Bill and Kate Quigley

Bill Quigley loves technology. So it's fitting that he has found a home at MITRE. It all started in 1984 as he was finishing up his electrical engineering degree at the University of Notre Dame. At a campus recruiting fair, MITRE interviewed Quigley and later hired him to come and work at the corporate headquarters in Bedford, Massachusetts. Almost twenty years and three sites later, he is happily ensconced as a project leader and technical leader at MITRE's Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB) site near Dayton, Ohio.

Prior to his move to Ohio, Quigley was working for MITRE's Washington Command, Control and Communications Center and a Navy customer in Crystal City, Virginia. Then one day he saw a corporate email outlining job opportunities at several MITRE sites. Thinking of his 90-minute commute each way to work, he called up the MITRE contact at Wright-Patterson and the rest is history.

"It worked out better than I ever dreamed," says Quigley. "I have four children, ranging in age from 7 to 14, and I was missing too much of their lives. The technical work I was doing in Crystal City was right up my alley but the commute was really taking its toll on my family."

"The move to Wright-Patterson was a lateral one for me," he continues. "I came as a project leader for the MITRE team supporting the Air Force's Electronic Systems Center Materiel Systems Group (MSG). The goal of MSG is to be recognized as the Acquisition Center of Excellence for the Air Force Materiel Command and other Air Force customers. Since then, I have become the Technical Director for the same group. MITRE staff work side by side with the customer in developing architectures and acquiring systems that meet their needs. We also are assisting them in establishing good system engineering processes so that they can repeat the processes whenever and wherever it is required."

"Living with the customer," as Quigley describes it, allows for a very strategic partnership. "MITRE employees are a valuable resource," he explains. "Yes—we are available to assist them on a daily basis, but more important we are there to help them stay ahead of the curve and be proactive in strategic analysis and planning."

According to Quigley, his years at both the corporate offices and other sites have given him a valuable base to work from. "With my history at MITRE, I already had a large network of people to draw on when I had questions or needed to find a certain kind of expertise within the corporation," he says. "That and the excellent communication technologies available to MITRE employees have made the transition to Wright-Patterson very easy."

When asked what he enjoys most about his current situation, Quigley quickly and enthusiastically replies, "There are two things I love about my job. I love the technology—it makes the work extremely interesting. And I feel incredibly fortunate to work with a terrific group of people."

As for the location, Quigley can't say enough good things about his new home. "The area around Wright-Patterson AFB has everything we need and it is all extremely convenient. The schools are outstanding and the base is only 90 minutes from Cincinnati, Columbus, and Indianapolis. What more could you ask for?" He adds, "Maybe Hawaii?"

—by Kay M. Upham

Wright-Patterson AFB

Established in 1991, MITRE's Wright-Patterson Air Force Base site, located in central Ohio, is home to 30 employees. Most of the staff there support the Air Force's Electronic Systems Center's (ESC) Materiel Systems Group, a geographically separated unit of the ESC, and the National Air Intelligence Center. The base is also home to the United States Air Force Museum.