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    HomeAbout UsBiographiesDisplay      bio photoEngage On
        
        bio photoRICKY L. PETERSRicky Peters, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Executive Director, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He is the principal assistant to the commander and the senior civilian executive responsible for managing the Air Force's $2.1 billion science and technology program, additional externally funded research and development of $2.3 billion and a government workforce of approximately 6,000 people in the laboratory's nine component technology directorates and 711th Human Performance Wing.
Mr. Peters, a native of New Lebanon, Ohio, has served in numerous leadership positions to include Aeronautical Systems Center, Arnold Engineering Development Center, Air Force Materiel Command and Air Force Test and Evaluation. He began his career with the Air Force in 1980 as an aircraft survivability test engineer followed by assignments in laser hardened materials, modeling and simulation, and aeronautical sciences research. He has led teams investigating future aircraft concepts, inlet and propulsion integration, and computational fluid dynamics. Mr. Peters also led a program for the Federal Aviation Administration to determine the quantity of explosives required to bring down a commercial aircraft. He has a strong background in civilian personnel and was instrumental in developing the Laboratory Personnel Demonstration Project. Prior to his assignment in AFRL, he was the Director of Air Force Test and Evaluation.**EDUCATION**1981 Associate's degree in mechanical engineering, Sinclair Community College, Dayton, Ohio 
1984 Bachelor's degree in systems engineering, Wright State University, Ohio 
1988 Master's degree in mechanical engineering, University of Dayton, Ohio 
1989 Air Command and Staff College, by seminar 
2002 National Security Management Fellow, Syracuse University, N.Y.
2003 Federal Executive Institute, Charlottesville, Va. 
2003 USAF Senior Leadership Course, Center for Creative Leadership 
2006 Air War College, by seminar
2009 Executive Course on National and International Security, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.**CAREER CHRONOLOGY**
1. February 1980 - November 1987, aircraft survivability engineer, Test and Evaluation Group, Flight Dynamics Directorate, Wright Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 
2. December 1987 - March 1989, plans engineer, Plans and Programs Branch, Flight Dynamics Directorate, Wright Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 
3. April 1989 - September 1990, supervisory aerospace engineer, Survivability Assessment Group, Flight Dynamics Directorate, Wright Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 
4. September 1990 - June 1992, Program Manager, FAA Commercial Aircraft Hardening, Flight Dynamics Directorate, Wright Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 
5. July 1992 - September 1994, supervisory aerospace engineer, Survivability Technology Section, Flight Dynamics Directorate, Wright Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 
6. October 1994 - September 1995, Laboratory Personnel Demonstration Project Office, Science and Technology Directorate, AFMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 
7. October 1995 - October 1996, Laboratory Personnel Demonstration implementer, Wright Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 
8. November 1996 - December 1998, Advanced Development Manager, Laser Hardened Materials, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 
9. December 1998 - December 1999, Deputy Chief, Integration and Operations Division, Air Vehicles Directorate, AFRL, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 
10. January 2000 - August 2001, Chief, Control Simulation and Assessment Branch, Air Vehicles Directorate, AFRL, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 
11. September 2001 - May 2003, Chief, Aeronautical Sciences Division, Air Vehicles Directorate, AFRL, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 
12. June 2003 - June 2004, Technical Director, Engineering and Technical Management Directorate, AFMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 
13. July 2004 - November 2005, Chief, Modeling, Simulation and Analysis Division, Capabilities Integration Directorate, AFMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 
14. December 2005 - July 2006, Chief, Modeling and Simulation Division, Capabilities Integration Directorate, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 
15. August 2006 - April 2008, Executive Director, Arnold Engineering Development Center, Arnold AFB, Tenn. 
16. May 2008 - March 2010, Deputy Director of Air, Space and Information Operations, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
17. April 2010 - January 2012, Deputy Director of Test and Evaluation, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
18. February 2012 - March 2013, Director of Test and Evaluation, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
19. March 2013 - present, Executive Director, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio**AWARDS AND HONORS**
1994 Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award for Halon Replacement Research, Environmental Protection Agency 
1994 In-House Engineering Award, Flight Dynamics Directorate 
1997 Vice President Gore's Hammer Award for Acquisition Reform 
1996, 2003 and 2008 Exemplary Civilian Service Award 
2005 Civilian Achievement Award 
2006 and 2010 Meritorious Civilian Service Award
2008 Distinguished Patriot Medal - Adjutant General of Tennessee
2013 Decoration for Exceptional Civil Service **PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS**Systems Planning, Research, Development and Engineering, Level III 
Test and Evaluation, Level III 
Program Management, Level I 
(Current as of December 2014)
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