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| Information > Biographies > DR. BYRON F. KNIGHT |
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DR. BYRON F. KNIGHT
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Dr. Byron F. Knight, a Defense Intelligence Senior Leader, is the Senior Technical Adviser for Mission Success, Systems Engineering Directorate at the National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Va. He is responsible for mission assurance, industrial base, and technical assessment issues for current and future NRO programs.
Dr. Knight, a native of Tallahassee, Fla., began his career in 1982 at the Harris Corporation in Melbourne, Fla., developing ground-based and space borne antenna systems for the Department of Defense. He worked for two years with Lockheed Corporation as a National Aeronautics Space Agency space shuttle thermal protection systems engineer, as the aft section team lead for the Shuttle Atlantis. From 1986 to 1988, he was the division mechanical engineer for Unisys Corporation, developing military and intelligence signals intelligence hardware systems. He returned to Harris Corporation to continue developing defense space and terrestrial intelligence technology.
Dr. Knight moved to the National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Va., on a technology fellowship in 1998, working in the Operational Support Office to develop a new communications dissemination program for low bandwidth military users. This activity led to research and studies in measurement and signature intelligence. Between 2000 and 2003, Dr. Knight continued his support in OSO as an employee of SRA International. In 2003, he began to directly support MASINT development programs, assuming duties as Chief Scientist in October 2005. Prior to his return to the NRO, he held a two-year joint duty assignment as the Director, Frontiers Division, Office of Geospatial-Intelligence Management, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Bethesda, Md. Dr. Knight was the chief adviser to the NGA Director, in the director's capacity as the Functional Manager of the National System for Geospatial-Intelligence, developing future customer needs and required capabilities. In May 2010, returning to the NRO as the Deputy, Mission Success Executive.
EDUCATION
1982 Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
1990 Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
2000 Doctor of Philosophy degree in mechanical engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville
2006 Senior Officer Security Seminar, Richmond, Va.
2007 Intelligence Fellows Program, Aspen Institute, Wye River, Md.
2007 Intelligence Community Executive Leader Program, Northwestern University, Ill.
2007 Program on Creative Leadership, Center for Creative Leadership,
Richmond, Va.
2009 Intelligence Community Senior Leadership Program, Washington, D.C.
2010 Leading the Intelligence Community, Washington, D.C.
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. 1982 - 1985, mechanical engineer, Ground and Space Intelligence and Defense Communications Systems, Harris Corporation, Melbourne, Fla.
2. 1985 - 1986, thermal protection systems engineer on the Space Shuttle Atlantis, Lockheed Corporation, Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
3. 1986 - 1988, mechanical engineer, Intelligence and Defense Signals Intelligence Systems, Unisys Corporation, Reston, Va.
4. 1998 - 1990, research assistant, Precision Engineering Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
5. 1990 - 1994, advanced systems engineer, Terrestrial Intelligence Systems, Harris Corporation, Melbourne, Fla.
6. 1994, advanced systems manager, Ground-based Optical Systems, Contraves USA, Pittsburgh, Pa.
7. 1994 - 1998, advanced systems manager, Space-based Intelligence and Defense Systems, Harris Corporation, Melbourne, Fla.
8. 1998 - 2000, senior systems engineer, Space-based Intelligence and Defense Systems, Harris Corporation, Chantilly, Va.
9. 1999 - 2003, independent consultant, space systems
10. 2000 - 2003, Director of National Programs Development, SRA International (Adroit Systems, Inc.), Fairfax, Va.
11. 2003 - 2008, Chief Scientist, Measurement and Signature Intelligence and Technical Applications, Deputy Director for National Support, National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Va.
12. 2008 - 2010, Director, Frontiers Division, Office of Geospatial-Intelligence Management, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Md.
13. 2010 - present, Senior Technical Adviser for Mission Success, Systems Engineering Directorate, National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Va.
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
Program Management, Level III
Systems Engineering, Level III
Science and Technology Management, Level II
Test and Evaluation, Level I
(Current as of May 2011)
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