2023 Enchantment Chapter Board of Directors
Officers
Past President: Steve Denman (505-845-8146, sddenma@sandia.gov) holds BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University and has worked in systems, software, and digital engineering for 37 years. He has worked at Sandia National Laboratories, Rational Software, RE/SPEC, MKS, PTC, IBM, and a few companies of his own making along the way. Steve’s primary areas of focus in systems engineering have been requirements engineering and system architecture with a particular focus on model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and the critical role of systems engineering practices in the development of software-intensive, cyber-physical products and systems. In addition, he has worked extensively on integration of software processes, practices, methods, and tools across the system life cycle as an enabler of digital engineering and the digital thread and on the application of natural language processing and machine learning to assist systems engineers in managing the enormous complexity of system development. He has experience in a range of system domains, especially aerospace, defense, automotive, and medical devices and is currently working as a systems engineer on several programs in the Integrated Military Systems Center at Sandia Labs.
President: Cheryl Bolstad (505-844-3775, cbolsta@sandia.gov) Dr. Cheryl Bolstad is a Principal Systems Research and Analysis Engineer for the Human Factors department at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM. Dr. Bolstad is a Fellow of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and Certified Professional Ergonomist. She has a Ph.D. in Psychology specializing in cognition and human factors from North Carolina State University. Dr. Bolstad has over 30 years of experience working with the Department of Defense and within the commercial sector. She has worked extensively in situation awareness (SA) research, human automation integration, user interface design, team training and performance. Currently Dr. Bolstad is on the board of directors for a regional chapter of INCOSE, the International Society of System Engineers, and on the Technical Program Committee for the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
Vice-President: Jose Parga (505-667-2844, jparga@lanl.gov) Dr. Jose Parga is a Research and Development Engineer focusing on Advanced Systems Development at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He has a Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in Nuclear Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Parga has experience in Requirements Engineering, Decision Analysis, Systems Integration, Verification and Validation, and System Operation. Dr. Parga has previous experience working at production agencies while at LANL and Kansas City National Security Campus – New Mexico Operations. He is currently working on integrating Model Based Systems Engineering for future systems safety and hazard analysis at LANL.
Secretary: Ann Hodges (505-604-7400, Ann.Hodges@incose.net) retired after 48 years of service at Sandia National Laboratories and was a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff. She was the Mission Services Division’s systems engineering lead for the systems engineering part of the Project and Product Delivery System (PPDS) at Sandia National Laboratories and was a project manager and systems engineer for a complex exploratory-phase project. She is a primary author of the risk-informed graded approach to the application of project management, systems engineering and quality management which is one of the key aspects of the PPDS. She obtained a BBA and an MS in Computer Science from the University of NM, and holds CSEP, SAFe SPC4, and CMII certifications. Leadership positions that Ann has held in the Enchantment Chapter include Director-at-Large 2011-2012, President-Elect and acting Secretary 2013, President 2014-2015, and Secretary 2015-present. She is the chair of the INCOSE Systems Engineering for Early Stage R&D working group.
Treasurer: Mary Compton (mlcompton17@comcast.net)
retired from Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in 2022 after a rewarding career starting in 1990. She has a BS in Biology, a Masters in Library Science, and a Master of Education in Science Education. She completed a Master of Science in Software Engineering with a specialization in Software Systems Engineering in 2010. Mary was a librarian for 20 years, including over 10 years in the Technical Library at SNL. From 2001 until 2018 Mary worked as a requirements engineer in support the nuclear deterrence mission on information systems, firing system development, and the W88 ALT 370 program. Since June 2018 Mary has been working in the Model Based Systems Engineering department where she performs MBSE for nuclear weapon development programs. Mary served as the Enchantment Chapter Secretary 2008-2011 and has been Chapter Treasurer since 2012.
Directors at Large
Quinn Fatherley (fatherley4@llnl.gov) has been a Senior System Engineer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory since 2018. Role is lead lifecycle planner for operational testing and system maintenance. Collateral duties include system interface analysis, functional decomposition, requirements derivation, plus validation and verification tracing and documentation. Previously he served at Los Alamos National Laboratory for 16 years as system requirements architect and system operational testing and maintenance planner. Quinn holds a BSME from UNM, a BA in English and History from UConn, and served on US Navy fast-attack submarines following completion of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. Quinn is a member of the INCOSE Requirements Working Group, and contributor on the INCOSE Guide to Verification and Validation 2021 Revision project.
Heidi Hahn (505-500-7592, drsquirt@outlook.com) recently retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory as Senior Executive Advisor to the Associate Laboratory Director for Weapons Engineering Sciences. She had responsibility for engineering capability development including development of processes and tools to promote engineering capability; professional development of R&D engineers and engineering technicians; and engineering capability assessment. Currently, Heidi serves as an adjunct faculty member in Engineering Management Department at New Mexico Tech teaching courses in project management and systems engineering. She holds a Ph. D. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (Human Factors Option) from Virginia Tech and is a certified Expert Systems Engineering Professional (ESEP) and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Heidi is Past President of the Enchantment Chapter and has served on the chapter's Board of Directors since 2007. She also serves on INCOSE's Certification Advisory Group and the PMI/INCOSE/MIT Alliance Team.
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Robert Schwenke (505-845-3056, rschwen@sandia.gov) has been helping people find, filter, and fast track fresh new ideas and strategies to address complex problems for almost 35 years. He has worked in a variety of unrelated industries such as food, automotive, and renewable energy, and has amassed a roster of patents and invention disclosures in such diverse areas as antenna design, robotic motion, and printable sensors. He has been at Sandia National Laboratories since 2015 and is currently the technical lead for several laboratory-wide initiatives to establish a common process framework and help staff navigate the complexities associated with developing nuclear deterrent products and services. Robert is originally from the Midwest and is a graduate of Michigan Technological University and the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Gregory Chavez (gregchavez@lanl.gov) has direct experience in many facets within systems engineering which include his role as : system product realization team leader, requirements project manager, systems engineer, test engineer, and risk engineer for decisions applications. Gregory was recently the deputy program manager for one of the systems going through a life extension program. Currently, he is the system architecture lead for a project using Agile process technologies and model based systems engineering to fast track a particular system design into production. He has a PhD in Engineering, an MS in structural engineering, a BS in civil engineering, is a licensed professional engineer in New Mexico and working on a certification in systems engineering.
UTEP Student Division Advisor
Eric Smith (915-747-5205, esmith2@UTEP.edu) is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), and is the UTEP Student Chapter Advisor. Eric works within the Industrial Engineering Department and the Systems Engineering Program. He earned a B.S. in Physics in 1994, an M.S. in Systems Engineering in 2003, and his Ph.D. in Systems and Industrial Engineering in 2006 from the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. His dissertation research lay at the interface of systems engineering, cognitive science, and multi-criteria decision making. He taught for two years in The Boeing Company's Systems Engineering Graduate Program at the Missouri University of Science & Technology. He has given invited talks at the The Boeing Company, on the topic of risk management, and for a Multiple University Research Initiative (MURI) composed of the Universities of Arizona, Arizona State University, Ohio State University, University of Florida, and the University of Michigan, on the topic of ameliorating mental mistakes in uncertain and complex environments. Currently, he works with Lockheed Martin Corporation's summer project practicum for systems engineering students. His current research interests include complex systems engineering, risk management, and cognitive biases. He is a member of INCOSE, IIE, INFORMS, ASEE and ASEM.