Five new members inducted into the Academy of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Excellence

The Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech recently inducted five new members into the Academy of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Excellence on November 1. 

The aerospace and ocean engineering department and the members of its advisory board established an Academy of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Excellence in 2016. Membership in this Academy is reserved for individuals who have made sustained and meritorious engineering and/or leadership contributions during their careers. While many of the inductees are alumni of the department, being an alumnus is not a requirement.  It is expected that Initiates have reached the pinnacle of their professional achievements and can recognize their accomplishments.  

For 2024, the academy inducted five new members: David Dress, Howard (Keith) Hagy, Richard Matlock, David Pogorzelski, and Patrick Troutman. These individuals were selected from some 6,900 living alumni, friends, and faculty who have demonstrated, over their career, a dedication to engineering excellence and Virginia Tech core values: brotherhood, honor, leadership, sacrifice, service, loyalty, duty, and Ut Prosim.

David Dress

Mr. David Dress is the Director of Civil Space for Gravitics, Inc., a developer and supplier of space station infrastructure and cargo carriers. Prior to this, David retired from the NASA Langley Research Center after 41 years of service. David was the Director of the Space Technology and Exploration Directorate at NASA Langley, leading the creation, advocation, management, and execution of a diverse portfolio of projects supporting the Agency’s Space Technology and Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorates. In addition, he served as the Center Programmatic Lead for Advanced Manufacturing, ensuring LaRC’s structures and materials expertise was utilized for both NASA’s and broader manufacturing needs. 

Prior to being the director, David held the positions of STED Associate Director for Space Technology and Advanced Development Programs, and served as Deputy of the Space Technology Projects Office at NASA LaRC. In addition, he was the LaRC lead for the level II constellation program activities and the lead for the mission and technical integration for constellations where he served as the SE&I mission lead for the area I-X test flight. 

Mr. Dress was nominated by Academy members Pat Artis and Daniel Murri. They wrote “Over a 42 plus year career at NASA, Mr. Dress became a recognized expert as an experimentalist and researcher, a wind tunnel innovator and leader, and as a space technology and exploration leader and collaborator. David made significant contributions with advanced wind tunnel test techniques, and then he pivoted in his career to leading others in advancing the use of wind tunnels to design and improve aircraft and spacecraft through innovative facilities and improved techniques. He demonstrated a dedication to his craft and a willingness to change, evolve, and apply that dedication to both aeronautics and space. His outstanding early publications combined with his people skills and leadership acumen produced a versatile leader who could adapt on-the-fly to rapidly changing targets and goals.”

Howard (Keith) Hagy

Until he retired in August 2023, Keith served as the Director of the Engineering and Air Safety Department of the AirLine Pilots Association, international, a labor association representing approximately over 70,000 professional airline pilots flying for more than 40 airlines in the United States and Canada. In that role, Keith was responsible for guiding and directing all technical projects and programs relating to the Association's safety, flight operations, pilot assistance, and security goals.

Prior to joining Airline Pilots Association in 1986, Keith spent a number of years with Boeing as an Aircraft Stability and Control Analyst focusing on aircraft design and handling qualities, evaluation and flight-testing. He also has experience at Sperry Flight Systems as a Senior Simulation Engineer developing aero and weapon system models for Navy and Marine Corp aircraft. 

Keith is a past Board Member of the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation and current member of the Laura Taber Barbour Scholarship Committee which awards scholarships to students in an aviation related field of study.  Students from the AOE department have benefited from these scholarships. In his role, he has experience with mentoring a number of students in aviation fields and other majors across multiple states. 

Mr. Hagy was nominated by Academy member Robert Hanley. He wrote “Members of the Academy of Excellence are expected to have a prestigious career that reflects highly on the University and to give back. Keith is the epitome of what we hope every Hokie will be and has represented the University exceptionally well during his career. His credentials, his commitment to the University and his honors speak for themselves and Keith is hugely deserving of this honor.”

Richard Matlock

Mr. Richard Matlock is the owner of Matlock Strategies for Technology Innovation, providing consultation to government, corporate and academic entities for creating innovative technology development strategies.  Retired from the Missile Defense Agency in 2017, Mr. Matlock was the Program Executive for Advanced Technology, reporting to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Development.  There he led the development of the next generation of cutting-edge missile defense technologies, proving their benefit to the Warfighter through realistic experiments in relevant environments. Mr. Matlock’s portfolio included high energy lasers, small satellites for space and missile defense, advanced airborne sensors for discrimination and future anti-ballistic missile interceptors and rail guns.     

Within his 40 year career in government service, his experience included major acquisition and scientific positions within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Office of the Under Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, the Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command, the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization and the U.S. Air Force.

During his tenure with Naval Sea Systems Command, he led the development and implementation of a joint missile defense research program with the Japan Defense Agency.  Prior to employment with the Navy, Mr. Matlock was the Program Manager for Interceptor Technology Integration in the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.  Mr. Matlock developed the Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile, a primary building block for the Nation’s missile defense programs.  He also established the experimental pathfinder for the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense program, and built, launched and operated several earth observing satellites, proving the value of micro-satellites for complex missile defense and space control missions.

David Pogorzelski

Mr. David Pogorzelski currently serves as the branch head for Special Projects Systems Engineering at Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock, responsible for design and fielding advanced craft and special technologies. The branch develops and supports the deployment of high performance crewed and uncrewed platforms. 

Prior to this, Mr. Pogorzelski was the Test & Evaluation branch head for 14 years responsible for component, system, and full-scale trials for combatant craft, boats and uncrewed surface systems. Within the Test & Evaluation branch, he served as project engineer and test director on numerous watercraft programs for the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, USSOCOM/Naval Special Warfare, and Coast Guard.  

Before joining the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock, Combatant Craft Division, Mr. Pogorzelski worked on high performance advanced marine vehicles including Air Cushion Vehicles, Surface Effect Ships, and SWATHs where he gained valuable knowledge in the areas of early stage concept design, hydrodynamic performance, and seakeeping predictions.

Mr. Pogorzelski was nominated by Academy member Martin Irvine, Jr.. He wrote “Throughout his career, Dave has been a passionate recruiter of Virginia Tech Ocean Engineering students, as well as other college of engineering students. Dave regularly held information sessions with AOE students the night before the SEC Engineering Expo, wisely offering pizza and high energy videos of combat craft work with heavy metal music soundtrack. Dave is a passionate Virginia Tech alum and represents the spirit of Ut Prosim as one of the U.S. Navy's top combatant craft experts.”

Patrick Troutman

Mr. Patrick Troutman recently retired from the NASA Langley Research Center as the Senior Technologist for systems analysis.  He advised a NASA-wide team to integrate exploration mission systems analysis to support agency level strategic decision processes for 21st century human exploration to the Moon and Mars. He advised the campaign integration function with respect to the human Mars and lunar architecture activity, and supported integrated assessments across objectives, level 1 requirements, performance, cost, risk and technology needs. He has led the integration of most every NASA human space exploration architecture for the Moon and Mars for the first part of this century.

In the past 40 years his work at NASA has included designing and assessing the International Space Station, leading systems analysis related to future space scenarios including managing the NASA Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts program, helping to define the Vision for Space Exploration, leading the integration for the Constellation Program lunar surface architecture, and leading human space exploration mission design for the NASA Human Spaceflight Architecture Team and the Evolvable Mars Campaign.  He was one of the principal architects of NASA’s current Moon-to-Mars architecture, and has frequently supported the NASA administrator’s office and mission directorate senior leadership in strategy development and rapid assessments to address stakeholder questions. 

Mr. Troutman was nominated by alumnus Kevin Earle. He wrote “For over two decades Mr. Troutman has been a key visionary and leader in the development of NASA's human exploration strategies. He has both personally led and made critical contributions to many of the technology and architecture studies that have served to shape the Agency's human exploration roadmap. There are many puzzle pieces required to put the entire picture together for a journey to Mars and those pieces have to fit together seamlessly. Pat is the 'go to' person in this Agency for doing that kind of assessment. When NASA and, for that matter, this global community reaches that historic milestone, it will be on the shoulders of the work done by Pat to ensure the pieces were well thought out and built on the foundation of Pat's brilliant systems engineering and analysis efforts.”

Alumni Awards and Departmental Honors

In addition to our academy membership, the department recognizes achievements and accomplishments of our alumni in all stages of their careers, and honors contributions of faculty and staff.

Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award: This award recognizes alumni in the middle stages of their career, specifically those who have been in the workforce between 10 to 20 plus years. Nominees have been recognized by their peers for their significant achievement and their sustained contributions within their profession, field, or organization. 

Christopher Cotting

Distinguished Faculty Award: In recognition of faculty members for lifelong contributions to the profession, field, University or society at large. Nominees have brought distinction to the department, evidenced by activities that extend beyond normal expectations, unique contributions, or long standing leadership and impact on the University and beyond.

Robert Walters

Meritorious Staff Award: Honoring staff members for their commendable service to the department and University. Nominees have demonstrated their commitment to excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect, and selfless service.

Ginger Belay