Derek’s Education

BS in Astronautical Engineering -United States Air Force Academy, 2014

MS in Space Systems Engineering -Johns Hopkins University, 2023

Capstones:

AE456: Flight Test Techniques -USAFA

FalconSAT Capstone Program -USAFA

Other Education:

Open Water Scuba Certification

Licensed Skydiving Instructor

CPR Certified

USAF Survival/Resistance Training


AIAA Lunar Habitation Architecture
Course

Georgia Tech SysML (MBSE) Course



Derek’s Professional Experience


Professionally, I have worked as a satellite engineer and cadet mentor in the USAFA Space Systems Research Center.  I designed and built the mobile ground station for the FalconSAT-6 flight model and preformed many flight hardware tests (among other jobs in the lab).  I prepared the Command and Data Handling Processor for integration with various flight components.  Following that, I went to flight school, where I graduated and became a C-17 pilot at Hickam AFB, Hawaii.  I accumulated over 1,500 hours and earned an Air Medal for combat missions flown during a 2019 deployment.  I worked my way up to instructor pilot, and was chosen to go back to Air Education and Training Command.  In 2021, I began to pursue a career in engineering. 
I spent a year (2021-2022) as the Nineteenth Air Force Operations Director of Staff, working for Brigadier General Oakland, Major General Wills, and Lieutenant General Robinson.  Nineteenth Air Force is responsible for all undergraduate and graduate flight training in the US Air Force.  During my Nineteenth Air Force assignment, I was accepted to transfer from the Pilot career field to the Developmental Engineering career field.
I am currently a 62E Developmental Engineer in the Munitions Division of the USAF Armament Directorate at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.  In short, I am an Air Force weapons engineer.

My long term goals include working in the commercial aerospace industry and one day flying to space myself.  I would love to help establish a permanent human presence on the lunar surface, but also to help keep Earth a habitable and safe place for humanity.   

Dylan’s Education


BS in Computational Science -Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011

Open Water Scuba certification

Every rock climbing certification under the sun

Dylan’s Professional Experience

Dylan’s creativity gives him an edge in the digital marketing field.  He has worked in various motion graphics jobs over the years, including being employed as the creative director of the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas.  There, he led a team that designed the motion graphics for the world’s largest screen.  The Viva Vision screen is 1,375 feet long, 90 feet wide and is suspended 90 feet above the pedestrian mall below. The screen has 49.3 million LED lights and a 600,000-watt sound system.  Following a wonderfully successful career at Fremont Street, Dylan began working for TD Synnex, a Fortune 500 Tech Data company.  This work is fully remote, allowing Dylan and his wife, Jen, more freedom in where they locate their family. 
Dylan also keeps up with a robust freelance portfolio.