| Description: |
SPEAKER: Mr. Robert Fookes
Robert B. Fookes Jr., a member of the Senior
Executive Service, is the Director of Engineering
and Technical Management, and Chief Engineer, Air
Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base, Ohio. He provides comprehensive leadership
for maintaining technical superiority and
integrity of all Air Force systems. He leads the
command's transformation to digital materiel
management to maximize the value of technology
disruption, and provide rapid capability
maturation, delivery, and readiness. He leads a
15,000-person national engineering organization
and is responsible for talent acquisition,
development, and management of over 80% of the Air
Force's engineering and technical workforce.
Mr. Fookes has more than 34 years of experience in
federal civil service. He began his Air Force
career at Aeronautical System Center in 1988 as an
Embedded Computer Resource Engineer. Mr. Fookes
has had various assignments throughout his career,
to include engine controls for the Propulsion
Directorate, sub-system software on C-17 Program,
integrated flight and propulsion control for the
Joint Strike Fighter Concept Demonstration, Silent
Knight Radar development for U.S. Special
Operations Command, Air Vehicle Deputy Lead and F-
35A Airworthiness Lead for the F-35 Joint Program
Office, and Director of Engineering for
Presidential and Executive Airlift and the F-35
JPO. His experience covers all phases of
acquisition, from concept demonstration through
sustainment, and crosses a wide variety of
technical disciplines.
In his previous position, Mr. Fookes was the first
Director of Engineering and Technical Management
for the F-35 JPO in Arlington, Virginia. The F-35
JPO is the Defense Department's agency responsible
for the development, production and sustainment of
the F-35A/B/C Lightning II, the next-generation
strike aircraft for the Air Force, Marines, Navy,
eight partner nations, and multiple foreign
military customers. Mr. Fookes was responsible for
sound systems engineering processes, product
integrity, engineering leadership, and all
technical aspects of the DoD's largest acquisition
program.
Prior to his F-35 assignment, Mr. Fookes was the
Director of Engineering for the Presidential and
Executive Airlift Directorate, Air Force Life
Cycle Management Center, Air Force Materiel
Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. He was the
technical advisor to the directorate Program
Executive Officer and responsible for all
technical aspects of the PE directorate, which
manages the modifications and sustainment of the
current Air Force One (VC-25A), the E-4B fleet,
and other presidential and executive aircraft
affectionately referred to as the "blue and white"
fleet. Mr. Fookes was also the Chief Engineer, and
led the development and start of modification, for
the next-generation Air Force One (VC-25B).
PRE-LUNCHEON CHECK-IN / NETWORKING: 11:30AM-
11:45AM
LUNCHEON TIME: 11:45AM-1:00PM |
