Experience

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  Charles-Ai, A Leading Artificial Intelligence T...

  • Chief Technology Officer
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  Deep Space Engineering Technology

  • Valencia, California

  • President

    • Feb 2021 - Present
    • Valencia, California

    Consulting in the engineering of spaceflight systems.​Deep Space Engineering Technology is experienced in assuring engineering excellence in the design, test, and operation of robotic interplanetary spacecraft and planetary probes.

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  NASA/Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

  • United States
  • Aviation and Aerospace Component Manufacturing
  • 700 & Above Employee

  • Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO) Emeritus

    • Oct 2019 - Present

  • Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO)

    • Nov 2013 - Oct 2019

    Responsible for implementing a knowledge management program to identify, capture, and distribute critical JPL technical knowledge/know-how/expertise/intellectual capital for leverage, reuse, and transfer across JPL and NASA. (That is, to counteract "organizational amnesia.") See http://ocko.jpl.nasa.govAdditional responsibilities within the JPL Office of the Chief Engineer include assuring engineering excellence in the design, test, and operation of robotic interplanetary spacecraft and planetary probes. (JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), is the lead NASA center for the robotic exploration of the solar system.)

  • Manager, Engineering Standards Office

    • 2005 - Oct 2019

    In addition to his duties as CKO for JPL, David Oberhettinger serves the JPL Office of the Chief Engineer in its mission to "achieve engineering excellence" in meeting the technical challenges posed by interplanetary exploration by leading three activities: 1. Manager of the JPL Engineering Standards Office2. Chair of the JPL Lessons Learned Committee3. Program Manager for JPL spaceflight engineering research sponsored by the NASA (HQ) Office of the Chief EngineerServes as the editor of the JPL "Design Principles," and performs special engineering studies requested by the JPL Chief Engineer.

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  International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

  • Vienna, Austria

  • Diplomatic Representative, U.S. Permanent Mission to the IAEA (Vienna)

    • Mar 2020 - Nov 2021
    • Vienna, Austria

    Appointed by the U.S. Department of State to the U.S. Permanent Mission to the IAEA (Vienna). The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is chartered by the United Nations as its nuclear watchdog; its offices are located at the Vienna International Center (VIC) in Vienna, Austria. The head of ...

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  University of Adelaide

  • Guest Lecturer

    • Feb 2020 - Aug 2021
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  64th Annual Reliability & Maintainability S...

  • Member of the Board of Directors

    • 2000 - Mar 2019

    Appointed a Director on the RAMS Board of Directors after serving as board Chair in 2014. Volunteer position. RAMS (http://rams.org) is the premier venue for sharing reliability engineering knowledge. The annual symposium draws participants from 30 to 50 nations.

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  Northrop Grumman

  • Los Angeles

  • Manager, Spacecraft Engineering Technology Department

    • Jun 1986 - Jun 2004
    • Los Angeles

    Managed what was at that time the only Northrop Grumman department that designed and tested spacecraft hardware and systems, with customers that included the NASA/Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena) and the USAF Space and Missile Systems Center (Los Angeles). Technical duties in addition...

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  Syscon Corp.

  • Manager, Sunnyvale, CA office (NASA-Ames)

    • 1984 - 1986

    Sunnyvale, CA, office provided mission assurance services, including the engineering support contract to the Safety, Reliability, and Quality Assurance Office at NASA Ames Research Center.

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  Syscon Corp

  • Washington, D.C.

  • Systems Engineer

    • 1979 - 1984
    • Washington, D.C.

    - Evaluated the effectiveness of new manufacturing technologies demonstrated on a small scale by the Office of Naval Aviation (NAVAIR)- Prepared research program plans for oil shale development and for mitigating underground coal mine subsidence for the Department of Energy.

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  International City Management Association

  • Washington, D.C.

  • Project Manager

    • 1976 - 1978
    • Washington, D.C.

    Served as a Washington lobbyist for a public interest group representing the city managers of cities with the "council-manager" form of government. Managed the ICMA Water Quality Project.