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NineTwelve develops and delivers mission-critical capabilities to solve the nation’s top national security and defense challenges. We bring together government, academia, and industry to design and operate world class, first-of-their-kind facilities that enable cross-sector collaboration to accelerate technological innovation to advance national security. Our focus areas include trusted microelectronics, hypersonic development, advanced manufacturing, and 5G/advanced communications.
We are a team of dynamic, mission-driven leaders and subject matter experts with diverse experience in the military, state and federal government, information technology, manufacturing, and real estate development.
NineTwelve is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, with a diverse network of staff and strategic partners throughout the country.
President
Chad Pittman leverages more than twenty years of experience in technology commercialization, real estate development, economic development, and as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army to help drive technology commercialization for the betterment of humankind.
Chad previously served as the Vice President of the Purdue Research Foundation’s National Security & Defense Program Office where he managed the development and implementation of strategies to leverage Purdue’s research and workforce capabilities in the National Security Community and served as an engagement leader to the business community. He also served as the Vice President of the Office of Technology Commercialization where he led the transformation of that organization resulting in sustained record- producing years for Purdue in technology commercialization.
Chad is a cofounder and chairman of the Battery Innovation Center which focuses on advancing economic development while providing development, testing and evaluation services for new energy storage technologies from innovators across the United States. He serves as a board member of the Indy Innovation Challenge which hosts the Indy Autonomous Challenge. He previously served as the Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), which is the state’s leading economic development agency. Pittman started his career as a land use attorney at Bose McKinney and Evans before joining a large homebuilder where he led their land development and market development teams in Indiana and the Carolinas.
Chad is a Colonel in the Indiana Army National Guard and currently serves as the Deputy Commander of the 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB). He served as a rifle platoon leader and rifle company commander in 2003 and 2008 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pittman also served as a detachment chief and team lead for Task Force Echo 1 at Fort Meade, MD. His military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University Kelley School of Business, a J.D. from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, and a master’s in national security and strategy with distinction from the Naval War College and a member of the Halsey Bravo Program. He maintains his Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification.
Executive Vice President
Alison French oversees the entire portfolio of federal contracts supporting the Department of Defense (DoD) and other national security programs for NineTwelve. As EVP, she works across all focus areas and initiatives to deliver mission critical solutions for the government, academia, and industry partners. Alison manages the NineTwelve team, facilitates collaboration with subject matter experts and key partners, works directly with government customers and stakeholders to ensure the team is meeting objectives, manages the technology test and assessments process, and conducts strategic planning and business development for future innovation projects.
Alison has eight years of experience working for the Department of Defense and certifications in acquisition, engineering, and test and evaluation (T&E) from Defense Acquisition University. Seven of those years were spent working as a federal civilian for the Department of the Navy (DoN), where she received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for shaping DoD and DoN Acquisition Policy and proliferating T&E best practices that improved program planning, execution, and accelerated delivery of warfighter capability.
Alison holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from North Carolina State University and a master’s degree in biotechnology from Brown University.
VP, Strategic Engagements
Jason Gorey, Vice President of Strategic Engagements, brings nearly two decades of experience in national security innovation, defense industrial base, hypersonics, microelectronics, cyber, and foreign affairs. While serving in the Pentagon, he was Executive Secretary for the Defense Production Act Committee, coordinating across multiple agencies on actions to safeguard and strengthen national defense supply chains.
Previously, Gorey held a career in human intelligence at the Defense Intelligence Agency and was appointed by the White House as a Senior Foreign Affairs Officer at the Department of State. As a military officer, he is currently a Reserve Defense Attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency. Previously, he was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as the Officer in Charge of Computer Network Defense for U.S. Army networks.
Gorey earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Georgetown University and a post-graduate diploma in National Security and Intelligence Studies from National Intelligence University.
Director of Operations
David Ferguson is the Director of Operations at NineTwelve, where he facilitates large, complex programs across public and private partnerships. His work aligns national and Department of Defense (DoD) initiatives with key infrastructure and technology innovation projects, particularly in the semiconductor, hypersonics, and biotechnology industries. David is instrumental in fostering collaboration between government, industry, and academic institutions.
With over 15 years of commercial leadership experience, David has held senior roles at General Electric (GE) and Harris RF Communications , where he led advanced manufacturing and operations programs. His C-suite experience includes overseeing business development and operational efficiency across various sectors, where he successfully drove growth, streamlined processes, and enhanced performance for both private companies and public initiatives.
David holds an MBA from the University of Rochester and a master’s in industrial engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology. He is also a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and a U.S. Air Force veteran.
Director, Advanced Manufacturing
As Director of Advanced Manufacturing, Georgian Simion works across all NineTwelve initiatives related to manufacturing operations. He supports the State of Indiana Manufacturing Readiness Program and provides professional consulting services to companies across the State Core competencies: manufacturing, production and engineering leadership, process flow design, lean manufacturing, 6 sigma, quality control, supply chain, new product introduction, change management, succession plans and personality assessments.
Georgian has 25 years of experience in manufacturing and engineering leadership. Sixteen of these years were with companies that provided critical electronic assemblies for DoD programs across air, land, sea, and space.
In addition to a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering from Transilvania University in Romania – Europe, Georgian is a Black Belt Lean/6 Sigma Team leader with hundreds of hours of training in operations, engineering and technology leadership, process design and improvement, people development and succession plans.
Controller
M Sue Deaton oversees the entire financial position of all the entities in the NineTwelve portfolio and works very closely with the management team to ensure understanding of all the NineTwelve goals and priorities as they translate to finance. Deaton manages the treasury and banking relationship, new contract set up, grant award programs, DCAA and GAAP compliance, tax issues, and insurance. As Controller, she works across all focus areas and initiatives to deliver financial data on time to management as well as preparation of the financial statements for the third-party stakeholders. Deaton also provides daily support to all team members in the areas of receivables and payables and provides accounting support for customers. Deaton manages NineTwelve team’s need for human resources, benefits and payroll in conjunction with the PEO provider.
Deaton has 35 years of experience in the Indianapolis area across a multitude of industries from digital music to manufacturing to construction to tax and accounting services.
Deaton holds a Master of Professional Accountancy degree and a bachelor’s degree in general studies with a focus on business, accounting, and science and technology from Indiana University. She was formerly a Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional.
Senior Financial Analyst
Daizon Camp is currently supporting all NineTwelve federal contracts supporting the Department of Defense (DoD). As the Senior Financial Analyst, Daizon main focuses are forecasting, budgeting, and managing all financial needs of all federal contracts.
Prior to working with NineTwelve, Daizon worked for Leidos and Textron systems supporting the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Before supporting the government, Daizon worked for The Bank of New York as an investment banker.
Daizon holds a dual bachelor’s degree in finance and analytics from Le Moyne College and a master’s degree in business administration.
Program Manager & FSO
Annie Miller supports NineTwelve’s diverse portfolio of commercial and federal Department of Defense (DoD) programs. As FSO, she manages company-wide security operations, ensuring company and customer requirements are met. In her role as Program Manager and FSO, she is dedicated to delivering high-quality products, results, and standards to all government and commercial partners, stakeholders, and customers to ensure satisfaction throughout the program lifecycle.
With over four years of hands-on experience supporting U.S. Army and U.S. Navy contracts within the Department of Defense, Annie has honed her expertise across intelligence, testing and evaluation, and logistics programs. Beginning her career as an administrative specialist, she has successfully transitioned to a career in program management and security.
Annie holds a bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern International Affairs with a minor in Arabic from the University of Colorado. She is actively pursuing a master’s degree in Homeland Security from Pennsylvania State University.
Senior Advisor
Kent Anderson is an experienced international operations leader and manager with emphasis on manufacturing and logistics. Anderson is Chief Manufacturing Officer at NineTwelve and Director of the Emerging Manufacturing Collaboration Center (EMC2). He specializes in supply chain design, implementation and management, packaging corrosion protection integration, line feeding planning and implementation, logistical capacity planning, transportation planning, and custom packaging design.
Kent was an officer of the U.S. Army National Guard, with seventeen years of service as a Multifunctional Logistician and Medical Service Corp Officer with the 38TH Infantry Division of the Indiana Army National Guard.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the United States Naval Academy, a master’s degree in international business studies from Darla Moore School of Business, and a certificate for advanced manufacturing machinery technician from Vincennes University.
Senior Advisor
Brian Hibbeln has more than three decades of DoD and IC experience. Prior to joining NineTwelve, Hibbeln served over 20 years as a senior civilian in the U.S. Government. His final assignment was the Director of the Remote Sensing Center – National Capital Region (RSC-NCR), where he managed over $8B in U.S. Government contracts. The RSC-NCR supported the DoD and U.S. intelligence community with technology demonstrations and operational support to combatant commanders around the world.
Brian is a retired Air Force Reserve Officer with over 23 years of service. His final assignment was to the Mission Support Directorate of the National Reconnaissance Office. Brian also served as the Assistant Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Special Capabilities in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and as the Chief Scientist and Chief Systems Engineer of the Measurement and Signatures Intelligence Staff at the National Reconnaissance Office.
Senior Advisor
Carl Schaefer is the NineTwelve Senior Advisor, National Security and Defense. Carl retired as an Air Force Lieutenant General, after 33 years of active duty. In his final Air Force assignment Carl served as the Deputy Commander, Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio that employs almost 89,000 people and manages $60 billion of budget authority annually. As Deputy Commander, Carl was responsible for the evolution of aerospace systems from conceptual phase through production and introduction into the operating inventory. He also managed worldwide logistics support to U.S. Air Force operating commands, as well as foreign, Security Assistance Program air forces and supported Air Force installation and mission support functions for 10 major commands, two direct reporting units and 77 installations around the world.
Carl has served in a variety of flying and staff assignments to include command at the squadron, group and two wing commands, including the 412th Test Wing Commander, Edwards AFB, CA. He served two Pentagon assignments, working as an F-15/F-22 Program Element Monitor for the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition and for the Air Force Chief of Staff as the Director, F-35 Integration Office.
Carl was commissioned in 1990 as a distinguished graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He holds an M.S. in Systems Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and an M.A. in Strategic Studies from Air War College. Carl has attended numerous professional and continuing education courses including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Artificial Intelligence Course, Leadership Course at University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and many others. He is a U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School graduate and a command pilot with more than 3,100 flying hours in more than 40 aircraft types and has flown combat missions in support of operations Deny Flight and Allied Force.