well as to attract the best candidates into our profession.

Bio:
My career has provided experiences that allow me to relate to the vast majority of ICEAA members. I started my career in the US Air Force, became a cost analyst professional, worked in the commercial sector, returned to defense as a support contractor for cost analyses, transitioned to program management and climbed the ranks to senior level management. I have worked with domestic and international defense organizations and contractors.

After graduating from the US Air Force Academy, began career at Tyndall Air Force base working operational budgeting and financial management. Awarded Master’s in Cost Analysis at AFIT in residence and earned CCEA certification in mid-90s. Transferred to the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright Patterson AFB and provided cost estimating support to the Special Operations and C-17 Program offices. After separating from the Air Force, spent six years in marketing and analysis in the semiconductor industry.

Returned to the defense sector in 2004 working for Tecolote supporting cost analysis, EVM, and schedule risk analysis at Kirkland AFB for the Missile Defense Agency, the Air Force Space and Missile System Center, the Air Force Research Lab, and Sandia National Laboratories. In 2011, transferred to Washington state and became program manager for ACEIT. Provided requirement and development leadership for the ACEIT suite as well as estimating support for all branches of US military, federal programs (including DHS, FAA, DOE, and many more), US contractors, and governmental defense organizations and contractors in Australia and UK. In 2017, assumed responsibilities as the general manager for the Tecolote Software Products/Services Group leading development and support for projects including CADE, EVAMOSC, EVM-CR, and ACEIT. More than 15 years of experience teaching and developing course materials for ACEIT, JACS, Power BI, and general cost estimating classes.

I have supported ICEAA conferences as a speaker and a trainer. I have lived in areas that have very active chapters and areas that have no local activity at all. I recognize the need for services and support for ICEAA members in all situations.

Relevant ICEAA Experience: Member of ICEAA for 13+ years (Greater Dayton and Northwest/Washington chapters) and CCEA
Certifications: Certified Cost Estimator/Analyst CCEA (ICEAA – 1995 and recertified 2011) and Certified Cost Professional CCP (Association for Advancement of Cost Engineering International AACEI – 2005)

I wish to serve on the ICEAA Board because I have a strong desire to help give back to an organization that has had such a positive influence on my career as a cost estimator and analyst. Throughout my career in cost estimating within the Government and Industry, I have gained a great appreciation for the importance of professional development and established standards. I also recognize the challenges that everyone is facing during this pandemic and I know that this time is particularly difficult for ICEAA as an organization. To me, the greatest things about being involved in ICEAA are sharing our knowledge and experiences with one another, and networking and catching up at in-person ICEAA events. Preserving and replacing those experiences is tough right now, and I would be honored to help this 2021-2023 Board of Directors overcome the unique challenges that our organization faces in the times ahead.

On a more upbeat note, in recent years our profession has seen a tremendous leap in the level of insights that our analysis can provide using the latest advancements in data science tools and methods. Many of these capabilities simply did not exist throughout most of our careers as estimators. We are seeing a huge rise in formal education and career opportunities in data science, which provides great opportunities for ICEAA as an organization. Attracting this new wave of data science talent to our cost estimating profession and connecting these new capabilities to our existing body of knowledge will be vital for our organization going forward. I have a passion for data science and data visualization, and if given the opportunity to serve on the board I would love to use my knowledge and experience to help ICEAA make the most of this opportunity.

Bio:
I joined Ball Aerospace in December 2019 and help lead our enterprise cost analysis efforts across our various business units, with a particular focus on historical data analysis and CER development. Prior to joining Ball Aerospace, I spent over 15 years in leadership and cost analysis roles at Tecolote Research, Inc and serving as an Active Duty Finance Officer in the U.S. Air Force, predominately at the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) at Los Angeles Air Force Base. Throughout my career, I have had the pleasure of helping develop and implement various cost estimating standards and guides, as well as mentoring other cost analysts – which has given me a deep appreciate for what ICEAA is all about!

Education:
Webster University, M.A. Procurement & Acquisition Management
Webster University, M.B.A. Emphasis in Environmental Management
Air Force Institute of Technology, M.S. Cost Analysis
U.S. Air Force Academy, B.S. Management

ICEAA Experience
I have been a member of ICEAA for over 10 years and earned my CCEA® certification in 2012. I frequently attended ICEAA’s SoCal events, Annual Workshops, and recent webinar events. I have encouraged and helped train over 15 colleagues who have successfully earned their CCEA® certification. I am a heavy user of the CEBoK and have always been a strong proponent of ICEAA. Currently, I am actively encouraging and assisting other colleagues at Ball Aerospace to join ICEAA and helping revive our Rocky Mountain Chapter within Region 5.

I would be honored to have the opportunity to support you all, along with the President and Board of Directors, with any responsibilities assigned to me as an Elected Director for the challenging 2021-2023 period ahead of us. I appreciate your consideration in supporting me for the position, and special thanks to all those who nominated me for inclusion on this ballot!

I am pleased to self-nominate myself for your consideration for an At-Large Elected Director position on the ICEAA Board of Directors for the 2021-2023 Term. I have been affiliated with the cost estimating and analysis field through various Finance and Program Management leadership roles for over the past 20 years with The Boeing Company. I presently lead the Estimating & Pricing organization for Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and have previously held other key Finance functional leadership roles, where I am heavily involved in discussions from bid development and approvals to life cycle cost estimating across the enterprise on a wide range of defense programs.

As the sponsoring executive for ICEAA at Boeing, I am involved with both functional and people development, as well as industry outreach. This role requires to me to understand cost estimating and analysis as a skill that is so critical across many disciplines spanning finance, engineering, operations and sustainment fields. I am currently supporting ICEAA’s OEM engagement discussions because I am highly interested in expanding the value of ICEAA to cost estimating professionals with industry roles. I believe it’s important to adapt ICEAA to meet the OEMs ever growing needs, which in turn makes ICEAA more valuable and relevant to OEMs.

I look forward to supporting this organization as a board member. My deep interest and passion for the mission of ICEAA strongly aligns with my own personal core values. I recognize ICEAA provides benefits to its members, including OEM partners, and can continue to increase the value provided through collaboration, creativity and innovative thinking.

I thank you for your time and consideration.

Bio:
Barbara Wilson is the senior finance director of Estimating and Pricing for Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS), a $26B unit that provides solutions for defense, government, space, intelligence, and security customers worldwide. In this role, based in St. Louis, she leads an organization of about 300 employees that develop estimates with speed, agility and integrity to provide affordable products to meet customer needs. Additionally, Wilson is responsible for government proposal improvement initiatives across BDS and Boeing Global Services (BGS).

Prior to her current position, Wilson served as senior finance director of Operations and director of Contracts for Business Aviation & General Aviation within Contracts, Estimating & Revenue Management for BGS. In this role she managed all aspects of the organization’s operations and led a core team that was responsible for cross-functional and cross-business integration and oversight. Additionally, she was responsible for government transactional contracts support, as well as leading the commercial contracts teams at Jeppesen, Aviall and Boeing Distribution Services Inc.

Since joining Boeing in 1996, Wilson has held a variety of progressively senior roles in finance and program management bringing a wealth of experience working in functional roles as a partner to the businesses, as well as working within the business directly supporting Boeing’s military and government customers. Wilson previously served as director of Procurement Financial Analysis and director Financial Operations across BDS. In these roles she had functional responsibility people, processes, systems and tools. She was the director and program manager of Army, Navy and Marine Corps Training Programs for Boeing’s Training Systems and Government Services, part of Global Services & Support. She was also director and program manager for both Boeing Military Aircraft’s T-45 Training System Program and T-38 Avionics Upgrade Program. Leading up to these senior leadership roles, Wilson served as chief of staff to the president and CEO of BDS, with responsibility for effectively executing the president’s activities across the enterprise. From 2003 to 2004 she held the post of director of business management for Boeing Ceská, s.r.o. at Aero Vodochody in Prague, Czech Republic. As a member of the executive management team and operating committee, she was responsible for fiscal and operational leadership of the business.

Wilson is a member of the Boeing St. Louis Leadership Association, Boeing Women in Leadership Association and former Boeing Executive Focal to Tuskegee University. In December 2016, she was selected as a 2016 Executive Diversity & Inclusion Champion Winner for her efforts to drive diversity and inclusion throughout Boeing. In August 2009, Wilson was named one of St. Louis’ Most Influential Business Women by the St. Louis Business Journal. The award recognizes remarkable women who excel in their careers and in serving their communities. Her accomplishments were also featured in the August 2009 issue of St. Louis Woman Magazine. In 2006, Wilson received the Women of Color in Technology Professional Achievement Award, a nationally recognized industry-wide honor.

A native of St. Louis, Wilson has actively participated volunteering time in her community on Boards for the Saint Louis Zoo, Urban Sprouts Child Development Center, Mercy Health Foundation and Ranken Technical College. In September 2011, Wilson was honored by St. Louis Gateway Sports Foundation and The City of St. Louis, Office of the License Collector, with a Community Service Award for her commitment to the St. Louis Region and its people. She was recognized as an achiever and role model for those who aspire to succeed by means of discipline, loyalty and excellence. In December 2011, Wilson was featured in the eighth edition of Who’s Who In Black St. Louis® highlighting her achievements, sacrifices and triumphs, in the magazine’s most prestigious section, St. Louis’s Interesting Personalities. In October 2010, Wilson was a recipient of the Daughters of the American Revolution St. Louis-Jefferson Chapter American History Woman of the Year Award.
Wilson holds a B.S. degree in business administration, with a concentration in management, from Auburn University. She has also earned an M.B.A. degree, and M.A. degree in computer resources and information management from Webster University in 1997 and 2000, respectively, and a M.S. degree in national resource strategy from National Defense University’s Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 2010. She is a graduate of the 2007-2008 FOCUS Leadership St. Louis® program and alumni of Defense Acquisition University

Ms. Pullen is a Senior Operations Research Analyst for the Air Force Cost Analysis Agency (AFCAA), Information Technology Division at the Hanscom Air Force Base Operating Location. She leads several Independent Estimates and serves as the lead of a multi-service Working Agile Working Group. Previously, Ms. Pullen worked for Tecolote Research, Inc. as cost lead in multiple program offices and for Northrop Grumman performing cost studies and authoring sections of the original Cost Estimating Body of Knowledge.

Ms. Pullen is a Distinguished Graduate of the Masters in Cost Estimating and Analysis program from the Naval Postgraduate School. She received her Bachelors of Business Administration with honors from James Madison University.

Ms. Pullen is a proud mother of two teenage girls and two Boston Terroirs. In her free time she enjoys group fitness, nature walks, reading, and watercolor painting.

Ms. Pullen is a Certified Cost Estimator/Analyst has been a member of ICEAA for 20+ years. Her involvement includes conference presenter, track chair, exam proctor, New England chapter secretary, and member of the ICEAA abstract review team.

Ms. Pullen seeks the position of Region 1 Director. In this position Ms. Pullen aims to foster greater communication between regional chapters/members and the ICEAA Board of Directors while imparting the numerous the benefits of being an ICEAA member within the region.

I am thrilled to have been nominated to serve as the Region 2 Director for the ICEAA National Board, and I promise to serve you well! I have dedicated my professional career to the interests of ICEAA – and our predecessor organization, SCEA – making significant and sustained contributions for over 25 years, and I feel called now to serve on the national board as your next Region 2 Director.

Why do I want to serve?
As an active chapter member for over 25 years, with many of those years serving on the Washington Capital Area Chapter board, I understand the importance of a strong liaison between the chapter and the national board. This has always been easy for me due to the Washington Chapter’s collocation with the National Board office, but I know it is more challenging for chapters outside of the National Capital Area. I am motivated to facilitate and energize the chapter-to-national board relationship in Region 2 and hope to serve as a model for other regions as well. I’ve also been a Chapter Board member for so many years that I am intimately familiar with the types of issues that could be resolved with a healthy liaison to the National Board. Examples include ensuring adequate funding from the National office for Chapter activities; sharing of best practices from the National Board to the Chapter Boards, and vice versa; communication of National initiatives to the Chapter Boards; and so on. I believe I have the depth of knowledge, having served in my local chapter as well as on National Board committees, to effectively promote this vigorous relationship.

Relevant Experience
I am currently the Director of the Integrated Cost and Schedule Analysis department for The Aerospace Corporation, but I began my cost estimating career in 1995 at the Naval Center for Cost Analysis (NCCA), quickly gaining professional experience, and in that same year began participating in local SCEA chapter events, as well as serving as a track chair in several SCEA conferences. I earned my CCE/A certification in 2002 and have faithfully kept it up to date ever since. Following my tour at NCCA, I was invited to serve as a military faculty member at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, where I wrote a new version of the Cost Estimating course for the Operations Research department. Many parts of that course are still in use today at NPS. Although I retired from the Navy in 2000, I am still actively involved with NPS as a remote distance learning instructor, teaching “Engineering Economics and Cost Estimation” for the Masters in Systems Engineering program, and the “Risk and Uncertainty Analysis” course for the Masters in Cost Estimating and Analysis (MCEA) program. Over my professional and teaching career, I have taught cost estimation and methods concepts to over 1,000 students, many of whom have gone on to become professional cost estimators themselves. Throughout it all, I have consistently promoted SCEA and now ICEAA membership to my students.

Moreover, I have faithfully served both the national and local SCEA and ICEAA organizations over my career. At the chapter level, I served for over seven years as the Program Chair for the Washington Capital Area chapter, coordinating monthly luncheons and recruiting speakers for the benefit of the chapter members. I developed and implemented the chapter’s “Speaker of the Year” award, which is now awarded each year to the most effective luncheon speaker. I have also served as membership chair and Vice President of the Washington Capital Area chapter. I have participated in nearly every SCEA and ICEAA conference since 1995, serving in some leadership capacity from track chair, to awards committee member, to training track instructor. I’ve also been moderator for panel discussions and proctored CCE/A certification exams. On the National Board, I have served as the chair of the Governance Committee at a crucial time following the SCEA/ISPA merger, making necessary changes to the ICEAA constitution and bylaws. I’ve also served on the national Cost Estimating Body of Knowledge (CEBoK) committee, and I have written two articles for the National Estimator on how to work with learning curves.

My contributions to ICEAA over the last 25 years have been frequent, substantial and sustained, and the association has always been able to count on me to take on the difficult roles that make ICEAA effective.

Certifications and Awards
• ICEAA Certified Cost Estimator/Analyst (current since 2002)
• Active member of SCEA, then ICEAA, since 1995
• Awarded the “2010 Wayne E. Meyer Award for Excellence in Systems Engineering” by the Naval Postgraduate School
• Awarded the “2010 National Estimator/Analyst of the Year for Technical Achievement” by SCEA
• Awarded the “2017 Association Service Award” by ICEAA

Thank you for considering me, Cole Kupec, for the position of Region 3 Director for a second term. The position has been my great honor to serve in for the last two years. Having the opportunity to support the members of the cost estimating community, and support the progression of our tradecraft has been a great blessing. I believe there is still work to be done and that is why I am seeking re-election as the Region 3 Director.

I am asking for your vote, so I would like to share with you who I am so you know who you are electing. I currently serve as the President of CE Solutions Inc., an operations research firm based out of the south-eastern United States. I received my Ph.D. at Old Dominion University in Occupational and Technical Studies, my Masters in Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Auburn University, and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Wyoming. I enjoy writing and publishing articles on a variety of topics including Andragogy, the defense industry workforce, operations research, project management, and STEM education. Many of these articles I have presented at ICEAA functions. I have long been an advocate for my local ICEAA chapter and our region, both through my professional and academic works. Above all I enjoy reaching out to fellow members of the cost estimating community and learning about what opportunities and challenges they are taking on, as well as how they are handling those obstacles. I believe that the professional standards of the cost estimating profession require the voices of those practicing it everyday. I look forward to continue to be your representative as the Region 3 Director.

My name is Joe Bauer. I have been a Solutions Consultant with PRICE Systems for over 8 years. I joined PRICE after twenty years of service in the US Air Force. I am the primary technical focal point for US Air Force and Canadian government customers, providing training, mentoring, and consulting in parametric estimation and data analysis. I am seeking the nomination for Region 4 Director.

I have been an ICEAA member since 2008. Since joining ICEAA, I have served as a conference track chair and have presented at numerous conferences and chapter events. For the last six years, I have served as the Greater Dayton chapter awards chairperson.

I earned a Master of Science degree in Cost Analysis in 2009 from the Air Force Institute of Technology and an MBA in 2005. In 2012, I became a Certified Cost Estimator / Analyst (CCEA) with ICEAA. In 2020, I earned a Data Analytics certificate from Cornell University.

I wish to serve on the ICEAA Board for several reasons. First, I firmly believe in the organization’s role in promoting the cost estimating profession through education, training and professional development opportunities. Second, having served at the chapter level for the last six years, I want to contribute at a higher organizational level and have positive impact outside of my local chapter.

Thanks in advance for your consideration.

Region 5 Director: Kellie Wutzke

I am the current Region 5 director and believe I am the best candidate to continue in this role. In the last two years as Region 5 director, I have held numerous town holds and worked to engage the region and form a community. COVID has presented some unique challenges, and has dampened some efforts, but I believe persistence and dedication will prove successful in the long run. In my time on the board, I have taken on the role of CEBoK principal and have continued to update and improve the CEBoK material. I have served on several committees, including a committee to move the exam to an online platform and a committee to establish a strategy for developing the SCEBoK. I served as training chair for the 2020 workshop, initiating efforts to revamp training materials prior to the cancellation of the workshop. I am currently the 2021 training chair and am working to transform our training offerings into a virtual solution. The last two years have flown by, and I feel I have many more contributions to make to ICEAA still!

I was born and raised here in WA state. I have actively supported ICEAA through membership, papers, presentations, and training since 2010. I was also a primary contributor to the CEBoK editing effort which produced CEBoK 2.0. I graduated from Whitman College with a BA in Applied Mathematics and a BA in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology. I also have a MS in Data Analytics from Central Washington University and am CCEA certified.  I have 14 years of industry experience in both the government and private sectors and work to develop innovative ways to help government and private organizations embrace the rapidly growing field of data analytics. My education, hard work, and success in this field demonstrate that I am the right candidate for Director of Region 5.

If I were elected as Region 6 director, I believe I can bring two things to the Board of Directors.

First, as someone who has been performing industry cost estimates for over 30 years and continues to do so today, I think I bring a practical “ground-level” view of the needs of industry cost estimators and an idea of how ICEAA might do a better job of meeting those needs. Industry participation in ICEAA is not as strong as it should be, and I’d like to help change that.

Second, I believe the most important part of ICEAA’s mission is the education of the next generation of cost analysts. As cost analysts who started in the 1970’s and 1980’s continue to retire, it’s critical that their institutional knowledge and experience be passed on to younger analysts in both government and industry. ICEAA has a vital role to play. I would certainly place ICEAA’s educational mission as the highest priority if I were elected to the board.

Bio:
Brent Johnstone is a Lockheed Martin Fellow and production air vehicle cost estimator at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, Texas. He has 33 years’ experience in the military aircraft industry, including 30 years as a cost estimator. He has worked on the F-16 program and is currently the lead Production Operations cost estimator for the F-35 program. He has extensive experience in preparing firm TINA-compliant proposals as well as experience in parametric estimating, design trade studies, ROM/budgetary estimates and contract negotiations. He has received the Lockheed Martin Corporate Estimating Excellence Award twice as well as the BAE Systems Bronze Award for Innovation. In addition, he has received the Corporate Team NOVA award and the Aeronautics sector’s Aero Star team award three times. He has a Master of Science from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin in Economics.

He is a member of the Lone Star Chapter of ICEAA. As an ICEAA member since 2012, he has made multiple presentations at ICEAA Chapter events and the annual ICEAA Professional Development and Training Workshop. His papers received “Best of Category” awards in 2015, 2016 and 2020 and “Best Overall Paper” in 2020. He has also presented as a CeBOK trainer at the 2019 ICEAA conference.

I would like to contribute to the mutual growth for both myself and fellow members in the cost estimating, cost analysis and allied fields. As a Regional Director, I hope to facilitate alignment between the various regions of ICEAA such that ideas and information could more easily flow between the regions. In this way, I hope to enhance the experience for the members.

Bio:
Mr. Danny Polidi received a B.S. and M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA in 1990 and 1991. Current PhD candidate for Systems Engineering at CSU. He was with Space Systems / Loral from 1991 to 1996 working on high frequency, microwave designs for space applications. From 1996 to 2002, at Radian Technology, he became the Product Manager of the Digitally Tuned Oscillator Product Line where he was responsible for designing new circuits, writing code, and production. From 2002 to 2004, at NANOmetrics managing all Electronic Engineering activities. From 2004 – present he has worked at Raytheon as a Section Manager, Team Lead, Cost Account Manager and has been certified as a Program Manager.

Relevant ICEAA Experience
Mr. Danny Polidi has been very active with ICEAA over the past several years. Activities include, but not limited to, Los Angeles chapter member of the Board from 2016 – 2020, multiple presentations at ICEAA Symposia, multiple Track Chair at ICEAA Symposia, and volunteered reviewer for abstracts and papers for 2019 – 2021 ICEAA Symposia.

Applicable Certifications
Mr. Polidi has professional certifications associated with cost analysis including, but not limited to, Earned Value, Cost Account Management, and Program Management. Additionally, Mr. Polidi has tutored several components of the ICEAA CEBoK series internally at Raytheon. Educationally, Mr. Polidi has both a BS and MS in Electronic Engineering. Mr. Polidi has earned a PhD(c) in System Engineering with an emphasis on cost modeling and optimization.

I am pleased to submit myself for consideration for the Region Australia Director position on the 2021-2023 ICEAA Board of Directors. I am very passionate about the cost estimation and analysis profession and I always do whatever I can to contribute to the cost community and to promote the profession. I have been a leader in cost estimation and analysis profession in Australia for 20 years and my work experience include not-for-profit organizations, health industry, government organsiation and defence industry. I am currently the Director of Force Structure Cost Analysis, Australian Defence Force Headquarters.

I received a master degree in Gender and Development from the Asian Institute of Technology in 2000 and a PhD degree in International Relations from the Australian National University in 2009.

I have been a member of ICEAA since 2016 and have supported ICEAA as the President of ICEAA Canberra Chapter and Director of Australian Region since 2018. I am a member of the Australian Company Director Institute (AICD). I have continuously promoted the development of cost estimation and analysis profession within Australia and the Australian Department of Defence to promote the strategic impacts on organizations. As a result, in 2020, the Australian Department of Defence was named the ICEAA team achievement of the year award, together with two industry partners Technomics and QintetiQ.

I wish to serve on the board because I value ICEAA as the professional organization and I believe effective leadership is necessary for a non-profit organization like ICEAA to thrive and to deliver values to its members. I believe am the right person to the position for I am mission driven and able to inspire other members to follow. My professional network within and external to Australia is strong and I am able to build and maintain the relationship with leaders in different sectors. I am committed to ICEAA vision and mission to continue to increase membership value through innovative thinking and hard work.

I, Alan Mayer, would like to be considered for the ICEAA Board position for the Canadian Region.

I have served as the Treasurer of ICEAA Canada since inception and enjoyed a good working relationship with the board’s efforts to establish a thriving membership in Canada. Having worked in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom I have come to appreciate the multinational needs of our membership. I have also recently worked with several young interns to share my enthusiasm for estimating and learned from their fresh perspectives. I look forward to working on continuously reinventing how we deliver value to our membership and representing Canada on the ICEAA board.

I am a lifelong member of ICEAA, received the “Parametrician on the Year” award in 1988 and submitted several papers and presentations. I have used and trained in most of the estimating methodologies including the PRICE and SEER parametric models along with the ProPricer estimating tool. I have an M.B.A. from Tulane University and a B.A. from Boston University.

Mr. Mayer has consistently applied his ingenuity, business acumen and experience to a wide variety of engagements involving small to large organizations in both industry and government. He has fulfilled the roles of manager, president and individual contributor with a style of teamwork, influencing and inspiration that consistently has generated positive results. He understands how to transform processes and staff ahead of culture shift to gain momentum and break through barriers. He has successfully managed a program management consulting firm for over two decades and clearly understands delivering value added on an engagement and earning follow-on business. He has successfully worked in government at the federal, provincial and municipal level. He is currently managing in the business development Capture Center of a major defense firm to that has doubled its competitive win rate while increasing profitability. The center follows the Shipley capture and proposal process and focuses on advancing the price to win process and making it a competitive advantage.

He has extensive experience managing business strategies and risk on numerous information technology, defense and government projects ranging in size from millions to billions. Mr. Mayer has provided risk management services and quantifying their cost and schedule impacts on relatively high risk projects including several major crown projects.

His experience includes cost and schedule analysis of information technology projects involving complex commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) integration of software, including SAP implementations. He was extensively involved in, and provided management oversight for several Year 2000 civil projects for business continuity planning and disaster recovery requirements. He has successfully implemented risk management processes in diverse cultural environments such as the Department of Homeland Security’s federalization of airport security to General Motors Document Management system. He understands and has integrated risk management policies from organizations such as the Software Engineering Institute. He has developed successful pricing strategies for numerous winning proposals and subsequent profitable implementations. Mr. Mayer has instructed hundreds of students on Program Management including Risk Management, Parametrics and Business Strategy classes for government, industry and consultants. He has written and presented several papers on program management topics for conferences, private industry seminars and program management related professional organizations.

I have been managing, developing, writing and progressing the addition of new international section for the ICEAA CEBoK during my two years as the UK and European representative in ICEAA. I believe this is critical work to the expansion of ICEAA beyond the borders of North America. I would like to complete this work over the next two years and define the exam questions for these sections before I step down and support the next Director in this post.

Bio:
Dale Shermon is the Head of Planning, Monitoring and Control (PM&C) for QinetiQ. As a QinetiQ Fellow he is recognized as a domain leader in his chosen field. He leads a team for the sustainment and development of the project professional community globally across the business.

Dale has worked in the Aerospace and Defence environment both in industry and government for more than 35 years. He has detailed knowledge and experience in cost estimating, forecasting and risk analysis with broad skills of project and programme management disciplines. Dale has presented and spoken at more than 90 conferences, written numerous papers and delivered training worldwide.

Dale is a Chartered Engineer, has a degree in technology, diploma in accounting & finance and ICEAA Certified Cost Estimator / Analyst with the Parametric Specialism (CCEA-P). He is a Fellow of ACostE and the APM.

Dale has won multiple industry awards including the prestigious ICEAA Frank Freiman award for ‘lifetime contributions to parametric estimating’. He has published multiple books including co-author of the ‘Association for Project Management (APM) Body of Knowledge (BoK) 7th edition’ in 2019 (ISBN 978-1-903494-82-0) ‘Cost Engineering Health Check: How good are those numbers?’ in 2017 (ISBN: 978-1-4724-8407-9) and ‘Systems Cost Engineering’ in 2009 (ISBN: 978-0-566-08861-2).

Relevant ICEAA experience:
• 2 years UK and European regional Director and Life member of International Cost Estimating and Analysis Association (ICEAA)
• Chair for 8 years, Deputy-chairman for 2 years and currently member of the board of the Society for Cost Analysis and Forecasting (SCAF)
• Council member and Fellow of the Association of Cost Engineers (FACostE)
• Chartered Engineer (CEng) with Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
• Fellow of Association of Project Managers (FAPM)

Certifications:
• ICEAA Certified Cost Estimator / Analyst with the Parametric Specialism (CCEA-P)
• BA Technology, Open University
• ACCA Diploma in Accounting and Finance (C Dip (A&F))
• Higher TEC Aerospace Studies (Manufacturing)