Al Funderburk
President & CEO
With over three decades of aerospace and complex systems experience, Al has led Phoenix Defense since 2013. He is a former Army aviation officer, including service with the 82nd Airborne, 18th Airborne Corps and National Training Center, who transitioned to industry in 2001. He has a bachelor’s in computer science, an MBA and additional training and certifications in executive leadership and project management. He is an active member in the Army Aviation Association of America and the Association of the United States Army.
Chris Morgan
SVP & Chief Financial Officer
Chris’ diverse background includes 30 years of government experience, including helping turn around the operations and finances of two Alaskan native corporations. An expert in federal cost accounting, he holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Arizona. His capabilities include strategic management, budgeting and forecasting, tax planning, information system implementation and audit management.
Greg Williamitis
President and General Manager, Engineering Services
Orlando, FL
The head of our Engineering Services Division, Greg’s previous aerospace and defense roles include working with Boeing and SAIC. He is a retired U.S. Army colonel who held leadership positions in armored, mechanized, airborne, air assault, and special operations units. His postings included the 82nd Airborne, 160th SOAR, TCM Comanche and National Training Center. He’s active in the Association of the United States Army, the Army Aviation Association of America and the American Helicopter Society.
Barry Clinger
EVP & Chief Technology Officer Engineering Services
Orlando, FL
Barry has over 30 years of commercial and government software development experience and is a founder of Riptide Software, now part of Phoenix Defense’s Engineering Services Division. He has extensive U.S. Army live training experience and has successfully led the development of several high-profile military projects. Barry previously worked as chief computer scientist with NASA at Kennedy Space Center and has extensive experience developing large-scale, widely distributed systems involving teamwork and coordination.
Rick Stikkers
General Manager – Warfighter Training Readiness Solutions (WTRS)
Orlando, FL
Rick brings over two decades of engineering and operations experience in modeling and simulation to his role, charged with properly aligning engineering across all programs. Beginning as a U.S. Army engineering officer, he moved to Raytheon and held positions including engineering division manager at the National Training Center and chief engineer for Raytheon’s Global Training Solutions Mission Area. Rick has a bachelor’s in computer science and a master’s in procurement and acquisitions management.
Kent Banks
SVP & Director of Engineering, Engineering Services
Kent brings over 35 years of distinguished experience in aerospace, defense, and commercial systems and software development. His expertise spans U.S. Army live and constructive training, where he served as the Chief Engineer for the Army’s program of record in aggregate constructive simulation. At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Kent contributed to cutting-edge research in Artificial Intelligence, Modeling and Simulation, enhancing Space Shuttle payload processing operations and pioneering robotics for food harvesting on future Mars missions. In the commercial sector, Kent developed the software that controls the Iridium satellite constellation, a critical infrastructure for global communications. He also led the development of the Marriott Vacation Club International Resort Management System, and created award-winning graphical user interface software, widely adopted by developers around the globe.
Mark Reyes
VP & Director Human Resources
Mark has over 20 years of human resources experience in the aerospace and defense industries, including leading teams and initiatives for Northrop Grumman and Boeing. Most recently he worked with engineering teams at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His depth of Department of Defense procedural, product and personnel knowledge complement strengths in talent acquisition, performance management, leadership and employee development, employee engagement, and diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.
Scott Goodwin
Senior VP, Program Development
Scott brings over 35 years combined military and private sector leadership experience to Phoenix Defense. He most recently led FlightSafety International’s flight simulator design and manufacturing division, serving a wide variety of military and commercial customers. A retired US Air Force Brigadier General and command pilot with experience in multiple aircraft types, Scott held command positions at the squadron, group, wing, and task force levels and served on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. In his final assignment, he was the Director of Operations for Air Mobility Command overseeing the training, evaluation, and readiness of more than 16,000 flight crew personnel.
Scott will focus on strategic development of Air Force opportunities including TSA IV task orders and other simulation and training programs. He is a life member of the Air Force Association, the Airlift Tanker Association, and the Order of Daedalians.
Jim Orahood
SVP & GM Aerospace Manufacturing
Jim Orahood brings a wealth of expertise to our team with over 20 years of Aerospace and Defense systems experience. Previous leadership positions include Sierra Nevada, GDMS, L3/Harris and Ampex Data Systems LLC where he led business turnarounds driving growth and profitability at the division level. He is a former U.S. Army officer serving with distinction in the 82nd Airborne and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). Jim is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and holds a Lean Six Sigma green belt.
Chris DePiano
Director Quality – Aerospace Manufacturing Division
Chris has over 15 years of experience in the manufacturing industry, including as general manager of CTL-SystemWare. To his role at Phoenix Defense, he brings a background in quality management systems and knowledge of the exacting standards of national defense matters. Before entering the private sector, Chris had a distinguished 21-year-career in U.S. Army counterintelligence. A graduate of Excelsior College, his training includes advanced electronics, RF theory, computer security and intrusion detection systems.
Janice Gibson
Quality Manager – Engineering Services Division
Janice has over a decade of experience as a quality assurance manager and helped Riptide Software successfully achieve CMMI Level 4. She is an experienced IT professional with diverse technical and managerial experience that includes network operations, project management and support, software development life cycle, software testing, and contract support. Before joining Phoenix Defense in 2016, she held roles at Scientific Research Corporation and Titan/L-3 Communications.
Bill Vincent
Deputy General Manager – Engineering Services
Bill brings a proven track record of portfolio, program and project management across diverse Government and commercial environments to his role. He has expertise with multiple program and project management frameworks (waterfall, agile and hybrid) and is a certified PMP and ACP. He began his career as a Marine Corps infantry officer and has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
Linda Talbot
Executive Assistant
Drawing on her background in business development marketing, Linda brings broad, executive-level administrative coordination to the organization. She partners with Phoenix Defense’s executive team to provide both administrative and project management support, allowing her to work on projects across the organization and with colleagues at many levels. Linda is a graduate of DePaul University in Chicago, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and media communication.
Duke
Company Mascot
Meet Duke, our company mascot and beloved friend. Our vision was to create a brand mascot that would personify our organization’s purpose, vision and mission; a symbol that represents the indefatigable spirit of our people and culture. Duke is a symbol of who we are, what we do and who we aspire to be as an organization.
