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
Alison French oversees the entire portfolio of federal contracts supporting the Department of Defense (DoD) and other national security programs for NineTwelve. She works across all focus areas and initiatives to deliver mission critical solutions for the government, academia, and industry partners. French 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.
French has a decade 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.
French 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 had 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. Feguson is instrumental in fostering collaboration between government, industry, and academic institutions.
With over 15 years of commercial leadership experience, Feguson 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.
Ferguson 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.
Simion 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, Simion 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 Program Manager
Scott Eastes manages the entire portfolio of federal contracts supporting the Department of Defense (DoD) and other national security programs for NineTwelve. As Senior PM, he leads cross-functional teams to deliver complex projects within the defense industry. Eastes manages the NineTwelve project team, overseeing program quality, schedule, and cost.
Eastes started his career as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician in the U.S. Air Force, serving 10 years and is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. After separation in 2007, he served as the EOD Program Manager for Air Force Materiel Command at Wright Patterson AFB before working for General Electric Aviation and Northrop Grumman. Eastes brings a wealth of experience in Department of Defense acquisitions, Aviation, manufacturing, and RDT&E. In addition to his professional career, he serves on the board of Operation Cherrybend, a veteran’s organization that supports wounded combat veterans through outdoors activities and music.
Eastes holds a master’s in business administration (MBA) from Bellevue University and a bachelor’s degree in Technical Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Facility Security Officer (FSO)
Lora O’Connor is responsible for supporting the industrial security program at NineTwelve, which includes developing and implementing security procedures, conducting training and briefings, and ensuring compliance with the National Industrial Security Program (NISP).
Before joining NineTwelve, O’Connor worked at Indiana University for over 23 years. She served as a Facility Security Officer (FSO) and, prior to that, spent 14 years as the Director of IT, where she supported various stakeholder groups within the Office of the Vice President for Research. In this capacity, O’Connor gained extensive experience in gathering project requirements, creating project plans, managing costs and timelines, collaborating with internal and enterprise technical teams, adhering to security and data protection requirements, and managing stakeholder expectations.
O’Connor holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a Certified Scrum Master (CSM) as well as a Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO). She has spent countless hours on agile software development projects while leading multiple teams.
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, Miller 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.
Miller 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.
Anderson 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.
Hibbeln 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, Schaefer 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.
Schaefer 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.
Schaefer 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.