UAF Summit Presenter Bios
Kyle Evan Alvarez, Enterprise Systems Engineer, The Aerospace Corporation
Mr. Alvarez develops Digital Engineering models in the Mission Engineering Department supporting various US Air Force and Space Force government programs. Mr. Alvarez earned BS and MS degrees in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University. His work leverages systems engineering expertise on large projects supporting space enterprise mission success in a timely and affordable manner.
Ola Batarseh, Industry Process Consultant - Expert, Dassault Systèmes
Ola Batarseh, PhD, is an Industry Process Consultant - Expert at Dassault Systèmes, specializing in architecture-driven digital engineering and model-based systems engineering (MBSE). She applies the Unified Architecture Framework (UAF), SysML, and simulation-enabled modeling using CATIA Magic and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to support architecture-based decision-making across complex enterprise and mission systems. She also serves as an adjunct professor teaching MBSE and digital engineering methodologies.
Richard “Larry” Day II, Assistant Program Manager, Engineering Logistics Integrated Information Solutions-Marine Corps (LI2S-MC) PEO MLB/PMW 230 Marine Corps Systems Command
With a distinguished career spanning over four decades, Richard L Day II is a highly accomplished leader with a unique blend of experience across the U.S. Marine Corps, private industry, and senior civilian service within the Department of Defense. Rooted in 24 years of dedicated military service as a Data-Communications Maintenance Chief, which has cultivated a deep expertise in information technology, strategic planning, and program management, culminating in a current role as a pivotal figure in Marine Corps software modernization and engineering.
Service began in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he held multiple communications assignments, including leading a 30-Marine platoon in high-tempo reconnaissance operations and serving as a Communications Planner for a Presidential Inaugural Committee. This foundational experience honed his technical and leadership skills, preparing him for a seamless transition to Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC). There, he quickly distinguished himself as a Project Officer and Information Assurance Manager, where he was instrumental in leading security efforts for a logistics enterprise resource planning system valued at over $355 million and played a key role in a major initiative that reduced the Marine Corps' legacy logistics systems.
Seeking to broaden his impact, he transitioned to the private sector with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). As a Program Manager, he successfully managed multi-million-dollar Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contracts, leading teams in the engineering, integration, and sustainment of critical USMC networks. His leadership was crucial in winning a major recompete for the MCEITS Infrastructure Management contract, Division 5059’s largest FFP contract at the time, demonstrating a sharp acumen for business development and program execution in a corporate environment.
Returning to public service, he took on progressively senior roles within MCSC and PEO Enterprise Information Systems, managing the Post Deployment System Sustainment (PDSS) for the Global Combat Support System - Marine Corps (GCSS-MC). In this capacity, he provided technical leadership for major software upgrades and tech refreshes, managing a budget of $17 million and leading a diverse team of over 40 engineers from government and industry partners like Lockheed Martin and Oracle.
His expertise and proven leadership led to their appointment in several key strategic positions, including Business Mission Area (BMA) Chief Systems Engineer and Software Modernization Lead for the Commander MCSC’s Marine Corps Acquisition for Information Technology (MACIT) initiative. In these roles, he provided critical analysis on complex IT acquisition issues and offered direct input into high-level DoD, DON, and USMC policies. His commitment to personnel development is highlighted by six years as an MCSC Mentor, earning the prestigious "Mentor of the Year" award in 2022.
Currently serving as the Assistant Program Manager for Engineering, he represents LI2S-MC Systems Engineering to senior leadership, balancing sustainment of current systems with forward-looking modernization efforts. By proactively building alliances and clearly communicating engineering activities to key stakeholders, he continues to strengthen the Marine Corps' engineering discipline and ensure the delivery of superior technological capabilities to the warfighter.
Suzanne Dove, Associate Fellow, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Suzanne E. Dove is an Associate Fellow at Lockheed Martin and a systems-architecture leader with over 25 years of experience delivering mission-critical solutions for the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and large enterprise organizations. She is driven by digital transformation, model-based systems engineering, data-driven decision making, and building cybersecurity-resilient architectures. Her career spans a variety of roles and responsibilities including full-stack software development, cybersecurity research, senior systems-architecture leadership, and program management. She is certified as a Unified Architecture Framework (UAF) Model Builder, CISSP, and GIAC-GPEN, and Lockheed Martin Qualified Architect. Suzanne actively contributes to the Model-Based Acquisition community, volunteers with Lockheed Martin CYBERQUEST, and advances security-industry initiatives through professional outreach and mentorship.
Jose Garcia, Industry Process Senior Consultant, Dassault Systèmes
Jose Garcia is an Industry Process Senior Consultant at Dassault Systèmes, where he specializes in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and systems simulation. Since joining the company in 2022, he has helped organizations advance their digital engineering capabilities through integrated modeling and simulation solutions. Before joining Dassault Systèmes, Jose spent over a decade supporting systems engineering initiatives across the U.S. Aerospace and Defense sectors. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rice University and has completed advanced coursework at MIT, Georgia Tech, and the National Cryptologic School.
Laura Hart, Fellow, Lockheed Martin
Laura E. Hart is a Fellow at Lockheed Martin for Corporate Engineering, enabling Digital Transformation. Laura has over 30 years of industry experience covering a wide spectrum of responsibilities applying Model-Based Systems Engineering across the development lifecycle of complex software and hardware systems. Laura's current focus is leading the Model-based Acquisition (MBAcq) User Group for the standardization of Model-based acquisition across industry though the use of patterns and reference architecture descriptions. Laura is co-chair of OMG Unified Architecture Framework (UAF) specification team, Adjunct professor Drexel University and NDIA System Engineering Division Vice-Chair.
Matthew Hause, Principal, SSI
Matthew Hause is a Distinguished Engineer at SSI, a chair of the UAF group a chair of the Reuseable Asset Specification (RAS) group, a member of the OMG SysML specification team, and a co-chair of the INCOSE enterprise systems engineering group. He was a member of the OMG Architecture Board for 10 years. He has been developing multi-national complex systems for over 45 years as a systems and software engineer. He started out working in the power systems industry then transitioned to command and control systems, process control, communications, SCADA, distributed control, Military systems, and many other areas of technical and real-time systems. He has authored over 100 papers on a variety of subjects. His role at SSI includes consulting, mentoring, standards development, presentations at conferences, and developing and presenting training courses. He is OMG certified in SysML, UAF, UAF training, and a proud recipient of the INCOSE MBSE Propeller Hat Award.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Daniel Hettema, Director of Digital Engineering, Modeling & Simulation (DEM&S), Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E)
Daniel Hettema serves as the Director of Digital Engineering, Modeling & Simulation (DEM&S) within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)). In this role, he offers expertise to senior leaders and oversees policy, guidance, and foundational research throughout the Department of Defense (DoD) that will advance the workforce and accelerate the adoption of digital engineering (DE). Under Mr. Hettema's leadership, participation in the Community of Practice (CoP) and interactions within the Digital Engineering Body of Knowledge (DEBoK) have experienced significant growth, as evidenced by more than a thousand percent increase. Additionally, he established an annual federal government-wide knowledge exchange event dedicated to DE and drove the development of the DoDI 5000.97, Digital Engineering. Mr. Hettema focuses on equipping practitioners across the DoD with the tools, techniques, and training to empower the workforce and facilitate the successful implementation of DE. He provides experience in both industry and government supporting the Department of Energy (DOE) and Intelligence Community (IC) in addition to his work within the DoD. Mr. Hettema holds a B.S. in Systems Engineering from George Mason University, a M.S. in Space Systems Engineering from John Hopkins University, and is a certified Systems Engineering Professional by INCOSE and a level four System Modeling Language (SysML) modeler. His enthusiasm for digital engineering and modeling and simulation within the DoD is evident through his commitment to fostering ongoing collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Ronald Kratzke, Chief System Engineer, UNCOMN LLC
Ron Kratzke is currently the corporate level Chief Systems Engineer for UNCOMN. He has over 30 years of experience in enterprise architecture and systems engineering. His early career was as a U.S. Navy Surface Warfare officer specializing in the operation, maintenance, and management of Navy nuclear power plants and shipboard combat systems.
Following his navy career, he provided system engineering design support on advanced systems design for a variety of government organizations including: the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense. Over this time frame he has had responsibility as a Chief System Engineer, Chief System Architect, and Project Manager. He has used model-based system engineering (MBSE) methodologies and toolsets for more than 20 years.
Mr. Kratzke is a Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP), a Six-Sigma Green Belt, and an OMG Certified System Model Professional. He is an active member of the OMG UAF team and is active in several positions supporting the International Council of Systems Engineering (INCOSE). He has written papers, provided presentations, and participated as a panel member on several system engineering topics at International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) meetings, IEEE System Engineering Conference, and National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Mission and System Engineering Conferences.
Rae Lewark, Ecologist - Sustainable Design
Rae Lewark is an interdisciplinary ecologist with a background in biodiversity, biomimicry, and restoration ecology research. From spider biodiversity, to ecological narratives in literature, to circular economic copper cycles, to considering the adaptive cycle in requirements writing, her professional pursuits encompass the complex reach of natural systems. As an educator, Rae emphasizes the convergence of diverse fields, fostering a holistic understanding of ecological principles and their implications across sectors. With expertise in technical ecological integration, Rae focuses on designing regenerative solutions that bridge human systems with natural processes, fostering resilience and sustainability. As a freedive athlete and trainer, she embodies this philosophy by directly reconnecting people back into ecologies. When not advancing ecological research or hunting down new spider species, Rae immerses herself in the planet’s underwater ecosystems, drawing inspiration from nature’s ingenuity.
Dr. Aurelijus Morkevicius, Director of MBSE Consulting, Dassault Systèmes
Aurelijus is the Director of MBSE Consulting at Dassault Systèmes, CATIA brand. He specializes in model-based systems and software engineering, as well as enterprise architecture frameworks including DoDAF, NAF, and UAF. Aurelijus holds certifications as an INCOSE Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) and as an OMG Certified Professional in UML, Systems Modeling, BPM, and UAF. He serves as the chair and lead architect of the current OMG UAF (Unified Architecture Framework) development group and is the originator of the MagicGrid (MBSE Grid) framework. As Dassault Systèmes’ representative to INCOSE, he chairs the Enterprise Systems Engineering Working Group and is an inducted member of INCOSE’s Technical Leadership Institute (Cohort 8). Aurelijus earned his PhD in Software Systems Engineering from Kaunas University of Technology in 2013, where he also serves as an adjunct professor, teaching enterprise systems engineering. He is the author of several books and articles, and a frequent speaker at international conferences.
Andrew Muxen, Fellow, MBSE, Advanced Systems and Architectures, Collins Aerospace
Andrew Muxen is a Fellow at Collins Aerospace, specializing in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) within the Advanced Systems and Architectures division. He is recognized as a leading practitioner in digital engineering and system architecture. He focuses on advanced MBSE methodologies, including Object-Oriented Systems Engineering Method (OOSEM) and SysML v2. His work involves creating models for complex systems and advocating for "everything-as-code" approaches in system modeling.
Michael Shearin, Branch Head, Digital Engineering Tools and Environments, Georgia Tech Research Institute
Mike Shearin is a Senior Research Engineer at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and Branch Head of the Digital Engineering Tools and Environments Branch. He specializes in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), digital engineering environments, and enterprise data architectures. Shearin also instructs in the Professional Master’s in Applied Systems Engineering (PMASE) program at Georgia Tech.
Matthew Taylor, Engineering Fellow, MANTECH International
Mr. Matthew Taylor is an Engineering Fellow at MANTECH International, where he supports client engineering and digital engineering R&D. A veteran technical leader, Matthew previously served as VP of Projects & Engineering at MxD overseeing more than 60 projects to digitize and secure the U.S. manufacturing base, and held senior architecture and management roles at Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. He specializes in strategic innovation, managing multi-million dollar new initiatives, and leading large, cross-functional teams. Matthew holds an M.S. in Engineering Management from Tufts University, a B.S in Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois, and is a US patent holder.
Göran Tuomas, Leader Systems Analysis, LKAB
Göran Tuomas, PhD, is a senior leader in LKAB’s Systems Analysis group. LKAB is Sweden’s leading mining and mineral processing company, and he leads the application of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and the Unified Architecture Framework (UAF) to evaluate strategic scenarios and deliver decision-ready insights. He brings nearly 40 years of industrial experience across diverse roles and disciplines, including about 20 years at LKAB, 10 years at Atlas Copco, and 10 years as a consultant.
Paul Vaughan, NG Fellow, Northrop Grumman
Paul is a Fellow at Northrop Grumman Corporation, where he designs satellite systems for the U.S. military. He has over 35 years in space system design and operation at the Aerospace Corporation and Northrop Grumman. He has been involved in MBSE and system architectures for more than 20 years and is one of the company's digital engineering pioneers. He has been a member of the OMG UPDM and UAF working groups since 2014 and is the pilot model lead in the Model-Based Acquisition User Group. He has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Loyola University of L.A. and an MBA from the Pepperdine School of Business and Management.
Brian Wright, Enterprise Architect, MANTECH International
Brian Wright is an accomplished Enterprise Architect currently based in Stafford, Virginia, with extensive experience in driving resolutions through strategic design and architecture. Brian currently serves at MANTECH, Inc., where he helps manage complex architecture processes and provides expert guidance to help ensure his customers’ goals are met with precision and ingenuity. His expertise lies in developing roadmaps and managing enterprise architecture asset repositories to foster highly integrated environments. With a career spanning technical support and systems training within the Department of War (DoW), Brian has a proven track record of maintaining critical IT infrastructure and implementing new frameworks that provide the best path forward for his organization.