Our Leaders
Our leaders have advanced degrees and extensive experience in RDT&E for HEL and EO systems:
- PhD Physics
- PhD Optics
- MS Mechanical Engineering
- MS Aeronautical Engineering
- MS Astronautical Engineering
- MS Solid State Physics
- MS Management
Chuck O’Donnell
President & CEO
Chuck has transformed Teknicare from a small start-up information technology company into a diverse engineering, and advisory and assistance services firm. His robust background in IT and information security, having served as the Information Systems Security Manager at Boeing-SVS, benefits all of our programs. Information security is foundational to everything we do and Chuck’s attention to details regarding how we manage our internal processes and information, as well as exchanges with partners and customers, contributes substantially to Teknicare’s success. He maintains currency in IT systems trends and capabilities that can be supplied to our customers, both now and in the future. His considerable expertise in mobile computing, cyber solutions and multi-platform integration ensures that our technical recommedations will work and be the best value to meet the our customer’s needs.
In the Spring of 2015, Chuck expanded Teknicare’s business beyond IT services to include engineering subject matter experts (SMEs) to support government and industry groups involved in the development, experimentation and testing of directed energy weapon systems. Leveraging his first-hand experience with the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) airborne high energy laser (HEL) program and his extensive network of friends and colleagues in the DE community, he has assembled a world-class engineering team with many decades of HEL experience. Teknicare is now involved in HEL programs for each of the Armed Services, providing value throughout the weapon system life cycle.
In the Spring of 2015, Chuck expanded Teknicare’s business beyond IT services to include engineering subject matter experts (SMEs) to support government and industry groups involved in the development, experimentation and testing of directed energy weapon systems. Leveraging his first-hand experience with the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) airborne high energy laser (HEL) program and his extensive network of friends and colleagues in the DE community, he has assembled a world-class engineering team with many decades of HEL experience. Teknicare is now involved in HEL programs for each of the Armed Services, providing value throughout the weapon system life cycle.
Bryan Kelchner
VP of Engineering and Chief Technical Officer
Bryan Kelchner leads the Teknicare Engineering Team and leverages his years of experience in guiding electro-optical and laser design initiatives for multiple projects across the country. Bryan is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy and the Air Force Institute of Technology, with BS degrees in Physics and Astronautical Engineering and a MS degree in Solid State Physics. Bryan was instrumental in the early phases of the Airborne Laser Program (ABL), as the government lead for the Beam Control and Fire Control IPT and then as the deputy director for air vehicle integration. He also worked on the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) as the Lead Engineer for the beam control development, as the Flight Test Director during low-power flight tests, and as the Chief Engineer during high-power integration and testing. Bryan has also worked as the Lead Systems Engineer and Chief Engineer on electro-optics and laser programs including CCS-Bright for USSOCOM and Innovative Research for Optical Support Services (IROSS) for AFRL.
With 35+ years in the field, Bryan is able to anticipate a problem long before it happens and envision the path to success, as he demonstrated during the ATL program. Bryan is not only a highly-sought-after SME, he also represents Teknicare at multiple conferences throughout the year, attending and providing technical presentations on critical topics such as HEL System Engineering for the Directed Energy Professional Society (DEPS), the International Test and Evaluation Association (ITEA) and more.
With 35+ years in the field, Bryan is able to anticipate a problem long before it happens and envision the path to success, as he demonstrated during the ATL program. Bryan is not only a highly-sought-after SME, he also represents Teknicare at multiple conferences throughout the year, attending and providing technical presentations on critical topics such as HEL System Engineering for the Directed Energy Professional Society (DEPS), the International Test and Evaluation Association (ITEA) and more.
Dr. Douglas Nelson
Senior Combat Systems Engineer
Dr. Doug Nelson is an invaluable member of the Teknicare SMEs, with an impressive blend of academic, engineering and operational experience. He holds a PhD degree in Optical Science from the University of New Mexico, a MS degree in Physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a BS degree in Physics — with a specialty in weapons systems engineering — from the United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, NY. While on active duty stationed in Korea, Doug coordinated operations for a battalion consisting of 58 tanks and over 500 personnel. Additionally, Doug conducted research at Los Alamos National Laboratories for 10 years, looking into subjects such as chemical and laser sciences, the potential impact of battlefield lasers, and the effects of atmospheric turbulence on light detection and ranging. Doug worked as a Senior Systems Engineer for Raytheon Missile Systems for one year and in various engineering leadership positions during his 10 years at Boeing. From there, Doug taught Combat Systems Engineering for 5 years at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
After two years of work with the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command in Alabama, Doug joined the Teknicare team and serves as our Senior Combat Systems Engineer. His diverse experience and expertise is in high demand as multiple DE weapon systems are now moving from the laboratory to field testing and to real world deployments.
After two years of work with the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command in Alabama, Doug joined the Teknicare team and serves as our Senior Combat Systems Engineer. His diverse experience and expertise is in high demand as multiple DE weapon systems are now moving from the laboratory to field testing and to real world deployments.
Dr. Steve Watson
Senior Test and Evaluation Engineer
Dr. Steve Watson fills a critical position on the Teknicare team as our Senior Test and Evaluation Engineer. With a BS degree from the Air Force Academy, over 5,000 flight hours, a MS in Theoretical Physics and a PhD also in Physics, Steve is both a physics expert and an experienced test engineer/navigator. Since many of Teknicare’s projects directly involve aircraft and T&E, Steve’s in-depth understanding is truly an invaluable asset to our company. Prior to joining Teknicare, Steve was the President of Flight Test Research Inc. in Bountiful, UT for 17 years. He gained hands-on experience with HEL programs, spending 12 years as a test director and targets lead for the Airborne Laser Program (ABL). Before that, Steve was an engineer for the United Space Alliance, a Research Manager for the USAF Flight Test Center, and a Special Projects Director at 412th Test Group. During his time in the Air Force, Steve worked as a navigator on global reconnaissance missions flown around sensitive geopolitical areas of the world. He was also the test director on multiple flight test programs. Steve’s practical experience with aircraft, and flight test and evaluation combined with his formal physics education put him in high demand as multiple DE programs enter the T&E phases.
Mike Hollis
Director and Senior Program Manager
Mike is the co-founder of Teknicare and currently serves on Teknicare’s Board of Directors in support of Chuck O’Donnell and the employees. He has a solid academic background as a distinguished graduate of the US Naval Academy, holds a MS degrees in Aeronautical Engineering and Management and is a graduate of the US Naval Test Pilot School and the PM course at Defense Systems Management College.
Mike has extensive and varied experience as a career Naval Aviator, including combat experience in Viet Nam and leading the operational logistics for the Arabian Gulf battle force during Operation Desert Storm. He gained government program acquisition experience during eight years at the Naval Air Systems Command on the F/A-18 program and as Manager of the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program valued at over $25B. His business experience includes management positions at Boeing-SVS, Business Development Manager with Boeing Directed Energy Systems and CEO of Ultraspectral Inc., Geospace Inc. and Infowhere Inc. small businesses.
Mike has extensive and varied experience as a career Naval Aviator, including combat experience in Viet Nam and leading the operational logistics for the Arabian Gulf battle force during Operation Desert Storm. He gained government program acquisition experience during eight years at the Naval Air Systems Command on the F/A-18 program and as Manager of the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program valued at over $25B. His business experience includes management positions at Boeing-SVS, Business Development Manager with Boeing Directed Energy Systems and CEO of Ultraspectral Inc., Geospace Inc. and Infowhere Inc. small businesses.
Ryan Herrington
VP of Information Technology and Data Management
Ryan Herrington is the head of our Information Technology and Data Management team. Ryan holds a BS degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management of Information Systems from the University of New Mexico. He currently holds multiple system administration and cybersecurity certifications. Ryan is the principal architect of AFRL’s Laser Division’s RDT&E lab enclave. He and his team currently manage more than a petabyte worth of data. Ryan has supported programs for the Air Force, Army and Navy. Previous to joinging Teknicare, Ryan’s previous employments exposed him to large, multi-state enterprise systems in both the financial and healthcare areas, as well as small networks working as a small business Managed Solution Provider. With his 20+ years of dynamic experience in the industry and attention to detail, we can count on him and his team to create and manage secure and functional data systems.