April 2026 — The Energetics Technology Center (ETC) is excited to welcome Phuong Nguyen to the ETC team as our new Junior Network Engineer!
Phuong joins us with a background in cybersecurity and a passion for hands-on learning and continuous improvement. In his role, he will support our network infrastructure through configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting, while also implementing security controls. Phuong will also assist senior engineers with documentation and network support tasks.
What excites Phuong most about joining ETC is the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a collaborative environment. He’s eager to continue building his troubleshooting skills while learning from the team.
Phuong brings experience with Linux systems, network segmentation, and system hardening. During college, he completed three internships and worked on a variety of technical ventures, including home lab projects. “Those experiences let me learn in different environments and helped me build strong hands-on skills,” Phuong shared.
Outside of work, Phuong enjoys improving his personal home network lab, where he experiments with new technologies and configurations. He also participates in cybersecurity capture the flag competitions and builds custom computers.
Fun fact: Phuong’s favorite podcast is Darknet Diaries, a series about real-world cybersecurity stories involving hacking, exploitation, and investigations.
We’re thrilled to have Phuong on board and look forward to the impact he’ll make!
Looking to join the ETC team? Read more about our open roles here: https://www.etcmd.com/careers/.
Sheri Tiller joins ETC as a STEM Educator, bringing a lifelong passion for teaching and learning. Her extensive background includes more than a decade of experience teaching in diverse environments. Sheri has developed and delivered innovative curricula tailored to a wide range of student learning styles and has long embraced technology to enhance education, using web-based learning tools before they became standard practice. She continues to integrate creativity and artistry into her approach to STEM instruction.
Returning for his second year with ETC, Bill Weber continues to support RoboMasterminds as a STEM Educator. With more than 20 years of experience as an engineering teacher for Baltimore County Public Schools, Bill has cultivated a broad skill set in robotics, technical theatre, and professional development. He has coached the award-winning VEX Robotics teams since 2008, led technical theatre programs, and supported county-wide training for Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers. At ETC, Bill develops curricula and leads hands-on STEM workshops designed to ignite a passion for engineering among the next generation of innovators.
Bobby Appleton, Ph.D., joins ETC as a machine learning engineer supporting NSWC Indian Head Division. Bobby has a strong background in all areas of computational materials science with an expertise in developing predictive models for energetic materials using state-of-the-art ML/AI methods. While a member of the Purdue Energetics Research Center, Bobby collaborated with various DoD and academic researchers through the Advancing Army Modernization Program – Energetic Materials (AAMP-EM) and the Energetic Materials Basic Research (EMBR) cooperative agreements. He received his B.A. in Physics from Ripon College, M.S. in Physics from California State University – Los Angeles, and Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from Purdue University. Bobby supports the NSWC Indian Head Chemical Scale-Up group for optimizing synthesis processes of energetic materials. 
Howard Cho, a robotics engineer with advanced experience in autonomous navigation, recently joined ETC with a focus on robotic systems development. His work includes leading the design of a 360° perception and navigation system for Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot, utilizing real-time SLAM mapping and GPS-based hybrid autonomy. Howard’s integration of adaptive path planning, vision-language models, and multimodal robotic control showcases his cutting-edge contributions to the field. His innovations support ETC’s robotics and AI research in dynamic and GPS-denied environments. 
Caleb Harper, Ph.D., joins ETC as a chemical/mechanical engineer supporting NSWC Indian Head Division as an energetics formulator. With extensive research experience from the Purdue Energetics Research Center, Caleb has developed, tested, and evaluated experimental rocket propellants and explosive formulations. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. Caleb’s work supports critical Navy R&D in next-generation energetic materials. Outside the lab, Caleb is an avid linguist, musician, and licensed pilot. 
Sarah Kirby joins ETC as a STEM Educator, supporting the organization’s growing education and workforce development programs at ARL and NSWC Indian Head. A former science teacher in Southern Maryland, Sarah holds a B.S. in Public Health Science and a Science, Technology, and Society Scholars Citation from the University of Maryland. She is currently leading hands-on STEM summer camps and developing a cybersecurity-focused after-school program designed to introduce middle school students to digital safety, literacy, and tech careers. Her passion for education and outreach is helping shape the next generation of innovators. 
Brian Matheny serves as ETC’s Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Brian is responsible for overseeing financial strategy, corporate reporting, and fiscal management to support long-term organizational growth. Brian has more than 18 years of experience in financial planning and analysis, budgeting, and strategic leadership within the government contracting industry. He previously served as FP&A Manager at Noblis MSD (formerly McKean Defense Group) where he oversaw all key financial metrics and reporting for their Defense Mission Areas. Brian holds a B.B.A. in Finance and an MBA in Innovation both from James Madison University. 
Joan Michel joins ETC as its VP of Strategic Initiatives. Her role is to help drive growth, internal excellence, and client outcomes. She brings 25 years of experience helping federal, state, and local governments develop, plan, and implement strategic initiatives, including creating private-public partnerships, managing strategy and planning efforts, developing education and workforce programs, and providing communications and outreach expertise. She has served the defense and homeland security sector in multiple roles — as an Army civilian, a contractor, and a small business. Joan holds a master’s degree in Organization Development from Pennsylvania State University and a bachelor’s from University of Maryland Baltimore County. 
Bridget O’Gorman joins ETC remotely from Minnesota as a Technical Engagement Lead on the BEST START program, supporting the START Center at University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul and the seven local companies awarded grants through BEST START. She has wide-ranging hands-on experience including power electronics and high-energy, pulsed power weapons systems, giving her a unique perspective on technological collaboration. Bridget holds a B.S. of Electrical Engineering from University of Minnesota and will complete her M.S. of Electrical Engineering at UST in December. 
Donovan Ramos comes to ETC as a Technology Specialist, with plans to advance into a system administrator role. A sophomore at Harford Community College studying computer engineering, Donovan previously interned with ETC and AEOP and has supported ARL’s ROS research network. His technical responsibilities include managing networking infrastructure at ETC’s Aberdeen office, responding to internal tech inquiries, and contributing to robotics R&D. A former FIRST Tech Challenge competitor, Donovan also brings hands-on experience with 3D modeling, electronics, and autonomous vehicles. 
Beth Watson provides graphic design support for ETC. Current projects include updating the ETC brand and accompanying collateral; website design and maintenance on RoboMasterminds.org, BestStart.io, Cybersynced.org, and ETCMD.com; client and internal support with graphic design of a multitude of projects including social media, exhibits, flyers, newsletters, and more. She brings over 30 years of experience in visual communication, project management, creative services, and art direction; and has supported a wide range of teams and clients across the country. Her background is rooted in a deep love of fine arts and tactile functional crafts. She is passionate about creating design solutions that are both effective and accessible.