In this special episode of Talon Talks, we speak with three representatives from FedEx Aircraft Maintenance who were visiting the Daytona Beach campus to talk about their Purple Runway Scholarship, and meet with this year’s scholarship recipients.

Our guests were: Scott Ogden, vice president of FedEx Aircraft Maintenance (pictured at right); Tony Castro (’91), who is senior manager of manpower planning and business analysis (pictured at left); and Doug Johnson (’91), manager of apprentice aviation maintenance technicians program (pictured at center).

FedEx Aviation Maintenance and the Purple Runway Scholarship

Matt Savoca is co-founder of Kutta Technologies, which is a manufacturer and supplier of command-control-communications software applications and components, with a focus on government and defense applications. He is now the company’s executive vice president, since its acquisition by Sierra Nevada Corporation in 2015.

He graduated from Embry-Riddle’s Prescott Campus in 1994 with a degree in Aerospace Engineering and served as SGA President at the time, advocating to the Board of Trustees against moving the Prescott Campus to a new location.

We talked about his choice to attend college in his mid-20s, why he chose to run for SGA president, and where his career led him, as well as technical details of Kutta Technologies’ drones and components.

Co-founder of Kutta Technologies - Matt Savoca

Jared and Kurt are both involved in aerial firefighting — Jared as pilot of an Avro RJ85 jet for Aeroflite Aerial Firefighting, and Kurt at the Prescott air tanker base. In 2020, during the raging wildfire season on the U.S. west coast, Kurt also took time off from his day job as assistant director of admissions at Embry-Riddle, to fight wildfires on the ground.

We talked the ins and outs of aerial firefighting; their history with Embry-Riddle’s flight program and legendary instructor Dick Samuels; and the competitive success of Prescott’s Golden Eagles Flight Team, where Jared served as head coach for 7 years.

Aerial Firefighting - Jared Testa and Kurt Estorez

Lisa is one of our Distinguished Alumni Award winners for 2021. She is chief of the commercial air travel safety unit at the United Nations, a program she developed. She has a long history working in aviation and in industry groups, and volunteering with organizations doing good around the world.

We talked about the reasons that UN program exists; what triggered her career change away from flying; how vocal coaching affected her job prospects; why volunteering and mentoring is important to her; and much more.

The views that Lisa shares are her own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations.

Commercial Air Travel Safety at the United Nations - Lisa Anderson

As Integrated Product Lead at Collins Aerospace, Nishi is working to integrate the first-ever touch screen cockpit displays on commercial Boeing aircraft. She is also the founder of Project LaunchPad, an organization that focuses on student mental health awareness as well as democratizing knowledge for pursuing higher education.

We discussed her work at Collins, why she chose to move around the world to attend Embry-Riddle, and how that experience of culture shock combined with her own high standards for academic achievement led her to create a support program for students facing difficulty with transition to college, attaining mental health support and academic success.

Aerospace Engineer and Mental Health Advocate - Nishigandha Kelkar

Kathy spent most of her career in aerospace engineering, working for 12 years as director of nacelle programs at Collins Aerospace and at United Technologies. She is now a visiting associate professor at the Prescott Campus College of Engineering. Embry-Riddle has multiple open faculty positions and is encouraging experienced alumni to apply. We talked with Kathy about her career, the transition to academia, and her love of horseback riding and polo.

From Engineer to Embry-Riddle Faculty - Kathy Wood

Hina Kazmi has led an impressive career since earning her aerospace engineering degree from Embry-Riddle in 1993: from spacecraft engineer at Boeing to program manager for NASA’s SOFIA airborne telescope. She is now working in Northrop Grumman’s Tactical Space Systems Division and teaches public policy at George Mason University.

We discussed how space exploration can unite humanity; her thoughts on the intersection of engineering and public policy; and the relationship between public and private interests in space. We also talked about how the classic novel Moby Dick weaves technical aspects of whaling with commentary on the human condition.

An Engineer's Vision of Humanity in Space - Hina Kazmi

We interviewed three alumni who supported Operation Allies Refuge, the international airlift that evacuated 120,000 people from Kabul, Afghanistan in August 2021, for Providing Refuge, a story in the Fall/Winter 2021 issue of Lift. This episode of Talon Talks is an edited version of the interviews recorded for that story, and includes details that wouldn’t fit in the print piece.

Our guests — Adam Cooper (’13), Doug Mayo (’11), and Matt Steele (’09, ’18) — all commissioned out of Embry-Riddle’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 157 and are active in the United States Air Force. They shared personal stories and tactical details of the operation from their perspectives.

Evacuating Kabul - Doug Mayo, Matt Steele and Adam Cooper

Ron has been an engineer at Boeing for 30 years. He has worked on testing weapons systems for unmanned aerial vehicles, and was involved in the early years of using carbon fiber composites in aircraft construction. He now works with other manufacturers in setting international standards for aircraft components. He also is an early member of the Prescott Campus chapter of Alpha Eta Rho, and studied engineering at both the Daytona Beach and Prescott campuses.

Boeing Weapons Systems, Composites, Aircraft Standards - Ron Fielding

Janet Grondin is the CEO of Stellar Solutions Inc., a leading provider of high-impact engineering services to significant intelligence, defense, civil, commercial and international customers. She is responsible for strategic management of the global aerospace portfolio for this small, woman-owned business entering its 27th year. Grondin has also served as vice president for Intelligence Programs, overseeing numerous mission domains including satellite space and ground systems acquisition, systems engineering and integration and operations support.

Prior to these roles, Grondin was VP for Defense Programs, responsible for efforts in space superiority, launch enterprise integration, and web services; major programs like the GPS and Space-Based Infrared System; and capabilities in missile warning, weather, precision navigation and timing, and communications. She graduated from Embry-Riddle in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering. She also has several master’s degrees from the Air Force Institute of Technology, the Air War College, and the Air Command and Staff College.

Chief Executive Officer of Stellar Solutions, Inc. - Janet Grondin

Embry-Riddle Talon Talks shares the latest aviation and aerospace knowledge from our alumni experts.

An Engineer's Vision of Humanity in Space - Hina Kazmi

Embry-Riddle Talon Talks

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