2025 Professional Development & Training Workshop

ICEAA’s annual Professional Development & Training Workshop brings together professionals from government, industry and academic cost communities for an intensive 3-day program dedicated to developing the understanding and appreciation of using data-driven estimating and analysis techniques.

Sponsors Schedule  Registration  Hotel Info

Breakout Sessions  Presenter Bios  Keynote Presentations

OEM Forum & Networking Event    ICEAA Cost Challenge

The deadline for submitting abstracts for the 2025 ICEAA Workshop was November 4, 2024. Abstracts may still be submitted, however, they will be placed on the wait list for consideration once space becomes available: https://www.iceaaonline.com/atl25cfp/

Keynote Presentations & Panel Discussions:

Tuesday, May 13 – 8:30am
From Big Data to No Data: Building a Brand When the Dashboard Disappears
Andrea Wightwick

Andrea Wightwick built her career in the world of big brands and big data, working with household names such as PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and many more. With full access to consumer insights, market models, and robust analytics, she learned how to make informed decisions with confidence. But as her path shifted to smaller, emerging CPG brands, and eventually to launching her own non-alcoholic cocktail company, Hapsy, that certainty vanished.

What happens when the dashboard goes dark? When you have to rely on instinct, scraps of public data, and lessons etched from years in corporate trenches? In this keynote, Andrea shares how her relationship with data transformed as she moved from abundance to scarcity. Along the way, she found that creativity thrives in constraint…and that trust in your own internal analytics might just be the most powerful tool of all.

Her story is both a data-driven case study and a personal roadmap for anyone navigating a transition, reminding us that the absence of data doesn’t mean the absence of direction. You just have to learn to read the map differently.

Andrea Wightwick spent over 20 years in Consumer Product Goods (CPG) marketing, creating innovations in food and beverages that consumers have come to know and love. Her work with companies such as PepsiCo, New Belgium, and The Coca-Cola Company inspired her to create a socially inclusive cocktail company, Hapsy. Originally from New Orleans and raised in Atlanta, she is used to having a great drink in her hand and was searching for a proper non-alcoholic cocktail crafted with real ingredients and no bubbles, like all good cocktails. She left corporate marketing to create the first bubble-free, low-calorie, non-alcoholic beverage that drinks well with others.

Wednesday, May 14 – 8:30am
Discussions from Generations of Cost Professionals
Panel Discussion

Four professionals from our OEM community whose experience varies from early to senior will discuss challenges and growing pains when moving up the career ladder, from deciding whether to specialize or generalize, and when (and how) to learn to let go and delegate. Our panelists will share their experiences on career advancement, finding your place in the corporate culture, and what one can learn from the generations that come before and after. We’ll discuss how the different styles of the various generations can work together to enrich the entire profession, and how to recognize and seize opportunities as they arise.

Michael Finnegan, The Boeing Company
Michael Finnegan currently works for the Boeing Company in El Segundo, California. After earning his Masters in Mathematics at Missouri State University, he joined the Business Skills Rotation Program within the Boeing Company in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. His first rotation was in Labor Estimating & Pricing, where he also had the opportunity to attend the ICEAA Conference in San Diego. He began to seek out opportunities to further his career in Estimating & Pricing, which were limited in St. Louis at the time, so he moved to Philadelphia, PA, for his second rotation in Procurement Financial Analysis. After three years in the procurement side of the business, he attempted a rotation in Integrated Scheduling, where he lasted a total of 3 months before moving back into a Procurement Finance role. Roughly five years into his career, he had a midlife crisis due to not wanting to settle down at the old age of 28. His mentor found a role for him within Satellites Estimating & Pricing in El Segundo, CA, where he currently works as a parametric cost estimator, building cost models, satellite proposals, and independent cost analyses. In his spare time, he can be found with one of his run clubs (either running or at the brewery), at the bowling alley, or traveling for a marathon.

Ebonii Hodgers, Lockheed Martin
Ebonii Hodgers is the Director of Core Estimating & Pricing at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, overseeing estimate development across ADP, AMMM, LMLS, and IFG lines of business. With 18 years of experience, she has held leadership roles in Estimating, Program Management, and Finance across multiple business areas. Ebonii holds master’s degrees in Accountancy and International Finance and is an active advocate for inclusion, serving as the WIN Retention Pillar Lead and a mentor for TLMAL’s Women’s Group in India. She also volunteers with Meals on Wheels in Atlanta and enjoys traveling and gaming in her free time.

Karen Mourikas, Northrop Grumman
Karen Mourikas is an NG Fellow in Cost Engineering at Northrop Grumman. Previously, Karen worked at The Boeing Company as a Technical Fellow in Systems Engineering focusing on Affordability Analysis & Optimization. Additional experience includes integrating Affordability Analyses into Digital Engineering environments; Machine Learning for Cost Analyses; Product Teardown & Optimal Costing; and Experimentation. Karen has 2 MS degrees from USC in Applied Math and Operations Research Engineering.

Javier Provencio, Otto Aviation
Javier L. Provencio is a principal cost engineer with 14 years of aerospace program cost analysis experience. He has studied the art of affordability from numerous perspectives from an [OEM, Tier 1 Supplier, startup company], also by type of platform [commercial jetliners, Fighter Jets, Commercial and military helicopters, missiles, space], and by functional team deployment [Engineering/supply chain/management]. Each assignment has been an opportunity to learn about cost but from a different perspective. Professional experiences inspired the creation of two published books, Mr. Provencio, that focus on the best practices for cost control of aerospace programs.

Brent Johnstone, Lockheed Martin (moderator)
Brent Johnstone is a Lockheed Martin Fellow and production air vehicle cost estimator at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, Texas. He has 37 years’ experience in the military aircraft industry, including 34 years as a cost estimator. He has worked on the F-16 program and Advanced Development Programs and has been for 28 years the lead Production Operations cost estimator for the F-35 program. He has a Master of Science from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin.

Thursday, May 15 – 3:15pm
Reimagine Your Work: Managing Your Career Like It’s Your Business
Wendy Cocke

In the ever-changing world of work, flexibility is all over the headlines, but when it comes to career success, flexibility is more than just time and location. Careers aren’t a straight line and there isn’t a way to “win” at one, so it is up to each individual to redefine what success looks like to them. As we explore the evolving landscape of career paths in the contemporary world we live in, we have the freedom to shape our professional journeys’ in ways that resonate with our unique aspirations and life circumstances. Once we embrace the idea that careers are not linear, we can learn to navigate the twists and turns that define our individual experiences.

Wendy Cocke, a trailblazer in redefining career success, is the author of two bestselling books, “Making Flex Work: Defining Success on Your Own Terms” and “Reimagine Your Work: Managing Your Career Like It’s Your Business” in addition to being a contributor to the best selling human resources anthology “When Work Works: Cutting-Edge Solutions for the Contemporary Workplace.” She is the visionary behind Engineering Leadership Solutions LLC, guiding technical professionals and organizations to think about work differently. Her journey from growing up in a family business, to obtaining a chemical engineering degree from Georgia Tech and leading global teams at Fortune 500 companies showcases her belief in hard work and perseverance. She believes that with her experience and her engineering mindset, she can help people find their place at work and thrive once they get there.

Sponsoring

ICEAA’s 2025 Professional Development & Training Workshop exhibit hall will be open for over 30 hours, with 8 hours on the Workshop schedule dedicated for attendees to visit our exhibitors. The limited number of available booths allows for a focused, consultative environment in which you can meet with current and future clients. Tuesday and Wednesday’s evening receptions, as well as food buffets and beverage breaks, will be served in the exhibit hall among the booths, providing ample time to develop leads. The exhibit hall is located adjacent to the general session room in the grand foyer.

Join our growing list of sponsors and exhibitors!

Download our Sponsoring & Exhibiting Prospectus for available booths and other opportunities.  Contact Megan Jones for questions.

Hotel

Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta
210 Peachtree St NW
Atlanta, GA 30303
1-404-659-1400

Book your room at Westin Peachtree by April 18, 2025 to take advantage of the ICEAA block rate of $209 per night: https://book.passkey.com/e/50927422

Employees of federal, state, or local governments of any country may take advantage of the limited number of rooms ICEAA has reserved at the 2025 government per diem rate of $182 per night. Guests unable to provide proof of direct government employment upon check-in will have their fee corrected to the ICEAA block rate.

Should you have difficulty making your reservation, or if one or more of the nights desired are not available at the desired rate, please contact the hotel directly at 1-404-659-1400.

ICEAA does not have a relationship with any group accommodation providers, travel agents, or other third-party reservation services. You will not be contacted by anyone involved with the ICEAA workshop to make your reservation or to encourage you to do so. If you are unsure if a correspondence you have received regarding the Workshop is valid, please contact us at iceaa@iceaaonline.org

ICEAA 2025 Workshop Registration Rates

Visit https://members.iceaaonline.com/event/atl2025 to register

Attendees of the ICEAA Professional Development & Training Workshop will have access to four hours of thought-provoking presentations in general sessions and 36 hours of concurrent breakout training and professional papers presentations.  Individuals are free to determine their own schedule and do not need to indicate in advance which sessions or tracks they plan to attend.

Registration fee includes breakfast and lunch for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Evening networking receptions on Tuesday and Wednesday will feature light hors d’oeuvres but dinner is not served.

*Attendees who register at a non-member rate will receive a coupon code after the conclusion of the Workshop to use for a complimentary year of ICEAA membership. Attendees will be instructed how to log into their ICEAA profiles to activate their free membership; the membership will not be automatically applied to your account.

Workshop Registration Cancellation Policy:

Refund requests made before April 1, 2025: Full refund, less a $100 administrative fee.
Refund requests made April 2-May 5, 2025: 50% refund.
On or after May 6, 2025: No refund.

Substitutions can be made at any time. Email iceaa@iceaaonline.org to transfer your registration.

Draft Detail Schedule

Download the detailed schedule (PDF) as of April 28, 2025. All times, titles, and speaker information subject to change.

Outline Schedule

Attending the ICEAA Professional Development & Training Workshop earns a minimum of 2 points towards CCEA recertification. Additional points can be claimed for individual sessions attended by completing a form after the Workshop.

Monday, May 12 all times subject to change
OEM Forum & Networking Event (optional) • 2:00 – 5:00
Monday Meetup Mixer (optional) • 5:00 – 7:00

Tuesday, May 13 all times subject to change
Breakfast buffet available • 7:00 – 8:00
Best Paper Awards & Keynote Presentation • 8:00 – 9:30
Papers • 9:45 – 11:45
Lunch • 11:45 – 12:45
Training/Papers • 12:45 – 4:45
Welcome Reception • 4:45 – 7:00

Wednesday, May 14
Breakfast buffet available • 7:00 – 8:00
Association Awards & Keynote Presentation • 8:00 – 9:45
Training/Papers • 10:15 – 12:00
Lunch • 12:00 – 1:15
Training/Papers • 1:15 – 5:15
Attendee Reception • 5:15 – 7:00

Thursday, May 15
Breakfast buffet available • 7:00 – 8:00
Best Paper General Session • 8:00 – 9:00
Training/Papers • 9:15 – 12:00
Lunch • 12:00 – 1:15
Training/Papers • 1:15 – 3:15
Closing General Session  • 3:30 – 4:15

2025 ICEAA Cost Challenge

The challenge will have the opportunity to showcase their data analytical and storytelling skills in a supportive environment that encourages taking some risks and trying new approaches! Our judges/ will focus on the reasonable assumptions, methodology and approach to their analysis, and producing thorough, communicable estimates. Teams will send their materials in advance and then give a live presentation to our judges on Tuesday, May 13 that include:

• • Team composition
  • Planning and research
  • Data sources
  • Approaches to data gathering
  • Ground rules & assumptions
  • Normalization techniques
  • Analysis of any economic trends
  • Any uncertainty or risks associated with their estimate
  • Analytical models

A maximum of six teams will be comprised of 3-5 junior estimators (5 or fewer years of experience) and one optional mentor that may provide guidance and support but not actively participate in the project.

Learn more and register your team at https://www.iceaaonline.com/costchallenge

ICEAA OEM Forum & Networking Event
Monday, May 12, 2025  |  2:00-5:00pm

ICEAA’s OEM COG was formed to identify, acknowledge, and address the challenges ICEAA members employed by Original Equipment Manufacturers face that differ from those employed by the government or other private sector organizations. The OEM COG is proud to return for the second annual OEM Forum & Networking Event, Monday, May 12, 2025 at the Westin Peachtree.

Join us for three hours of panel discussions, presentations, and networking from representatives from a variety of OEM organizations. The open forum will allow for questions of our panelists and time for individual discussions before the group hits the town for some social networking.

Attendees of the 2025 ICEAA Professional Development & Training Workshop are welcome to attend, whether employed by an OEM or elsewhere in the community.  RSVP for the OEM Forum and Networking Event when you register for the 2025 ICEAA Workshop.

2025 Best Papers

Schedule Risk Using TRL Data
2025 Best Paper: Modeling, Tools & Case Studies Category -and-
2025 Best Paper Overall
Modeling, Tools & Case Studies (MTC03)
Kyle Coughlin
The Aerospace Corporation has developed a statistical model for measuring the probably that a technology will advance from TRL X to TRL Y in a specific amount of time and can be used to complement current cost-based risk models. It was originally a model based on the NASA TechPort Database. The model is flexible and can be generated on any data set that contains start/end TRL and start/end date. The model can be used in acquisitions to measure which projects have the highest probability of succeeding within the project time frame. One can also invert the model result to determine the expected time to complete a TRL advancement. Additionally, the model can be adjusted to include natural language data such as descriptions and taxonomy. This adjustment allows a user to input the same natural language data for their projects, the model is then built on a subset of the underlying database that reflects projects similar to the user input. This allows users to consider how different types of projects differ in advancement probability.

Keywords: Data-Driven, Decision Analysis, Methods, Schedule Analysis
MTC03 – Coughlin – Statistical Modeling of TRL Levels – Paper
MTC03 – Coughlin – Statistical Modeling of TRL Levels – Ppt

Missing in Space: How Imputation Fills the Satellite Data Void
22025 Best Paper: Communication, Data Science, and Machine Learning Category
Data Science (DSC04)
Jonathan Matkin
Daniel Newkirk
Data analysts must often deal with potentially valuable but sparsely populated datasets. Missing fields can limit the utility of a dataset for conventional regression analysis and predictive methodology development. One way to overcome this challenge is to impute the missing fields, but this approach can face concerns over the fidelity of derived data points and resulting methodologies. No prior study of space system data has extensively compared multiple imputation techniques using varying percentages of missing data and quantified their performance against known truth values. In order to assess the potential of using imputation techniques, the Space Systems Command cost research team has conducted a rigorous case study in applying multiple imputation methods to produce a single “complete” dataset of technical parameters such as weight, power, design life, etc. for a large open-source dataset of ~1900 satellites. This paper highlights the major areas of research that were undertaken including: various imputation techniques, quantified imputation performance, limitations of multiple imputation, and lessons learned. Additionally, a real-world application is described using an imputed dataset to assess the reasonable of technical input parameters for early life cycle cost estimating for satellites is discussed.

Keywords: Data Collection, Modeling, Imputation, Machine Learning

DSC04 – Matkin – Imputation Sattelite Data Void – ppt

DSC04 – Matkin – Imputation Sattelite Data Void – paper

Biases in Project Estimating and Mitigation Strategies to Overcome Them
2025 Best Paper: Processes, Best Practices, and Technical Innovations Category
Processes & Best Practices (PBP02)
Brian D. Glauser
Project estimating is a critical component of successful project management, yet it is often hindered by cognitive biases and logical fallacies that distort accuracy, credibility, and reliability. This paper examines common biases, alongside logical fallacies, which negatively impact estimates. Real-world examples illustrate the costly consequences of these cognitive pitfalls, particularly from the aerospace and defense industries—where such biases have had profound negative impacts. Mitigation strategies are explored drawing on the foundational work of Daniel Kahneman, Bent Flyvbjerg and others. The paper emphasizes the importance of transparency, accountability, and adaptive approaches in mitigating biases. By applying these strategies, organizations can enhance estimation credibility, manage risks effectively, and better ensure project success within budget and schedule constraints.

Keywords: Bias, Decision Analysis, Program Management

PBP02 – Glauser – Biases in Project Estimating – paper

PBP02 – Glauser – Biases in Project Estimating – ppt

Enabling Measurable Success in DoD AI Programs from Acquisition to Operations
2025 Best Paper Winner: Management, EVM, Software & Agile Category
Management, EVM & Scheduling (MES05)
Dave Cook
Kenneth Rhodes
Tim Klawa
In today’s DoD, AI programs are focusing on integrating capability and are failing to invest in the acquisition framework necessary to enable continued success. Considering how contracts specify cost, schedule, and technical performance parameters to ensure end products are directly linked to measurable and manageable criteria is critical for a program that evolves rapidly. AI program managers can optimize resource allocations by building a metric-level risk score and identifying both qualitative and quantitative impacts to cost/performance, which can transfer across contracts as training data is developed, algorithms/models are built and tested, and capabilities are deployed into operations. Grounded in recent experience with large-scale AI programs, this paper identifies gaps associated with the DoD Acquisition Pathway and provides an adaptive framework to measuring risk, as well as quality and performance metrics that reduce risk, enable real-time decision-making, and ultimately result in more successful acquisitions.

Keywords: Data-Driven, Risk, AI, DevSecOps

MES05 – Cook – Enabling Measurable Success in AI Programs – paper

MES05 – Cook – Enabling Measurable Success in AI Programs – ppt

Green IT Solutions for Sustainable Operations
2025 Best Paper Winner: Analytical Methods Category
Analytical Methods (ANM08)
Vivian Tang
Shane Moxley
Arlene Minkiewicz
As the urgency for environmental sustainability intensifies, this study explores how Green IT solutions can mitigate carbon emissions while driving economic benefits. It highlights the significance of understanding carbon footprint and pricing in enhancing operational efficiency and market competitiveness. Key drivers of energy costs in data centers—including facility, hardware, and software expenses—are examined, alongside the impact of geographical location and renewable energy sources on carbon footprints. The discussion outlines four actionable strategies for reducing operational costs and energy consumption: optimizing cooling systems, enhancing hardware configurations, improving software setups, and implementing advanced algorithmic techniques. Additionally, the study introduces a prototype carbon calculator, designed to estimate the carbon cost of cloud services, aligning sustainability with financial incentives. This approach demonstrates how organizations can foster greener IT practices while enhancing their bottom line.
Keywords: Cost/Benefit Analysis, Data Collection, Methods, Modeling, Regression, Carbon Study

ANM08 – Tang – Green IT Solutions for Sustainable Operations – ppt

ANM08 – Tang – Green IT Solutions for Sustainable Operations – paper