Tom Popp Email & Phone Number

Arnold, Md, Us

Annapolis, Maryland, United States

Re-established Navy water polo team as a top contender in the east; changed team culture and demanded excellence in all facets of the game; dramatically improved recruiting including signing of several nationally-ranked athletes; incorporated innovative man-up offensive scheme with multiple plays and effective man-down defense. Tasking included:• Developed and documented daily team practice plans and conditioning workouts; conducted film review and all team video sessions.• Administratively developed competition and non-competition season schedule, home tournament schedule, playing and practice calendar IAW NCAA compliance rules; coordinated with Compliance office for execution of team competitions, practices, and other events; coordinated all team travel arrangements, movement orders, travel budget and logistics plan; provided all water polo 1710 Instruction inputs for integrating with Brigade of Midshipmen; created & updated team calendar. • All facets of recruiting—communication, film review, visits on & off campus, evaluations, junior day hosting event; tracking of candidates’ application requirements; coordinating with recruits for various medical and academic situations requiring special handling; implementing ARMS recruiting software. • Provided letters of recommendation for midshipmen for scholarships, awards, leadership positions; counseled midshipmen.• Scheduled Scott Natatorium for all events—water polo, special warfare training, EOD training, survival training, PE classes, special Olympics, athletic camps, recreational swimming, battalion & company training, various midshipmen club events, etc. • Aerospace Engineering Instructor (Aug 2018-May 2019). Taught 5 sections of Aerospace Engineering course EA400 (4-credit course w/ lab) to non-aerospace engineering major students. • Head Coach, NAAC Youth Water Polo Club (Nov 2018-Aug 2021). Coached athletes, managed club, and instructed other coaches for year-round water polo club ages 10-18.

Wahington Navy Yard, Washington, Dc

• Provided direct support to the Program Manager and Deputy Program Manager of Naval Enterprise Networks program office (PMW-205) assisting in the strategic execution of IT services in support of Department of Defense, Department of the Navy, Joint Staff, other Government agencies, and Congressional mandates. • Supported the PMW-205 leadership with executive and advisory functions including preparation of over 125 annual briefings, reports and/or position papers addressing complex programmatic and technical information; assisted program leadership for government and industry senior executive level forums. • Assumed Task Lead for CSA support to PMW-205. Coordinated activities across all PMW-205 program teams to ensure mutually agreed finished deliverables were prepared for Government use and distribution. Received coveted 2017 CSA Transcendence Award (highest company award) for superior performance, assisting others and being the de-facto spiritual pulse of the PMW-205 CSA team.

Uscg Headquarters, Washington Dc

Directly represented the Commander, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to the USCG; provided oversight of all aspects of USCG support by NAVAIR activities; identified potential synergies to increase commonality and interoperability among the sea services; and expanded Coast Guard skill in acquisition and requirements development by leveraging Navy proficiency. -- Coordinated NAVAIR support for over 30 different Coast Guard projects involving all models of USCG aircraft, the new National Security and Offshore Patrol Cutters, and unmanned air system demonstrations aboard Coast Guard cutters. This coordination required building and directing multiple-member cross-functional teams to provide the right NAVAIR technical expertise to satisfy Coast Guard requests for project and decision support, systems integration, and prototyping efforts. Projects ranged from small airworthiness determinations to multi-million dollar system integration and aircraft prototyping efforts. -- Researched, initiated, and developed comprehensive interagency agreements between multiple Coast Guard and NAVAIR stakeholders which satisfied Department of Homeland Security requirements and have facilitated over $70M in assisted acquisitions and financial transactions with NAVAIR business units.-- Served as expert advisor to NAVAIR leadership to justify numerous NAVAIR support efforts to the Coast Guard during the pressures of SEQUESTRATION and scrutiny of all non-Navy work being performed by the Naval Systems Commands. Formulated justifications and briefed over twenty ongoing NAVAIR support efforts for the Coast Guard, citing favorable business case/return-on-investment analysis, safety and airworthiness factors, and mission critical impacts. -- Identified and proposed aviation synergies between the two services for successful inclusion in the first National Fleet Plan signed in March 2014 by the Chief of Naval Operations and the Commandant of the Coast Guard.

Annapolis, Md

Responsible for the education and training of Midshipmen as a military instructor in the Aerospace Engineering Department. Also served in the development of Midshipmen in the following capacities: Leadership, Ethics, and Law Department Instructor; Aerospace Department Academic Advisor; Freshmen Academic Advisor; Athletic Department Team Officer Representative; Honor Remediation Program Counselor; Summer Seminar Aerospace Department Instructor; NCAA Volunteer Water Polo Coach. -- Instructed over 85 aerospace engineering students in three separate courses: Aircraft Materials & Structures, Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) Engineering Math Programming Language, and Basic Aeronautical Engineering. -- Taught challenging leadership and professional ethics course to 36 second year midshipmen as they prepared to accept their service commitment. -- Created and implemented new comprehensive accreditation documentation process for the Aerospace Engineering Department, mapping stakeholder requirements with curriculum outcomes and classroom practices. This effort became the foundation for gathering necessary data for future program improvements.-- Answered emergent mid-season need for varsity water polo coach and brought knowledge, professionalism, and inspiration as a former US National Team player and NCAA All-American, leading the team to third place in the December 2007 NCAA tournament and return final-four appearance in Dec 2008. Inducted into Collegiate Water Polo Association Hall of Fame (Nov 2008).-- Mentored over 150 midshipmen (first year students, engineering majors and student athletes) helping them balance the institution’s academic, physical, and military missions, while providing an experienced Fleet Officer perspective.

Patuxent River, Md

Led and directed a 235-person, government and contractor team to develop and execute acquisition strategy, budgets, in-service support and total life cycle planning to procure and support all aspects of the T-45 Training System (T45TS). Total budget managed: $5.4B. -- Realigned T-45 program office, prioritizing personnel and funding resources, to overcome budget reductions and manufacturer technical setbacks, resulting in on-time contract awards for 10 production T-45C aircraft ($265M) and F405 engines ($60M), a synthetic radar program ($67M), and on-schedule execution of the T-45 analog-to-digital cockpit modifications ($150M).-- Resolved airframe and engine manufacturer integration issues to forge the F405 Hot Section Reliability Improvement program. This program doubles engine mean time between removals, corrects the F405 engine surge safety issue, and saves an estimated $300M over the T-45 program life.-- Recognized by NAVAIR for two highly successful performance based logistics contracts that achieved $26M in savings, 6.4% increase in aircraft ready for training (RFT), and an 11% increase in sortie completions. NAVAIR 2004 Commander Award winner for Logistics/Industrial excellence.-- Positioned T-45 program for upcoming production line shutdown and post-production support era, while expanding T-45 training to include NFO strike-fighter training missions, and laying ground work for the follow-on T-45 aircraft.-- Spear-headed high-visibility CNO Productive Ratio study for all 8 types of Naval training aircraft. Efforts realized $336M cost savings/avoidance across a five year period while reducing Naval Training aircraft inventory by 94 aircraft. Awarded individual Navy Achievement Medal for successful implementation of these Productive Ratio techniques.

Patuxent River, Md

Managed end-strength, promotion, accession, retirement, and career planning for all Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer (AEDO) community members. Facilitated and supported the career tracks of 320 officers as the acquisition workforce policy/procedure expert and the liaison between Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and Navy Personnel Command for acquisition professional community (APC) assignments and distribution. -- Revised the AEDO mission and adjusted the community billet structure to ensure manpower posturing supported fleet warfighter requirements. This effort involved a comprehensive review of all community billets in support of a mandatory manpower alignment/reduction analysis. -- Completed pre-screening of 270 personnel records and all organizational and administrative tasks for eight major acquisition command slating panels selecting 43 Commanding Officers and Program managers. -- Planned and executed first NAVAIR Acquisition Professional Symposium focusing on acquisition command requirements and establishing a culture of continuous improvement. Symposium included a panel of seven acquisition Flag Officers and is now an annual event.

Coronado, Ca

Managed all aspects of aircraft engineering, modification planning, logistics support, phased depot maintenance, and inventory distribution for all Pacific Fleet E-2 and C-2 aircraft to ensure mission capable aircraft availability for operational tasking and deployment cycles. -- Coordinated fleet priorities and supervised technical program and logistics requirements for all E-2 and C-2 Fleet aircraft influencing a $2 Billion account. Efforts secured funding for the E-2C Radar Modernization Program, replacement of antiquated E-2 and C-2 avionics systems, and the stand-up of phase depot maintenance in Atsugi, Japan. -- Professional problem solver for Naval Air Forces executive staff. Convinced leadership and brokered funds ($1.2M) for civilian contract field teams to increase C-2 aircraft readiness. Innovative solution resulted in 90% aircraft availability. Coordinated with OPNAV, NAVAIR, and Pacific Fleet leadership to develop and execute “get-well” plan that replaced all fleet E-2C aircraft Rolls Royce T56-A-427 engine first-stage turbine blades.

Patuxent River, Md

Lead Project Officer for Developmental Test (DT) of E-2C Hawkeye aircraft system modifications. Directed the planning, coordination, engineering, and flight-testing of 11 projects and 15 personnel with $13M budget. Major DT test projects included E-2C Mission Computer Upgrade (MCU), Advanced Control Indicator Set (ACIS), Mission Information and Software Transfer (MIST) System, E-2C Advanced Development Projects, E-2C Automated Air Tasking Order (ATO) and initial Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) testing. -- Completed comprehensive testing of two developmental lines of software for the MCU and ACIS systems, identifying over 200 MCU deficiencies and more than 2000 ACIS software trouble reports in preparation for formal technical evaluation. Tactful, but forceful methods ensured timely software modifications from both prime contractors to keep pace with Interface Design Document changes and the flight test schedule. -- Awarded the Naval Air Station Patuxent River Admiral Merlin O’Neill 1999 Officer of the Year for leadership and community service.

Master Of Science (M.S.), Aerospace Engineering (Avionics)

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.), Aerospace Engineering

Education record