Leadership
Our Team
Tim Green
Maj. Gen. (USAF, Ret) Timothy S. Green
Director
The George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
Major General (Ret.) Tim Green became Director of the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC) for the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) on March 21, 2022. He joined BCDC after serving the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) as Strategic Advisor for National Security Initiatives at the Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR) the previous three years. Prior to TEES, Tim spent over 30 years in the United States Air Force, where his final position was the Director of Civil Engineers at Headquarters Air Force in Washington, DC. In that capacity he supported 51,000 military and civilian engineers, enabling military operations at 183 bases around the world.
BCDC is an applied research, development, test and evaluation organization primarily focused on technology areas critical to national security and state economic development – hypersonics, directed energy, autonomy and networks. Under Tim’s leadership, BCDC has continued to expand research and test partnerships with federal, state, and industry national security stakeholders while increasing BCDC and TAMUS capabilities that support these efforts.
Tim is a member of the National Academy of Construction and holds the following academic credentials: B.S., Civil Engineering (Texas A&M University [TAMU]); M.S., Civil Engineering (TAMU); M.A., Military Operational Art (Air Command and Staff College/Air University); M.A., National Security Strategy (National War College/National Defense University).
The Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC) is located on the RELLIS Campus, its name reflecting the Texas A&M System’s core values of Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Selfless Service. These principles guide our mission and mirror the legacy of President George H.W. Bush, whose life exemplified dedication to country and global leadership. Our work honors that legacy by accelerating technologies that protect the nation and serve the greater good.
Leadership
Tim Green
Maj. Gen. (USAF, Ret) Timothy S. Green
Director
The George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
Major General (Ret.) Tim Green became Director of the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC) for the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) on March 21, 2022. He joined BCDC after serving the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) as Strategic Advisor for National Security Initiatives at the Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR) the previous three years. Prior to TEES, Tim spent over 30 years in the United States Air Force, where his final position was the Director of Civil Engineers at Headquarters Air Force in Washington, DC. In that capacity he supported 51,000 military and civilian engineers, enabling military operations at 183 bases around the world.
BCDC is an applied research, development, test and evaluation organization primarily focused on technology areas critical to national security and state economic development – hypersonics, directed energy, autonomy and networks. Under Tim’s leadership, BCDC has continued to expand research and test partnerships with federal, state, and industry national security stakeholders while increasing BCDC and TAMUS capabilities that support these efforts.
Tim is a member of the National Academy of Construction and holds the following academic credentials: B.S., Civil Engineering (Texas A&M University [TAMU]); M.S., Civil Engineering (TAMU); M.A., Military Operational Art (Air Command and Staff College/Air University); M.A., National Security Strategy (National War College/National Defense University).
Ross Guieb
Ross T. Guieb
Director, Strategic Partnerships
George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
Ross Guieb serves as the Strategic Partnerships Director of the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC) at the Texas A&M University System’s RELLIS Campus in Bryan, Texas. He is a husband, proud Aggie Dad, and lifelong “Soldier for Life.”
In his role, Ross leads the business development and strategic partnership portfolios for a dynamic ecosystem of cutting-edge facilities, researchers, faculty, and staff—all aligned to accelerate critical Department of Defense technologies from concept to deployment. He is responsible for building and nurturing strategic partnerships across the DoD, academia, and the defense industry. The BCDC represents a collaborative investment of over $300 million from the Texas A&M University System, the State of Texas, and Army Futures Command.
A decorated combat veteran, Ross retired from the U.S. Army in 2020 as a Colonel after 29 years of distinguished service. As a senior staff leader, he was instrumental in the creation of Army Futures Command and in shaping the Army’s modernization efforts. His experience brings valuable national security insight to the research priorities of the Texas A&M University System.
Ross earned a B.A. in International Relations from the University of California, an M.A. in Business and Organizational Security Management from Webster University, an M.S. in Adult Education from Kansas State University, and an M.S. in National Security Policy and Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School at the National War College. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and holds a professional certification from the Centre for the Study of Terrorism at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
His military honors include the Distinguished Service Medal, three Legions of Merit, and three Bronze Stars. He has also been awarded the Key to the City of London.
Ross is married to Kathleen, a lifelong public educator. They have three sons—two Army First Lieutenants and graduates of Texas A&M University, and their eldest, a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.
Nathan Tichenor
Nathan Tichenor
Chief Research Officer | Director, Hypersonic Facilities |
Research Associate Professor, AERO
George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
Dr. Nathan Tichenor has over 15 years of experience leading multi-disciplinary teams conducting innovative research and developing critical technologies – in close partnership with government, national labs, and industry – for myriads of applications.
He serves as the Chief Research Officer and Director of Hypersonic Facilities for the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC) and maintains a faculty appointment in the Aerospace Engineering Department at Texas A&M University (TAMU).
Dr. Tichenor leads the BCDC Research Enterprise, leads the development and operation of the national-asset class Ballistic, Aero-Optics, and Materials (BAM) Range, and advises/mentors multiple graduate and undergraduate students.
Prior to joining the TAMU faculty, Dr. Tichenor served over six years as the Director of Aerospace Sciences for a small R&D company, focusing on innovative solutions for the defense industry and the U.S. Government. He is an AIAA Associate Fellow and chair of the AIAA Fluid Dynamics Technical Committee where he leads one of the most active communities in the aerospace field and helps to shape opportunities for future technologies and the development of the next generation of engineers.
Dr. Tichenor is a two-term elected member of the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) Council of Principal Investigators where he represents the interests of researchers across the TAMU System. His research focuses are experimental aerothermodynamics, hypersonics, computational fluid dynamics, ground testing, and diagnostics. Dr. Tichenor is passionate about developing engineers to become leaders who make a decisive impact for the world, our nation, and families.
Dr. Tichenor earned his BS, MS, and Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M University.
John W. Diem
John W. Diem
Chief Capabilities Integration Officer | Director, Innovation Proving Ground
George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
SES (Retired) John Diem is the Director of Texas A&M’s Bush Combat Development Complex’s Innovation Proving Ground (IPG).
The IPG – located on A&M’s RELLIS research campus in Bryan, TX – is a world-class facility capable of rigorously assessing innovative technologies from prototypes in early development through full-scale deployment. The IPG ecosystem is tailored to support test-fix-test / model-test-model, with a focus on support to integrated autonomous systems and resilient networks, and provides live and simulated environments fully integrated with real-time test control, streaming data analytics, and advanced network and cybersecurity test systems.
Mr. Diem’s technical expertise is in test and evaluation, modeling and simulation, and systems engineering. His final test and evaluation assignment, as a member of the Army’s Senior Executive Service (SES), was as the Executive Director of the Army’s Operational Test Command from 2017 – 2022, where he guided the command’s transformation to agile test methodologies and championed the acquisition of operationally realistic capabilities in support of Army modernization.
He is a widely recognized expert in simulations for test and training, test methodology, and mission command and intelligence system test and training. Prior to serving as the IPG Director, Mr. Diem had a varied career – US Army Military Intelligence Officer, active and reserves; simulation operations and test support contractor; Army civilian developmental & operational tester; and training systems and test technology developer and leader.
Military assignments included intelligence systems test officer, Electronic Warfare Company Commander, and Military Intelligence Battalion Operations Officer (S-3). Civilian leadership positions included Director, Plans Training & Security for Fort Hood; G3-Rear for III US Corps during the Corps’ deployment to Iraq; Deputy for Defense Modeling and Simulation; Test Technology Director; and Executive Director (SES). Mr. Diem holds a Bachelor of Arts (Cum Laude) in History and Master of Science in Geography from Texas A&M (1978, 1981).
He was trained as an Army Operations Research Analyst and certified as a senior Test & Evaluation acquisition workforce member. Current activities include the NDIA Industrial Committee on Test & Evaluation (ICOTE), I/ITSEC Conference Committee, and Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) Executive Committee.
Harry Cohen
Harry Cohen
Director, Operations
George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
Harry Cohen retired from the United States Army in 2009 as a Colonel. A 1985 graduate of the United States Military Academy, he served in a variety of operational assignments during his twenty-four years of service, including Command of an Air Defense Artillery Battalion during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Following his retirement from the Army, Harry became the Chief Operating Officer and a Managing Partner of a very successful consulting firm that supports the Department of Defense and defense industry partners in strategic planning, concept development, and leader development. He served in that capacity for 11 years, firmly establishing himself as the strategic thought leader for the Army’s Air Defense Artillery branch. Looking to return to a role that allowed him to coach, teach, and mentor young professionals, Harry accepted a position as Associate Director of the Career Management Center at Texas A&M’s Mays School of Business in 2020.
In 2022, he joined the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) as the Director of Operations at the Bush Combat Development Complex. The organization now falls under the Vice Chancellor for Research in the Texas A&M System. Harry has also taught courses on leadership at the Hollingsworth Center for Ethical Leadership at Texas A&M.
In addition to his B.S. degree from West Point, Harry earned a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard’s Kennedy School. He has been published in The Brown Journal of World Affairs, and, while serving as an Assistant Professor and Course Director for International Relations in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point, he co-edited a widely used textbook on international affairs entitled, Understanding International Relations (3rd Edition).
Harry and his wife, Dana (TAMU ‘90), reside in College Station, Texas. They enjoy traveling, cooking, antiquing, spending time with family, and an occasional round of golf.
Pat Seiber
Pat Seiber
Director, Public Relations
George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
Patrick R. “Pat” Seiber is the Public Relations Director for the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC) at the Texas A&M–RELLIS Campus in Bryan, Texas.
Pat retired from active-duty military service on November 1, 2019, as a U.S. Army Colonel, and had the opportunity to serve as a public communications leader at the most senior levels of our nation’s military during his career. His roles and responsibilities at the BCDC include media posts and the coordination of events. These events include VIP guest visits, conferences, open houses, and facility tours. Should someone want to see all BCDC has to offer, there is a good chance Pat would serve as your tour guide. He also serves in this same role with the Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute and the Texas A&M University System Nuclear Security Office.
Pat holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication from Texas A&M University, a Master of Strategy degree from the U.S. Army War College, and a Master of Military Art and Strategy degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Pat lives in College Station, Texas, and is a husband, father, Texas A&M Aggie (and Aggie Dad!), and “Soldier for Life.”
Researcher Contacts
Research
Officer
Michael Gaither
Michael S. Gaither, Ph.D.
Deputy Chief Research Officer | Principal Research Engineer
George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
Dr. Michael Gaither serves as Deputy Chief Research Officer at the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC), where he leads strategic research initiatives, business development efforts, and engineering management activities. In this role, he supports the growth and integration of BCDC’s research portfolio, aligning emerging technologies with national defense priorities through proposal development, stakeholder engagement, and cross-functional coordination.
Dr. Gaither plays a key role in shaping BCDC’s research strategy, serving as a point of contact for external partnerships and proposal efforts, including those involving nontraditional funding mechanisms such as OTAs and STTR/SBIR programs. He has led initiatives to streamline proposal tracking, improve research infrastructure planning, and foster collaboration across academic, industry, and government stakeholders. His leadership in developing technical roadmaps, hiring and onboarding research staff, and coordinating multidisciplinary teams has contributed to BCDC’s expanding visibility and impact.
Previously, Dr. Gaither led the Systems Engineering and Research Integration team at BCDC, focusing on systems engineering, integration, and risk management. Prior to joining BCDC in 2020, he was a Research Scientist at Baker Hughes, where he worked on materials characterization and software development for hydraulic fracture simulation. He also conducted research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), focusing on semiconductor processing and micromechanical testing.
Dr. Gaither holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a B.S. in Physics from Austin Peay State University.
Todd Williams
Todd Williams
Technical Lab Manager
Research Integration Center
Todd Williams serves as the Lab Manager at the Research Integration Center, where he oversees machining operations, technical training, and research support. With over 30 years of experience in precision machining and lab coordination, Todd brings deep expertise in CNC programming, safety protocols, and collaborative engineering design. His background includes leadership roles across multiple Texas A&M engineering facilities and a distinguished 25-year military career, underscoring his commitment to operational excellence and mentorship.
Innovation Proving Grounds (IPG)
Brian McHugh
Brian J. McHugh
Director of Testing, Innovation Proving Grounds (IPG)
George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
COL (Ret) Brian McHugh is the Director of Testing for the Innovation proving Ground (IPG) at the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC). Having served four years as a Director in the United States Army’s Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC), Brian has extensive experience in test and evaluation. He is a widely recognized expert in Operational Test and Evaluation and is a recipient of the National Defense Industrial Association’s 2018 Tester of the Year Award for work on the Stryker 30mm DRAGOON and Common Remotely Operated Weapon Systems Test, the Stryker Double V-Hull Test, and the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle Test all in that year.
Prior to serving as the Director of Testing at the IPG, COL (Ret) McHugh served as an Infantry Officer in the United States Army. During a career that spanned 30 years and included four combat deployments, COL (Ret) McHugh served in numerous Command and Key and Essential positions including: Rifle Platoon Leader, Rifle Company Commander, Infantry Battalion Headquarters Company Commander, Infantry Battalion Operations and Executive Officer, Brigade Combat Team Executive Officer, Observer Controller, Armored Cavalry Squadron Commander, Division operations Officer, and the Director of the Maneuver Test Directorate.
COL (Ret) McHugh holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Virginia Tech (1989), a Masters Degree in Adult Education from Kansas State University (2002), and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College (2013).
Networks, Analytics, and Data Operations (NADO)
James Legg
James D. Legg, Ph.D.
Unit Leader, Networks, Analytics & Data Operations (NADO)
Research Data Scientist
George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
James serves as the Networks, Analytics and Data Operations (NADO) Unit leader with BCDC. He joined the BCDC team in August 2020 and supports IPG & BCDC technical teams with instrumentation, data acquisition, data analytics, and design of experiments. His primary interests are in data analytics and instrumentation enabling researchers to quickly and efficiently evaluate new technologies and prototypes by turning raw data into valuable insights.
Prior to joining the BCDC team, James worked for 25+ years in industry for Motorola, Freescale and NXP Semiconductors, Inc., in various engineering and managerial roles. Most recently, he served as the Engineering Analytics Manager within the IT Business Intelligence organization providing commercial and custom engineering analysis software solutions to internal engineering and manufacturing teams. Previous roles included process, device, process integration, product and test, new technology & new product introduction, and software engineering. James earned his B.S., M.S. and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
Ballistic, Aero-optics, and Materials (BAM) Range
David Taylor
David Taylor
Director of Test, Ballistic, Aero-optics, and Materials (BAM) Range |
Senior Research Engineer
George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
David Taylor is the Director of Test for the Ballistic, Aero-Optics, and Materials (BAM) Range at the Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC). In this role, he leads planning, execution, and technical oversight for advanced test programs supporting government, industry, and academic partners. David has been instrumental in expanding the BAM Range’s capabilities, integrating test infrastructure, instrumentation, control systems, and data acquisition solutions to enable complex research in hypersonics, advanced materials, and defense applications.
With more than a decade of experience in rocket development, propulsion testing, and test operations, David joined BCDC in 2023 after serving at SpaceX’s rocket development and test facility in McGregor, Texas. At SpaceX, he contributed across test operations, test development, and propulsion manufacturing, supporting the full lifecycle of Falcon and Raptor propulsion systems from early development and qualification through production. His work spanned large-scale test execution, automation and data systems, instrumentation, manufacturing tooling, facility development, and process optimization, enabling safe, efficient, and scalable operations on leading commercial spaceflight programs.
David earned both his B.S. (2009) and M.S. (2012) degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University.
SAFER Texas Project
Patrick DuBe
Col. (USAF, Ret.) Patrick J. DuBe
Director, System Autonomy for Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Texas Project
George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
Pat DuBe, Col, USAF (Ret) is the Director of SAFER Texas at Texas A&M’s Bush Combat Development Complex where he and the team are developing autonomous aviation solutions for wildland firefighting in Texas. He is a senior leader with 25+ years of experience in aviation operations, combat command, technology integration, and interagency collaboration. He has a proven record managing large-scale programs, leading joint/multinational teams, and directing multimillion-dollar resources in alignment with strategic goals.
Pat retired as the Deputy Wing Commander of the 492nd Special Operations Wing, where he oversaw a $169 million program, 33,500 flight hours, and drove organizational transformation to prepare for future aviation challenges. Prior to that he served as Commander of Joint Task Force Indo-Pacific, where he directed over 1,000 joint and multinational personnel across 34 nations, advancing U.S. partnerships and managing crisis evacuations and humanitarian operations. Pat was also an Assistant Professor at the National War College, where he taught rising senior leaders and managed international partnerships within the university’s diverse international student population. While stationed at the Pentagon, he coordinated senior leader forums and executed Air Force priorities as Deputy Director for the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff Strategic Execution Group.
Pat holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from the United States Air Force Academy (2000), a Master’s with Honors in Military Studies from American Military University (2011), a Master’s in Strategic Security Studies from the College of International Security Affairs (2021), and holds an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) license with over 3,400 hours of military and corporate flight time. Pat and his wife, Elizabeth reside in College Station, TX and are proud Aggie parents of Matthew class of ‘26 and Madison class of ‘29.
Advanced Photonics & Electromagnetic Effects (APEX)
James Creel
James R. Creel, Ph.D.
Team Lead, Advanced Photonics & Electromagnetic Effects (APEX) |
Principal Research Engineer | Research Associate Professor, AERO
George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
Dr. James R. Creel is a Principal Research Engineer and Directed Energy Lead at the Bush Combat Development Complex, and a Research Associate Professor in Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University. His work focuses on high-energy laser propagation, laser–material interactions, plasma physics, aero-optics, hypersonic diagnostics, atmospheric effects, and advanced optical sensing. He leads and supports experimental programs spanning laboratory, long-range, and relevant-environment testing, including high-power laser propagation through turbulence, rain, fog, and other complex media. Dr. Creel has more than 20 years of experience in applied plasma and laser physics and is active in the directed energy community through AIAA, DEPS, collaborative research programs, and workforce development efforts across government, industry, and academia, supporting national defense technology development.
Hypersonics Advanced Technologies (HAT)
Jack Shine
Jack Shine, Ph.D.
Team Lead, Hypersonics Advanced Technologies (HAT) |
Research Engineer
George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
Dr. Jack Shine is the group lead for Hypersonics Advanced Technologies (HAT) at the Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC). As a research engineer, he specializes in applying advanced diagnostic systems to analyze high-speed flight environments and in generating weather encounters to augment those environments—work that provides critical data to inform the safety and survivability of next-generation vehicles. With seven years of experience in experimental hypersonics, Jack deploys innovative sensor systems at the Ballistic, Aero-Optics, and Materials (BAM) Range, a large-scale facility dedicated to cutting-edge hypersonics and advanced materials testing.
A proud Aggie, Dr. Shine earned both his B.S. (2019) and Ph.D. (2023) degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Multi-Agent Autonomous Systems (MAAS)
Lucas Krakow
Lucas W. Krakow, Ph.D.
Team Lead, Multi-Agent Autonomous Systems (MAAS) |
Senior Research Engineer
George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
Dr. Lucas W. Krakow serves as a Principal Research Engineer at the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC), where he leads the Multi-Agent Autonomous Systems (MAAS) group. As one of BCDC’s founding research engineers, he established and scaled the group into a multidisciplinary team of more than 15 engineers, technologists, and students dedicated to advancing autonomy through system experimentation and field testing on military-relevant vehicles in representative operational environments.
At BCDC, Dr. Krakow has built a research portfolio connecting Army and industry modernization priorities with applied autonomy and field evaluation. He has served as Principal Investigator on industry-sponsored contracts and Army C5ISR efforts, and as Co-Principal Investigator or technical lead on programs originating under Army Futures Command (AFC) and transitioned to T2COM, as well as initiatives with the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Army Research Office (ARO). His collaborative work with DEVCOM’s Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) and C5ISR Center spans human-machine teaming, collaborative target recognition, extreme-terrain operations, and heterogeneous air-ground coordination. More broadly, his research focuses on multi-agent coordination, sensor resource management, target tracking, collaborative perception, semantic world modeling, and resilient autonomy in contested environments.
Prior to joining BCDC, Dr. Krakow conducted research at the U.S. Air Force Academy on cooperative unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems for search, detection, and target localization. His defense research portfolio also includes distributed acoustic sensor systems for sniper localization supported by the Office of Naval Research, as well as sensor activation and power-management strategies for perimeter security in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories. Across his career, his work has received support from DARPA and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). He has published in venues including ACC, ICASSP, GlobalSIP, IEEE Access, and Digital Signal Processing, and has organized and co-chaired special sessions at IROS and CCTA.
Dr. Krakow earned a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and an M.S. in Computational Mathematics from Colorado State University, and a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from Chadron State College.
Resilient NextG Intelligent Networks (RGIN)
Woo-Hyun Ko
Woo-Hyun Ko, Ph.D.
Team Lead, Resilient NextG Intelligent Networks (RGIN) |
Senior Research Engineer
George. H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex
Dr. Woo-Hyun Ko is a Lead Research Engineer on the Networks Team at the Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC). Since joining BCDC in 2020, he has worked on resilient and intelligent networking, autonomous systems, and 5G/NextG communications. His research focuses on AI-enabled predictive networking, multimodal communications, 5G/O-RAN control, and resilient networking for autonomous ground and aerial vehicles.
Dr. Ko received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University, his M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Seoul National University, South Korea, and his B.S. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Yonsei University, South Korea.
