About Gary R. Stinnett – Senior Manager, Operations SupportGary Stinnett, operations support senior manager, for Supply Chain at United Launch Alliance (ULA).
In this position, his main objective is to support ULA in executing achievable positive performance within the ULA Supply Base. Gary and his team of Regional Subcontract Managers (RSM’s) provide programmatic direction for subcontractors to assure contract quality, on-time schedule performance, and satisfactory cost requirements are met. He provided support to all launch readiness reviews and pre and post launch activities. Gary has supported over 75+ launch campaigns in his career.
Stinnett brings more than 30 years of aerospace industry experience to his position at ULA, over the course of his career he has supported both Atlas and Delta product lines as the Launch / Mission Assurance Manager for the ULA Supplier Management and Procurement organization.
His career began in 1988 with McDonnell Douglas as an Engineer / Scientist on the C-17 Airlift Program in Long Beach, CA. Over the next 7 years he held a variety of engineering positions, which provided growth and experience on the MD-11, KDC-10, and National Missile Defense (NMD/EKV) programs. In 1996, Gary was promoted to a management position within the Space and Communication Division of McDonnell Douglas/Boeing. In late 1999, He began working for the Delta programs as an MSK Program Manager supporting the Supplier Management and Procurement organization.
A dedicated STEM advocate and community contributor, Gary serves as an advisor to the ULA Employee Resource Group The African American Leadership And Engagement Networking Team (TAALENT), and the local chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Member College of Engineering Advisory Council, California State University, Long Beach.
Stinnett attended California State University Long Beach (CSULB) where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. Gary later obtained a Masters of Business Degree in Technical Management with honors from the University of Phoenix, Southern California (UOP).
Gary’s passions include spending time with his family and friends. In his leisure time, he enjoys participating in a variety of activities including traveling, weight training, basketball, cycling, golfing, and attending a diverse array of sporting events.
About Tinesha Ross – Senior Manager, System Safety and Quality for Major DevelopmentTinesha Ross is a senior manager of System Safety and Quality for Major Development at United Launch Alliance (ULA). In this role, she and her team are responsible for ensuring that hardware in development, including the next-generation Vulcan Centaur, meets stringent standards for team safety and maintaining the company’s track record of 100 percent mission success.
Ross brings more than 20 years of aerospace industry experience to her position at ULA, including 10 years at ULA’s rocket factory in Decatur, Alabama. During her time in the factory as an avionics systems test engineer, she performed electrical checkouts of the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage before shipment to the launch site to launch atop the company’s Delta IV rockets. She also ensured all ground support equipment was reading to support vehicle checkout as well as maintaining the control rooms.
A passionate community volunteer, Ross is a frequent guest speaker in Denver-area schools and encourages kids to get excited about careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. She often shares her personal story about overcoming substantial challenges to show students it’s possible to pursue a career in engineering under challenging circumstances. She also is a volunteer with the Chaparral High School band. The Girl Scouts of Colorado have honored Ross as a 2018 Woman of Distinction and as one of the 100 Distinguished Girl Scouts Alumnae of Colorado. The Denver Business Journal recognized her as a 40 Under 40 honoree in 2015.
Ross holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Alabama A&M University, a Master of Science degree in computer information systems from the University of Phoenix, and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in project management from American Continental University.
About Ron Fortson - Director and General Manager, Launch OperationsMyron “Ron” Fortson is the director and general manager of Launch Operations for United Launch Alliance (ULA). In this role, he leads approximately 700 employees integrating and launching ULA’s launch vehicles from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Fortson previously served as director of Program Management & Integration, Director of Operations Engineering, and director of Mission Management within ULA.
Prior to joining ULA, Fortson had a distinguished Air Force career, retiring as a Colonel in 2013 following 26 years of service. While serving in the military, Fortson held a variety of assignments in engineering, operations, acquisition, and staff units. He began as an intercontinental ballistic missile trajectory engineer at Strategic Air Command in Omaha in 1987. In 1991, Fortson served at the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) as a Space Test Program mission planner and spacecraft project engineer. In 1996, he was assigned to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) as a deputy director of engineering for satellite operations and a spacecraft and launch program manager for a joint space-based radar program. Fortson moved to the Pentagon in 2001 as a satellite control network program element monitor on Headquarters Air Force staff. Following this assignment, he returned to the SMC as the counterspace systems chief engineer and executive officer for the three-star commander. In 2005, Fortson served as the operation officer and commander of the 1st Space Launch Squadron for the Delta II launch system at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. He also served as deputy commander for the 45th Operations Group conducting range operations. Fortson held another short tour back at the NRO in 2009 on the director’s staff before returning to SMC as the chief of Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Engineering and Operations for Atlas V and Delta IV launch systems in 2010.
Fortson received his Bachelor of Science degree in astronautical engineering from the Air Force Academy in 1987 and a Master of Business Administration from Chapman University in 1995.