Meet Nate

Deputy Program Manager for Launch and Test Range Systems, Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I).

What do you like most about working with your team?

The LTRS team includes some of the most intelligent people I’ve met in my life. Every individual has knowledge to share, with backgrounds ranging in spectrum from the thirty to forty-year rocket launching journeymen to the folks coming in to their first job. Critical to taking advantage of this brain trust is ENSCO’s inclusive and positive work culture. Our team is geographically dispersed across 2,300 miles from the Launch facilities at Vandenberg to those at Cape Canaveral, but you might not pick up on that if you were sitting in on one of our meetings, and that is because we are a tight-knit team that truly feels like a second family, with only the occasional sibling rivalry between the coasts.

What project have you worked on that you’re most proud of?

I lead the team that migrated the LTRS cybersecurity accreditation efforts from DIACAP to the Risk Management Framework, consolidating 148 individual launch and support systems to 19 streamlined enclaves. This approach led to a 49% reduction in development effort for the accreditation paperwork and a 37% reduction in review time by the Authorizing Official. The effort won our team a recognition award from the RN/SE&I Government Program Manager.

How has ENSCO supported your career growth?

ENSCO has had more confidence in me than I had in myself under previous employers. I started as an Information Systems Security Engineer supporting the LTRS but was quickly targeted to lead the Range of the Future (RotF) initiative for ENSCO. RotF is a massive modernization plan intended to transition the nation’s premier launch facilities to a Space Port model needed to meet the increasing demand for space launch. I was recently asked to assume the Deputy Program Manager role for the LTRS portion of the EC SE&I contract, allowing me to develop an entire new tool kit of skills and helping to shape all facets of the program, from Systems Architecture and Engineering, to Cybersecurity, Risk Management, Product Acquisition, and Integration.

Not only has ENSCO targeted me for opportunity, but they’ve also continually ensured that I have the best and brightest resources and mentors along the way, helping me develop and mature the skills needed for each progression in my career. ENSCO’s investment in both me personally and toward my career development has been a much-needed confidence boost for me on a very personal level.

What made you want to become an engineer?

I’m a third-generation space geek. Both of my grandfathers worked in the space program from the mid-50’s through the early 90’s; one on the launch instrumentation side and one on the vehicle side. My Father was an electrician at Vandenberg and was part of the crew that readied Space Launch Complex 6 for the Space Shuttle, then later for the Athena, and a third refit for the Delta IV. He would occasionally sneak my brother and I to the site. Each visit leaving an impression but none as great as when I was 8 years old and got a distant view of the fully stacked Space Shuttle Enterprise. I grew up watching launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base and I jumped at the first opportunity I had to become a small part of that mission.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I have two young daughters: a 9-year-old and a 6-year-old. My wife and I spend a lot of time outside of work shuffling them between swim practice, gymnastics, and tennis lessons. When we do get the occasional break from kiddo activities we enjoy dining out together, catching a comedy show, or just sitting down to binge watch a good show. From the spring through late summer, I play on a USTA tennis team, where we’ve won our division the last 4-years in a row. I have an older Camaro that I occasionally tinker on, but more often wash and polish before popping the T-Tops off and going for a cruise in the mountains with the family.