Aerospace & Autonomous Systems Council Members

Elizabeth Pollard, President of Cowboy Technologies and Executive Director of the Oklahoma State University Research Foundation (OSURF). Elizabeth Pollard was appointed by Governor Kevin Stitt to serve as Secretary of Science and Innovation from June 2020 to March 2023.  Pollard placed a strategic emphasis on enabling science and innovation to impact health, commerce, and stem education for Oklahoma. Prior to her appointment by Governor Stitt, Pollard served as Deputy Secretary of Science and Innovation under Secretary Kayse Shrum.

In addition to her cabinet role, Pollard is Executive Chair of Applied Silver, a materials science health-tech company located in Silicon Valley addressing infection control and antibiotic stewardship. She is a C-Suite veteran and has extensive global experience scaling businesses, building commercial and academic partnerships, and bringing to market highly specialized technology and solutions, including software and microfluidics, for healthcare, pharma, diagnostics, and life science research. Because of her expertise in genomic tools and test development, Pollard serves as an advisor to the Oklahoma Department of Health’s COVID-19 testing response and has been instrumental in fostering commercial technology partnerships for the State’s COVID-19 testing.

In addition, Pollard advises several early stage healthcare companies and has held board director roles in public, private and non-profit organizations. Most recently, Pollard has been named to the 2020-2023 YPO Global Board of Directors and serves on the finance committee. YPO’s 29,000 executive leaders represent businesses that together account for the world’s 3rd largest GDP.

Pollard is a past member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), Women Corporate Directors (WCD), and the American Chemical Society (ACS).
 
Pollard moved to Oklahoma in 2018 from California because of her appreciation for the State’s infrastructure, culture, and values. She and her husband, Dennis, reside in Edmond. She is a native Michigander and received her BA in Chemistry from Michigan State University and MS in Administration from Central Michigan University.

Epperson has extensive experience and expertise in repair design and development of advanced composite and metallic bonded aircraft components. He has served as an engineering specialist for a major airline responsible for the creation and development of repairs for advanced composite and metallic bonded aircraft structure and components for a fleet of over 600 aircraft. He has served as an industry voice for the past 30 years providing practical input to major original equipment manufacturers (OEM’s), aerospace organizations and industry committees regarding the implementation of new composite materials and the associated technology onto the aircraft platform. He served as a steering committee member on NASA’s Advanced Composites Technology Program, he was a founding member of the Commercial Aircraft Composite Repair Committee, a committee organized to oversee the  implementation of practical repair techniques into OEM repair documents, and most recently has been actively involved as a subject matter expert assisting the FAA in the creation of a nationally recognized curriculum for the education of technicians, inspectors, and engineers involved in the repair of advanced composite aircraft components. Epperson serves as a board member for the Tulsa Air & Space Museum and is a private pilot with a FAA Airframe and Power Plant license. He has an undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from OSU.

Steve Fendley serves as the President for the Unmanned Systems Division of technology service provider Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, a role he has held since January 2017.

He leads the company’s unmanned business operations, including aerial and target drones, ground and seaborne systems, as well as avionics, electronics, and command and control functions. Fendley also led the development and design of the company’s first automated aircraft known as UTAP-22.

Previously, Fendley assumed the roles of Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Kratos' Unmanned Systems Division (KUSD) composite engineering business unit, where he oversaw the increase in the drone systems portfolio and unmanned aerial programs.

His engineering and management career include stints at Westinghouse, Northrop Grumman, and BAE Systems.

Fendley earned his Bachelor degrees in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Auburn University.

Jamey Jacob is the Director of the OSU Unmanned Systems Research Institute and the John Hendrix Chair and Professor of Aerospace Engineering in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Oklahoma State University.

His current efforts are focused on observation and measurement applications of unmanned aircraft and their enhanced operation in the national airspace for commercial and industrial applications. He is currently lead on a $5 million NASA project to use drones to aid in future weather prediction and reporting for advanced aerial mobility, including drones and urban air taxis.

He received his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1990 and his M.S and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1992 and 1995, respectively. He was a National Research Council Summer Faculty Fellow in the Air Force Research Laboratory and received the SAE Ralph Teetor Award, the Lockheed Martin Teaching Award, and the OSU Regents Distinguished Teaching Award, among other teaching and mentoring awards.

He is a native Oklahoman and dedicates much of his efforts to K-12 education, STEM workforce development, and increasing diversity in engineering and science.

Adriane Jaynes is the Alternative Fuels Planner at Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG), where she works to prepare the Tulsa region and the state for emerging transportation technologies with an emphasis on transportation electrification and vehicle autonomy. In this role, she also serves as Coordinator for Tulsa Area Clean Cities Coalition, a US Department of Energy program hosted at INCOG, with a goal of reducing dependence on imported petroleum.

She serves on several state and local taskforces convened to prepare for on-road advanced transportation technologies, is a founding member of the Oklahoma Electric Vehicle Coalition, and serves on its executive committee.

Jaynes has been at INCOG since 2011 and has a Master's Degree from the University of Oklahoma.

General Levy is the President and CEO of The Levy Group LLC. Prior to his current position, he was Commanding General of the Air Force Sustainment Center, Air Force Materiel Command, headquartered at Tinker Air Force Base. He led nearly 43,000 total force U.S. and U.K. Airmen to deliver global combat effects for the immediate and long-term requirements of combatant commanders, allies, foreign military sales partners, and the whole of government. Though headquartered in Oklahoma City, the command comprised 73 global locations generating over $16B revenue annually.

His distinguished career also included multiple combat deployments, multiple joint assignments as well as three tours in the Pentagon.

In 2013, as a general officer, he deployed to Southwest Asia with US Central Command, where he led and directed the US Forces Afghanistan global withdrawal and retrograde of US combat equipment and personnel to achieve POTUS directed regional force levels.

General Levy’s military career began in 1985 when he received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Louisiana State University. He also has earned a graduate certificate in systems management from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Science degree in International Relations from Troy State University.

General Levy also earned a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College. General Levy’s education also includes completing Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Senior Executive Fellows Program and Senior Executives in National and International Security programs.

General Levy is a member of the NASA Advisory Council alongside various government figures, astronauts, scientists, and corporate executives.

Senator Rosino proudly served our country for 25 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring at the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer (E9 / Navy’s highest enlisted rank). For nearly ten years, Paul was stationed at Tinker Air Force Base, where he served in Strategic Communications Wing ONE in support of their fleet of E-6B aircraft. At his retirement, Paul led a team of nearly 200 military and civilian personnel responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the E-6B fleet.

A decorated veteran, Paul held a Top Secret security clearance and received numerous awards and commendations, including Company Commander of the Year and Squadron Sailor of the Year.

After retiring from the military in 2006, Paul earned a real estate license and started selling homes. Paul worked his way up, and, by 2009, he had earned a broker’s license and opened his own business, Rosino Realty.

A strong supporter of higher education, Paul is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Mid America Christian University, holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and Ethics.

Bailey J. Siegfried is Vice President of Culture, Communication, IT, HR, and Corporate Responsibility for NORDAM, as well as chair of the firm's Culture and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion councils.

In his primary role, Siegfried oversees all essential services functions, including safety, environmental health, ethics and compliance, global-trade compliance, security, talent attraction, and leadership development. He directs corporate branding, as well as internal and external communication, including community, government and media relations.

As executive leader for the company’s Office of Corporate Responsibility, he drives next-level results in environmental sustainability, stakeholder and community engagement, and educational outreach for area students, teachers and schools.

Siegfried serves on Governor Stitt’s Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority, which administers the only unrestricted Federal Aviation Administration space corridor for travel to and from space.

An instrument-rated pilot and member of the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, he is involved in multiple aerospace, space and STEM-development initiatives across the country.

In the community, he serves on the boards of Flight Night, Tulsa Area United Way, the Tulsa Community Foundation, and the Ascension St. John Hospital Moral and Medical Ethics Board.

He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, and serves on the advisory council for the university’s Mendoza College of Business.

Thomas has more than forty years of experience in private-sector business including banking, oil and gas, real estate investments / development, and technology-commercialization. Thomas excels at creatively engineering complex financial strategies with an emphasis on enhancing shareholder value and mitigating risks.

Thomas was a founding partner of Acorn Growth Companies, now AGC Aerospace, a private-equity firm with over $200 million under management. He is a licensed real estate broker and a seasoned commercial and industrial real estate developer with recognized expertise in sector-specific development, i.e., industry clusters like the Tinker Business and Industrial Park (TBIP), which is adjacent to Tinker Air Force Base.

TBIP was conceived and developed by Thomas in 1985 and today serves as a working model of cluster development within a targeted industry - defense and aviation / aerospace - and consistently exceeds $1 billion in contracts with the Tinker Air Logistics Center and the Department of Defense. TBIP is home to more than 40 prominent defense contractors. This highly-synergistic aviation / aerospace cluster includes strategic relationships with Oklahoma's research universities, community colleges, and Oklahoma’s CareerTech institution for targeted job-creation and workforce development. Employment at TBIP averages over twice the State’s per-capita income consistent with Thomas’ goal of creating high-value, high-paying careers. It represents the largest aggregation of technology companies in the State of Oklahoma.

Thomas is also a principal in and co-founding partner of Oklahoma's "Unmanned Systems Innovation Center" (USIC). Located within the TBIP aerospace campus, the facility envisions an emphasis on research and development, technology - commercialization, education, certification, and training, while nurturing entrepreneurship linked to its own multi-tier capital facility.