Mr. Chris ManningThe C5ISR Center is structured into two directorates and six portfolios that are located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; and Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
The C5ISR Center is part of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), which develops technology and engineering solutions for America's Soldiers.
DEVCOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC). AFC describes itself as being "on a quest to modernize the way the Army does business by creating a space of endless possibilities to explore, develop, and test new methods, organizations, and technologies. Above all else, the command wants to ensure Soldiers have what they need, before they need it, to protect tomorrow… today.
Mr. Joseph Welch is the Director of the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center. As Director, he is responsible for establishing the C5ISR Center’s comprehensive Science and Technology (S&T) Portfolio providing strategic program formulation guidance involving short-and long-range goals utilizing existing and anticipated state-of-the art advances in communications, mission command, sensors, electronic warfare, intelligence and countermeasure equipment and services. Programs encompass technology thrusts in Mission Command, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance technologies and systems in various stages of the life cycle model. In addition to the center's Science and Technology mission, he oversees its engineering support and services provided to the acquisition Program Executive Offices, Life Cycle Management Commands, and other DOD and Federal customers.
Mr. Welch, who was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in January 2019, previously served as the Deputy Program Executive Officer, Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T), where he guided a workforce of more than 1,600 personnel supporting over 50 Army acquisition programs and efforts. His responsibilities include the development, acquisition, fielding and support of the Army’s tactical network, a critical Army priority that provides information dominance to current and future Soldiers in challenging environments worldwide.
Mr. Welch holds a master of engineering in systems engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and a bachelor of science in electrical engineering and economics from Tufts University. He is also a graduate of the Aberdeen Proving Ground Senior Leadership Cohort program. Mr. Welch is a two-time recipient of the Department of the Army Superior Civilian Service Award and has been awarded the Army Signal Corps Association Bronze Order of Mercury. He holds Level III acquisition certification in both program management and engineering.
Mr. Michael C. Monteleone III serves as the Director of the C5ISR Center’s Engineering Systems Integration Directorate. In this role, he is responsible for portfolios in systems integration, C5I engineering and readiness engineering, which streamline and synchronize the Center’s lab and field-based experimentation and lifecycle engineering efforts.
Mr. Monteleone, who was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in August 2018, is a graduate of New Jersey Institute of Technology and the Naval Post Graduate School. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, a Master of Science in Management and a graduate certificate in Advanced Acquisition. A member of the U.S. Army Acquisition Corp and a graduate of the Army Management and Staff College, Civilian Education System Advanced and Senior Leader Executive Courses, Mr. Monteleone also holds a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.
Mr. Jonathan Keller serves as the Deputy Director of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s C5ISR Center. As Deputy, Mr. Keller supports the Director in leading the Center’s 2000+ civilian workforceand $300M+ annual Science and Technology (S&T) Research and Development Portfolio across the Center’s core technology areas that include communications, cyber, mission command, sensors, electronic warfare, intelligence,and countermeasure equipment and services. In addition to supporting the Center's S&T mission, Mr. Keller supports the Director in prioritizing and overseeing the Center’s engineering and technical support provided toAcquisition Program Executive Offices; Life Cycle Management Commands; and other Army, DoD, and Federal agencies.
From 2008 to 2016, Mr. Keller served as Deputy Director of the C5ISR Center’s Space and Terrestrial Communications Directorate (S&TCD) at Fort Monmouth, NJ, before its relocation to Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD.Mr. Keller spearheaded S&TCD’s transition from Fort Monmouth to Aberdeen Proving Ground as part of the Department’s 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) mandate.
Prior to joining the Department of Defense, Mr. Keller served in engineering, management, and project management capacities, spanning large enterprises to small startup corporate environments.In 2001, while working in New York City, he led the rapid deployment of critical networking and telecommunications solutions in Manhattan, NY to restore services and ensure post-9/11 continuity ofoperations for various Wall Street financial institutions.
Mr. Keller is a 2008 graduate of the U.S. Army War College resident program and is a Harvard JFK School of Government Senior Executive Fellow. He holds a B.S. in Engineering (Electrical) from the Colorado Schoolof Mines, and a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the Army War College.
Dr. Donald Reago, Jr. is the Director of the C5ISR Center’s Research and Technology Integration Directorate. In this capacity, he is responsible for planning and executing the Army’s science and technology investments in the following areas: sensors; position, navigation and timing; electronic warfare; offensive and defensive cyber; radio frequency spectrum and sensing; countermine technologies; radar systems; identification capabilities; tactical communications; computing platforms; electro-optic components; image processing technologies; artificial intelligence and machine learning; signal processing; sensing capabilities; and power and energy.
Dr. Reago, who was selected for the Senior Executive Service in May 2014, is an internationally recognized authority in Night Vision, Countermine and Sensor technologies, and has served on numerous Joint, National, and International coordinating activities. He is the Chairman of the Office of Secretary of Defense Sensors Community of Interest and the Army representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Sensors and Electronics Technology panel. He holds a BS and PhD in Physics from the University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla MO.
Mr. Christopher P. Manning is the Director of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) Command, Power and Integration Directorate (CP&ID). As Director, he is responsible for planning and executing the Army’s science and technology investments in mission command, positioning, navigation and timing, power and energy, and quick reaction and prototyping technology.
Mr. Manning, who entered the Senior Executive Service in 2018, previously served as the Acting Director for CP&ID. Prior to that, he was the Division Chief of CP&ID’S Prototyping, Integration and Testing Division. Prior to that he was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T). In 2013, he deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as the Deputy Director Forward Operations for the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology). From 2010 to 2013, Mr. Manning was chartered as the first Project Director for Communications Security under PEO C3T and charged with staffing, building, and establishing the program office.
Mr. Manning served as the Deputy Product Manager for Global Positioning Systems (GPS) from October 2006 through May 2010. Before this he was Chief of Control Management Systems, in CERDEC’s Software Engineering Directorate. He started his Department of the Army Civilian career as a Chief Engineer for Product Manager GPS.
Mr. Manning was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, Signal Corps, through the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at Michigan State University where he graduated from the Honors College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering. He later completed his graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania with a Master’s of Science degree in Engineering (Management of Technology).
Mr. Manning’s first military assignment was Communications Platoon Leader for 4th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery (PATRIOT) at Fort Lewis, Washington. He later served as Executive Officer for D Company, 29th Signal Battalion at Fort Lewis, Washington. His other assignments included Assistant S-3 (Systems Integration Branch) and Assistant S-3 (Operations) for 22nd Signal Brigade in Darmstadt, Germany. He commanded the 578th Signal Company for 24 months including a deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Upon completion of company command, he was assigned to the Army Acquisition Corps. His last military assignment was Assistant Product Manager, Firefinder Radars, at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.
Al Visconti serves as the Director of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center’s (C5ISR Center) Product Realization Systems Engineering and Quality Directorate (PRD).
Mr. Visconti leads an organization that applies engineering and technical skills across the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) product lifecycle to reduce risk and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of products, systems and operations for the Army.
Prior to being named PRD’s director, Mr. Visconti served from 2014 as PRD’s Engineering Operations Division Chief, a position in which he recruited and developed the high quality workforce to ensure subordinate capabilities and core competencies were appropriately aligned to support evolving mission requirements.
From 2012-2014, Mr. Visconti was the Chief of Program Execution at the C5ISR Center Space & Terrestrial Communications Directorate (S&TCD), formerly the Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) S&TCD. He served as Acting Deputy Director for 6 months, then as Associate Director for Mission Programs for more than 18 months. As Associate Director, he was responsible for the oversight and strategic direction of more than 450 engineers and scientists, and he managed the planning and execution of all science & technology mission programs and R&D/engineering development efforts.
He also served from 2008-2011 as the Military Deputy Director for S&TCD which included a deployment into Afghanistan for an Overseas Contingency Operation (OCO) as the 2-star level Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) representative.
Mr. Visconti holds a Master of Science in Acquisition Management from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA. He completed the Post Graduate Intelligence Program at the Joint Military Intelligence College of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington D.C and he holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics Studies (Nuclear Science) from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY.
Among the many distinguished honors and awards Mr. Visconti has earned throughout his career are the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Valorous Unit Award, Army Superior Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NATO Medal, and the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara (Field Artillery recognition).
Michael Skurla currently serves as the Director of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (C5ISR Center) Software Engineering Directorate (SED). In this capacity, he supports CERDEC’s efforts to conceptualize, develop, provide and improve software products, services and technologies to enhance the warfighting capabilities of the Army, Joint Services and Coalition Forces, along with supporting Homeland Defense initiatives. These products and services include: system level software engineering for over 200 individual battlespace systems; system-of-systems level software integration; software architecture design and implementation; software technology assessment and application; software quality assessment, and world-wide technical support to deployed systems. Mr. Skurla previously served as SED Deputy Director from July 2004-2008.
Mr. Skurla also serves as the Executive Secretariat for the DOD Joint Advisory Council and Joint Advisory Council Executive Group that oversee the Software Engineering Institute, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center that conducts software engineering research in acquisition, architecture and product lines, process improvement and performance measurement, security engineering, and system interoperability and dependability.
Prior to this assignment, he served as the Chief of Homeland Operations for the U.S. Army Combatant Command Interoperability Program Office. He worked closely with the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA Region II, State of New Jersey, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey fostering improvements in interoperability and situational awareness.
Mr. Skurla holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Wilkes College, Pennsylvania, as well as a Master of Science in software engineering, from Monmouth University, New Jersey. Mr. Skurla completed the Software Engineering Program of the U.S. Army Logistics Management College, Texarkana, Texas.
Mr. Chuck Hoppe serves as the C5ISR Center Associate Director for Science, Technology, & Engineering (Assoc.Dir. ST&E). He is responsible for oversight of the organization’s science, technology, and engineering portfolio.
Mr. Hoppe joined C5ISR Center as the Associate Director, ST&E in November 2016. Prior to his selection to the position, Mr. Hoppe worked in the defense industry, as a program manager for Praxis Engineering Technologies, Inc.focused primarily in the Intelligence and Cyber domains. Prior to joining industry, Mr. Hoppe served 30 years on active duty, retiring from military service in May 2013. Throughout his career, he has been a small unit infantry leader and staff officer and served on the U.S. Army andOffice of the Secretary of Defense staffs and U.S. Forces Afghanistan (South) staff. He transitioned from the operational force in 1999 to the Army Acquisition Corps where he has managed small to very large programs for the Army and the Department of Defense in both the softwareand hardware domains.
Mr. Hoppe has a Bachelor of Science degree in General Engineering from the United States Military Academy, West Point. He has three Master’s degrees; a Master’s of Science in Computer Science from the Naval Postgraduate School;a Masters of Arts in National Strategic Studies from the College of Naval Command and Staff, Naval War College; and a Master’s of Science in National Strategic Resourcing from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He wasone of the original cohort members, of the Uniformed Army Scientist Program. He is Defense Acquisition University Certified Level 3 in Program Management, Information Management, and SPRDE-Systems Engineering.
His military awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, ArmyCommendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO non-Article 5 Medal (ISAF), Army of Occupation Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster, Expert Infantry Badge, Parachute Badge,Secretary of Defense Identification Badge, Army Staff Identification Badge.
Mr. Hoppe is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, and is a ProjectManagement Institute (PMI) certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He is also a Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, a Life Member of the American Legion, and a member of the “40 & 8” (La Societe desQuarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux).
He resides in Edgewood, MD with his wife Deanna, they have a daughter and two sons.
Col. Matthew F. Schramm assumed his duties as the Military Deputy for the Director of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) on Feb. 1, 2016.
Schramm’s previous assignment was the Deputy Director, C4ISRED at the Army Evaluation Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. His acquisition assignments include Assistant Product Manager for Future Combat Systems - Network Systems’ Integration (PM FCS-NSI) and Counter Radio-Controlled IED Electronic Warfare (PM CREW, PEO IEW&S) programs, Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey; the Biometrics Task Force, Multi-National Corps Iraq (MNC-I), Operation Iraqi Freedom; and Proponency Officer, U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC), Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. He served as the Product Manager for the General Fund Enterprise Business System - Sensitive Activities (GFEBS-SA, PEO EIS), Ft. Belvoir, Virginia.
Schramm’s military assignments include various command and staff positions with the 123rd Signal Battalion, Kitzingen, Germany; the 121st Signal Battalion in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Operation Joint Endeavor; the 1st Squadron, 7th U.S. Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, Ft. Hood, Texas; the 57th Signal Battalion, 3rd Signal Brigade, Ft. Hood, Texas and Operation Bright Star, Egypt; and the U.S. Army Garrison and the Communications-Electronics Command at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.
Schramm graduated from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and was commissioned on May 14, 1994. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University.
Colonel Mark Henderson began his military career in 1991 as a Private First Class and was assigned as a Flight Medic in the 148th Medical Company (Air Ambulance). In 1997, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Signal Corps and began his officer career as a Platoon Leader in the 122nd Signal Battalion (BN), 2nd Infantry Division in Korea. He proceeded to serve in numerous other Signal assignments including Company Executive Officer, Acting Company Commander, Brigade Logistics Officer, Company Commander, and Brigade Adjutant.
From 2006-2010, Colonel Henderson served in a variety of jobs at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey which included: Assistant Product Manager (APM) of the $4.1B chartered Vehicle Intercom Systems (VIS) program, APM Defense-Wide Transmission Systems (DWTS) for all strategic long-haul communications infrastructure projects throughout Kuwait and Afghanistan, DWTS Director of Operations for all global efforts, and also the deployed “Product Manager” for all DWTS long haul projects in combat throughout Southwest Asia.
From 2010-2015, Colonel Henderson worked in several positions while at the Pentagon: Training With Industry (TWI) Fellow, Executive Officer (XO) for the Assistant Military Deputy, XO for the Deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management (DASM), XO for the Assistant Deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management (ADASM), Department of the Army Systems Coordinator (DASC) for Intelligence Systems, and a one year deployment to Afghanistan where he served as the ASA(ALT) Acquisition Advisor for USFOR-A (Kabul) and the 101st Airborne Division in Regional Command East (Bagram).
From 2015-2018, he served as the Product Manager for Warfighter Information Network Tactical Increment 1 where his team and the community worked together to develop new methods and processes to secure five conditional materiel releases and field five new expeditionary network systems in three years or less. Colonel Henderson’s most recent assignment was in the Carlisle Scholar’s Program at the Army War College from 2018-2019.
Colonel Henderson’s accomplishments include: Best article of the year in AL&T magazine in both 2018 & 2019; Army Acquisition Product Manager of the Year in 2016; recognition as one of the top 30 in USFOR-A by General Petraeus in 2011; recognized for distinguished service by the 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan 2011; recipient of the Signal Corps Bronze Order of Mercury in 2009, two Bronze Star Medals, and numerous other military awards, decorations and honors.
His education includes an Executive MBA with emphasis in Information Systems Management and Master of Education with emphasis in Counseling and Psychology from Troy University, and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Government from Kennesaw State University. Additionally, he earned Masters Certificates in Lean Six Sigma, Negotiations, Expert Selling, Applied Program Management and Advanced Program Management.
Colonel Henderson is married to the former Laura Farley and they have one daughter.
