New Challenges Keep Engineer on the Move
Kris Woolley
November 2011
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Working from MITRE's site in Albuquerque, N.M., Kris Woolley supports the DoD's Operationally Responsive Space Office in developing advanced satellite communication capabilities. |
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A veteran of three MITRE sites—Honolulu, Colorado Springs, and now Albuquerque—Kris Woolley appreciates the opportunities he's had to live in different places, broaden his expertise in communications and systems engineering, and support high-impact programs of national importance.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a Navy veteran, Woolley was already a resident of Hawaii when he started his MITRE career at the corporation's Honolulu site in 1990. He provided technical expertise to a variety of mobile command, control, and communications systems projects for the site's sponsor, the U.S. Pacific Command. During his tenure there, he amassed significant engineering expertise in strategic and tactical satellite communications; high-frequency communications; and associated cryptographic, switching, and modem technologies.
By 1999, Woolley, who had been in living in Hawaii since 1982, decided he was ready for a change and transferred to MITRE's Colorado Springs site. "As much as I enjoyed my time in Hawaii, the 'price of paradise' made it difficult to plan for the long term," he says. "I was also eager to become more involved with the space programs at the Colorado Springs site."
He stayed for seven years. "My efforts in Colorado Springs focused primarily on directly supporting the Space Warfare Center [now the Space Innovation and Development Center]. I also provided communications support to the Air Force Space Command and the Space and Missile Center on various classified satellite programs."
Next Stop: Albuquerque
Woolley's transition from Colorado to New Mexico began in 2006. "While in Colorado Springs, I did some work for MITRE's Space Development and Test Directorate customer at Kirtland Air Force Base," he says. "I provided information assurance and security engineering support for the development of the multi-mission satellite operations center program there."
MITRE's Albuquerque,
New Mexico, site
MITRE established a site at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M., in 2007. Three MITRE staff resides there and support the site's sponsor, the Department of Defense's Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office. |
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As the site leader in Albuquerque, he opened the official MITRE location in October 2007. "At that point, we were supporting a new customer, the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office, full-time." The Department of Defense created the ORS Office in 2007 to enhance space operations that would help the military. The ORS Office promotes the use of smaller satellites and smaller launch vehicles, which provide a quicker turnaround in getting satellite information to users.
For Woolley, supporting the ORS Office gave him the opportunity to expand his work in agile acquisition and to provide operational support to military personnel. "One of my recent projects has been designing the ground command and control tasking, processing, exploitation, and dissemination architecture for the ORS office's first satellite, the ORS-1. I also lead the development of a space-qualified common data link capability for ORS programs."
His time at Kirtland AFB has been very satisfying. "Supporting the ORS has been one of my all-time favorite projects because it combines so many new and exciting disciplines: agile acquisition, space environment effects, high-bandwidth communications, space vehicle design, intelligence collection, and systems engineering."
Always on the Move
While Woolley's location has changed over the years, one thing that's remained constant is his respect for the experience and capabilities of his coworkers. "I have always appreciated the tremendous technical capabilities of my MITRE colleagues and their cooperative and collaborative spirit. Combine that with the ability to work on important sponsor programs, and MITRE is just a great place to work."
He adds, "My wife and I have really enjoyed the last few years here in Albuquerque. It's a wonderful place to live. It's warmer and has less snow than Colorado Springs, yet you have a unique high desert, mountain-living environment. Plus, since it's the largest city in the state, there are many amenities and cultural opportunities."
The three different MITRE sites have also been a good launching pad for pursuing one of his favorite leisure activities—traveling. "My wife and I are empty nesters, and we like driving in our RV across the country, as well as traveling abroad. We have also enjoyed numerous trips back to Hawaii. Some of our favorite international destinations are Epernay in Champagne and Cannes on the French Riviera. And in Australia, we love the wine country of the Hunter Valley and the beaches of Coogee in New South Wales, and the wine country of the Barossa Valley in South Australia."
—by Kay M. Upham
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