ATA announces management changes Published May 6, 2011 By Kathy Gattis AEDC/PA Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. -- ATA General Manager, Dr. David Elrod, is leaving AEDC to become senior vice president of business development at Jacobs Technology in Tullahoma effective May 25. The new ATA general manager will be Steve Pearson who has served as deputy general manager since June of 2009 and the new deputy general manager will be Philip Stich, who currently is director of the ATA Integrated Test and Evaluation Department. "I want to express my sincere appreciation for David's dedication to the joint success at AEDC over the past 11 plus years as GM," Jacobs Technology President, Rogers Starr said. "We have been fortunate to have David lead and deliver on our commitments and the numerous improvements and changes in AEDC operations. At the same time, I know that Steve and Philip will continue to strive for the excellent performance the team has delivered for many years and help us face the challenges which lie ahead." In a note to the ATA work force Elrod said, "My transition out of the GM role will conclude over 33 years of working at AEDC. I have been deeply blessed by having the opportunity to work with you and the honor of getting to represent you over the past several years. For that I am grateful beyond words. There comes a time in the life of every organization when a change in leadership just makes sense. Such a time is upon us now." Elrod also serves as a senior vice president for Jacobs Technology. Elrod was appointed general manager when ATA became the major contractor at AEDC in 2003. Prior to that, in 2000, he was appointed to general manager of Sverdrup's AEDC Group and deputy general manager in 1997. Before joining Sverdrup in 1995, Elrod was manager of the Applied Technology Program for Micro Craft Technology at AEDC where he was responsible for the planning, advocacy and execution of the Aerodynamics Technology Program. "I came here as a part-time graduate research assistant on assignment to AEDC from the University of Tennessee Space Institute. Over the years, I had opportunity to work with technology, test and investment jobs and enjoyed and learned from every single assignment," Elrod said. Steve Pearson began his career in the 1970s as a turbine engine project engineer at the base. In 1985, he transferred to the Sverdrup Technology Group in Tullahoma and served in engineering, marketing and management positions for aerospace and automotive test facilities. His experience includes development of Sverdrup's automotive and aerospace business in North America, Australia and South Korea. From 1988-1998, Pearson served as program manager for the master planning, design construction support and commissioning of Chrysler's Scientific Test Facilities in Michigan. From 1999 to 2002 he was program manager for the construction of the Department of Energy's National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In 2003, Pearson returned to AEDC to become the first director of ATA Resource Provisioning and later became the director of ATA Projects and Design Engineering Department. "His prior experience outside of AEDC, his broad roles as a site manager for Department of Energy and deputy general manager for ATA and Effort T, coupled with firsthand experience leading two enterprise-spanning departments within ATA give him an exceptionally broad and deep base that will serve him well as ATA's next general manager," Elrod said. "Obviously this is a big loss for the center but a big gain for Jacobs," Pearson said. "We will miss David. He is well respected by the Air Force and the ATA employees. David is a good friend and a good guy to work for. I admire the way he conducts himself. When I think about the ATA core values of integrity, honesty, fairness... those ideals are an extension of the way David conducts himself every day. He's had to make some tough decisions and he's always done it with those values. "I'm honored to be chosen to fill the position of general manager for an organization like ATA," Pearson said. "I'll have some very big shoes to fill when David leaves, but I know that having Phil to assist me is a real plus." When talking about the appointment of Philip Stich as deputy general manager, Elrod said Stich's broad range of experience will be very valuable. "Philip's blend of test experience, investment program management and service as a general manager for a diverse test contract supporting NASA and his unique connectivity to the NASA aerospace community equip him well to succeed Steve as ATA's deputy general manager." Stich has 30 years of experience directly relevant to AEDC's core mission. He worked as a test engineer, project manager and branch manager in AEDC's wind tunnel operations. He also managed the only USAF Military Construction Program executed at AEDC in decades. He left AEDC and served as general manager of the Sverdrup contract, executing NASA Ames Test and Evaluation operations in California. Stich has been the ATA director of Integrated Test and Evaluation since 2003. "I have truly enjoyed my role in the IT&E Department," Stich said. "We have an outstanding team of folks performing critical test and technology missions. I'm looking forward to the new challenges as ATA DGM. We will surely miss Dr. Elrod. He is a great leader."