- Dr. James. W. Smiley – Dr. Smiley’s professional experience includes 38 years of increasing responsibility for the U.S. Nuclear Navy’s nuclear power plants engineering programs. Prior to retirement in 2001 from the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, Dr. Smiley was project manager for the design of the propulsion plant of the new U.S. Navy Virginia Class submarine. Dr. Smiley also has led the laboratory team that reviewed causes and lessons learned from the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl accidents. His expertise also includes design, construction and testing of advanced reactor concepts, including nuclear design, reactor performance, reactor safety and direct energy conversion. Dr. Smiley has a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, an MS in Nuclear Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an MS in Industrial Administration from Union College, and a BS in Engineering Science from Penn State.
- Bob Vallaster – Mr. Vallaster has conducted more than 60 major aircraft mishap investigations as an investigator at the Naval Safety Center and another 138 investigations as an Air Safety Investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board between 1990 and 1994. He was a Marine Corps pilot from 1971 to 1990 and received a BS in Management from the University of West Florida.
- Lt. Col. Donald J. White – As Director of Human Factors Investigation and Analysis at the Headquarters Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, Col. White directs and executes all human factors and human performance functions of the Center for prevention and investigation of mishaps and events. He is responsible for identification of hazards and risk and for developing intervention and risk mitigation programs for all Air Force human performance and human factors issues and has investigated 20 mishaps or events. He is an adjunct faculty member to the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, and is a military high-altitude, low-opening parachute jumpmaster with more than 3,000 military parachute jumps. Col. White holds an MA in Physiology from Kent State University and BS in Physiology from Frostburg State University.
- Dr. Paul D. Wilde – In his role as an aerospace engineer in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Licensing and Safety Division, where he focuses on rocket safety, Mr. Wilde has performed entry survivability analysis and extensive work on blast and debris. He has also worked on rocket safety issues in private industry, supporting U.S. Air Force Flight Safety and Analysis. He holds a PhD, MS and BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara and is a licensed Professional Engineer.
- LCDR Johnny R. Wolfe Jr. – LCDR Wolfe currently serves as Technical Director for Strategic Systems Programs at the Program Management Office in Sunnyvale, CA, where he is in charge of technical configuration control for the Trident I/II missiles (C-4/D-5) and is the engineering lead for all missile problem investigations. He has also served as lead systems engineer on the Ballistic Missile Defense Office (BMDO) joint skunkworks project run by the U.S. Air Force at Kirtland Air Force Base; assistant for Submarine communications and Special Operations communications integration; assistant for Fire Control Production, Development and Operations; and Assistant Head of the Missile Engineering Section. He holds a MS in Applied Physics from the Naval Postgraduate School and a BS in Marine Systems Engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
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