FOUR NORTHROP GRUMMAN EMPLOYEES EARN PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING CERTIFICATION
Contact: Christy Whitman
(703) 713-4436
christine.whitman@ngc.com
MCLEAN, Va. – April 13, 2005 – The International Council on Systems Engineering has awarded four Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) employees the Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) certification for achieving a high level of competency in systems engineering skills.
Photos accompanying this release are available at http://media.primezone.com/noc/
Those who earned the CSEP credential are:
- Robert Tufts, a director within Northrop Grumman's Information Technology sector;
- David Newbern, a department manager, also with the Information Technology sector;
- Jose Saavedra, a member of the systems-engineering technical staff within the company's Integrated Systems sector; and,
- Kevin Topp, a CVN 21 lead systems engineer within the company's Newport News sector.
The International Council on Systems Engineering established its professional certification program to recognize the knowledge, skills and experience of systems engineers. The CSEP is the first formal systems-engineering certification in the country.
Robert Tufts has more than 42 years of experience in computer information systems and systems engineering. He served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years where he led the systems engineering, design, development, implementation, operation and maintenance of large computer information systems. During the last 22 years, Tufts has held various systems-engineering and program-management positions at Northrop Grumman. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Occidental College, Los Angeles, and a master’s degree in computer science from Southern Methodist University, Dallas.
David Newbern served as an engineer and program manager in military space systems for the Air Force for 21 years. He joined Northrop Grumman in 1987 and has held the positions of systems engineer, team lead and program manager. Newbern earned bachelor’s and master’s of science degrees in electrical engineering from Oregon State University.
Jose Saavedra has more than 20 years of experience in the aerospace industry. He served in the U.S. Navy for four years where he performed maintenance of fighter aircraft and led the Electrical Work Center. During the last 15 years, Saavedra has held engineering positions in the development and integration of aircraft and ground electrical/electronic systems. He joined Northrop Grumman in 1997 and has held the positions of systems engineer, integrated product team leader and functional technical lead. Saavedra earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Central Florida, and a master’s degree in computer information management from Webster University, Merritt Island, Fla.
Kevin Topp served as a U.S. Army engineer officer for 22 years before joining Northrop Grumman in 2000 where he coordinated the first system requirements review for the CVNX aircraft carrier. He has also led the establishment of several system-engineering processes and plans at the company's Newport News shipyard. He was recently promoted to lead the implementation of systems engineering on the next-generation CVN 21 aircraft carrier. Topp earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Virginia Tech University, a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of Florida, and a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
To become a certified systems-engineering professional, a candidate must have five years experience in a systems-engineering profession and have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a technical field from an accredited institution, or have additional work experience. The candidate must pass an exam to fulfill the knowledge requirement. And finally, the candidate must provide three letters of reference confirming their technical expertise and experience.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense company headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. Northrop Grumman provides technologically advanced, innovative products, services and solutions in systems integration, defense electronics, information technology, advanced aircraft, shipbuilding and space technology. With more than 125,000 employees, and operations in all 50 states and 25 countries, Northrop Grumman serves U.S. and international military, government and commercial customers.
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