Episode 6 - Derrick Edwards

07/04/22 • 92 min

Purpose. Direction. Motivation. Insights from the Middle.

Derrick Edwards is a DoD Chief Technologist for Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) US
Public Sector. Mr. Edwards serves as a technical expert and provides guidance and
direction to all customers across the Department of Defense. In his previous role at
HPE, he focused on edge compute solutions across the Public Sector.
Mr. Edwards joined HPE in Dec, 2019. Prior to joining HPE, he served as a Technical
Director and Program Manager at General Dynamics Information Technology, primarily
focused on leading personnel and delivering technology to Army and Defense
programs around the world.
Prior to his service at GDIT, Mr. Edwards was the Army Chief Technology Officer,
responsible for being the primary interface to IT and cybersecurity industry partners
and identifying key technologies for future utilization to improve the Army enterprise.
Currently, the Army utilizes four capabilities that were developed from key
technologies that he identified. Mr. Edwards was a career active duty Army officer with
over 25 years of unique military experience of 360-degree leadership and applying the
latest technology solutions for Federal decision makers to access the right information
at the point of need.
Mr. Edwards attended Grantham University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in
Multidisciplinary Studies, and then an MBA while serving on active duty in the Army.
He has also received graduate certificates in data science and cybersecurity.
Mr. Edwards currently resides with his wife Pamela in Tampa, FL and they have two adult
children.
Websites of interest:
220527_SignificantCyberIncidents.pdf (csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com)

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Episode 5 - Stacy Sheard

Stacy is a former warrant officer and graduate of the warrant officer flight training program, flying both the UH-1 and UH-60 helicopters.

She was a Russian linguist before becoming a warrant officer.

She is currently a Corporate Helicopter Captain for Executive Jet Management flying the Agusta-Westland-139

She holds several corporate board positions.

Chair of the Vertical IFR Committee for the Eastern Region Helicopter Council for Vertical Aircraft Low-Level Routing Infrastructure, she sits as ROTOR Magazine’s Board Director starting in 2016 and as Chairman of the Board between 2020-2021. She was the immediate past Board Chair of HAI – representing through Covid.

She volunteers as the coordinator and presenter for Helicopter Association International’s Military to Civilian Transition workshops as well as the panel chair for the Pilot Mentoring panel.

She holds both Bachelors and Masters of Science Degrees in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, with her Master’s accompanied by a specialization in Aviation Education Technology

She was a Sikorsky S-76 and S-92 production test pilot,

She is a certified flight instructor and Instrument flight instructor, and Airline Transport Pilot.

She is rated in numerous aircraft types and models. Has flown Charter, Tours, News, Air Ambulance, Corporate Aviation, and for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) as a movie pilot.

She is a prolific public speaker and published author. Having been published in several professional aviation magazines.
http://imdb.com/name/nm2456604/
Transitioning Resources
HAI Mil2Civ link: https://rotor.org/military-to-civilian/

Articles of Mil2Civ Transition Interest --

Aviation Resumes: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hey-military-helicopter-pilots-heres-truth-pilot-resumes-sheard/

Logging Flight Time: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/logging-flight-time-military-vs-civilian-stacy-sheard/

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Episode 7 - Mike Durant

Talked in June with Alabama Senate candidate Mike Durant about his experience on the campaign trail, his success as an entrepreneur and author.
Michael J. Durant, CW4 (Retired), USA born July 23, 1961 in Berlin, NH. He
entered the United States Army in August 1979. Following training at the Defense Language Institute, he was assigned to the 470th Military Intelligence Group, Fort Clayton, Panama as a Spanish voice intercept operator. He was accepted and attended the Warrant Officer Basic Course followed by Primary Flight Training at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Upon appointment to WO1 in November 1983, he completed the UH60 Blackhawk Qualification Course and was assigned to the 377th Medical Evacuation Company, Seoul Korea. His next assignment was with the 101st Aviation Bn, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he performed duties as an instructor pilot.
Michael joined the 160th Special Operations Group on August 1, 1988. Assigned to
D company, he performed duties as Flight Lead and Standardization Instructor Pilot. He participated in combat operations Prime Chance, Just Cause (Panama invasion December 1989), Desert Storm (Liberation of Kuwait in January-March 1991) and Restore Hope (Somalia in August-October 1993).
On October 3, 1993, while piloting an MH60 Blackhawk in Mogadishu, Somalia, he
was shot down and held captive by hostile forces. He was released eleven days later.
He is now the President and Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle Solutions,
Incorporated; an engineering and services company based in Huntsville, Alabama. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Professional Aeronautics (95) and a Master of Business Administration in Aviation (97) degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
He is a master aviator, qualified in the UH-1 Huey, MH-6 Loach, and MH-60A, L,
and K models of the Blackhawk. He has a total of 3,700 flight hours with over 1,400 under Night Vision Goggles.
A 2008 Army Aviation Association of America Hall of Fame Inductee and the
National Veteran-Owned Business Association 2013 Vetrepreneur of the year, his military awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star with Valor device, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, three Air Medals, one with Valor device, the POW/MIA ribbon, the Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, and numerous other awards.
He is the author of the NY Times Best Seller In the Company of Heroes and the The Night Stalkers.
He and his wife Lisa have six children, four boys and two girls ranging in age from fourteen to thirty.
Pinnacle’s awards and achievements include: WBCNA 2010 Start-Up of the Year,
Huntsville Chamber of Commerce 2011 Small Business Award Finalist and 2012 Best Place to Work Winner, MT2’s Top Simulation and Training Companies (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015), 2012/13 Alabama DAV Small Business of the Year, 2012 Inc. 500 (#6 for Government Services), 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest growing companies.
In twelve years Pinnacle has grown from a home office-based startup in 2008 to over
510 employees and more than 175 subcontractor personnel operating in fourteen US and international locations with major prime and subcontract efforts supporting the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, NASA and the U.S. Special Operations Command.
Books we discussed:
Breach of Trust by Tom A. Coburn MD, John Hart - Audiobook - Audible.com
In the Com