Overview

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  Werner J.A. Dahm

  Director

  Bio | Current CV
  
  Dr. Dahm leads the Security & Defense Systems Initiative at ASU, where he is also an ASU Foundation Professor in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. Previously, he was the Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force (AF/ST), a member of Headquarters Air Force and the direct science and technology advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff. He has served on numerous task forces of the Defense Science Board, on the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, and the Defense Science Study Group. Dr. Dahm is Emeritus Professor of Aerospace Engineering at The University of Michigan, where he was on the faculty for 25 years. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA), and a recipient of the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service.

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  Mark A. Giddings

  Deputy Director

  LtCol (ret) Giddings helps lead the Security & Defense Systems Initiative at ASU. Previously he was Deputy Commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory Mesa Research Site, and Deputy Commandant of the USAF Test Pilot School, where he led a 143-member faculty and staff, directing the graduate-level flight test curriculum and its modernization to keep pace with new science and technology advances. He is an experienced trainer, combat, and test pilot with over 4000 total hours in 50 different airframes. He holds graduate degrees from USAF Air University and from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida. He has received the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal (with two oak leaf clusters), and the Air Force Commendation Medal.

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  Corey Polka

  Business Operations Manager

  Ms. Polka is the Business Operations Manager for the Security & Defense Systems Initiative (SDSI). She is an ASU graduate, obtaining a Bachelor of Science from the College of Business, and has held a variety of administrative positions in her nearly twenty years of experience at ASU, including Business Manager for the Office of the ASU President and Business Coordinator for the W.P. Carey School of Business Development Office.

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  Sharon Lee

  Administrative Specialist

  Ms. Lee is the Administrative Specialist for the Security & Defense Systems Initiative (SDSI). She obtained her BA in Organizational Communication at Arizona State University and her M.Ed. from the University of Arizona. She has nearly twenty years of experience working in various university support positions, including in the Office of the Provost at the University of Arizona and most recently in the Office of the Dean at ASU’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation.