Serving MITRE and His Country
Gary Pagan
February 2012
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Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology magazine recently named MITRE's Gary Pagan to its "Top 40 Engineers Under 40" list. |
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Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology magazine recently named Gary Pagan, an information systems engineer in MITRE's Cyber Operations department, to its "Top 40 Engineers Under 40" list. This list acknowledges the significant technical contributions of young Hispanic engineers.
"Gary is exceptional at doing innovative things," says David Carroll, who is Pagan's manager. "He's worked on some high-profile efforts for MITRE and our customers. He likes taking on difficult challenges, and he always comes up with smart solutions. He's very focused on technologies and systems that can benefit the warfighter.
"He is an excellent choice for Hispanic Engineer's Top 40 list," he adds. "He's someone who makes a difference."
Pagan joined MITRE in 2000. A cryptology specialist, Pagan most recently supported the U.S. Cyber Command in Ft. Meade, helping to implement a computer network defense infrastructure. In October, Pagan and his Army National Guard unit were deployed to the Middle East. He is serving as a platoon leader of a communications team.
A Drive to Serve
Pagan joined the company after leaving a technical sales position at a large manufacturing company. "In my sales job, there was no goal except to make money," he says. "At MITRE, we're working in the public interest and using technology to help the warfighter. There's no better way to make a living."
Prior to joining our Ft. Meade site, Pagan worked for MITRE in San Antonio. He credits San Antonio managers Bobby Blount and Ron Rhoads with teaching him everything he knows about cryptology. "There's a lot of math, engineering, and computer science that's used in the art of communications security. I'm grateful for all they've taught me," he says.
Among his most interesting projects, Pagan cites his work supporting the Department of Homeland Security's Science & Technology Directorate, and its mission to defeat improvised explosive device (IED) threats in the United States. "This program was an exploration of different technologies that could be used to detect and stop IEDs as they entered or were created in the U.S.," he says. "It was very important work with many technical challenges. I learned a lot."
Deployed
In early October 2011, Pagan deployed to Iraq. He and his team are now in Kuwait. "We went overseas to support Operation New Dawn, an operation to transition Iraq to the Iraqi government," he explains. "Many people don't realize how important communications are, but there is a reason the infantry say 'shoot, move, communicate."
While he misses his life in the U.S. when he's deployed, Pagan doesn't complain. "Although I miss my wife and kids, I knew there were soldiers in Iraq who hadn't had the luxury of kissing their wives or hugging their kids for over a year. I considered it a duty and privilege to relieve them."
At the same time, he proudly credits his wife—who is also a MITRE employee—for making his active duty service possible. "She is the real soldier. She carries all the burdens of the house, family, and finances while working full time. I'm very proud of her."
MITRE Know-How
It pleases Pagan that many of his MITRE skills and experiences have translated well in the field. "Working for MITRE I have had the privilege to support multiple programs across the organization—all of these activities have helped me with my Army duties."
And not surprisingly, Pagan has turned to subject matter experts back at MITRE to assist with operational mission challenges. "I called on David Carroll, my group leader, to help with a cyber issue and a cross-domain policy I ran into during operations. I've also turned to some folks I worked with in San Antonio."
Carroll expresses satisfaction that MITRE can support Pagan and other deployed soldiers. "They've been working with technologies that can be difficult for the warfighter to deal with. Because of his work at MITRE, Gary is not only able to bring his own knowledge and experiences to the field, but he can reach back to others at MITRE.
"We're all very proud to support Gary. He's getting a chance to use the products he put out in the field. This makes him an incredibly valuable signal officer for the Army. When he returns to MITRE, he'll have great information to share."
Pagan's colleagues have helped with not only operational issues, but personal ones too. "My managers have been very supportive. They organized a group of MITRE folks to help my wife complete her 'honey do' list, since I was deployed on such short notice. That is a true MITRE family—and I value them all very much."
—by Nadine Monaco
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