Dr. John Sokolowski, VMASC Executive Director ---------------------------------------
Dr. John Sokolowski is the Executive Director of the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center and Associate Professor of Modeling, Simulation, and Visualization Engineering, both at Old Dominion University. He has been with the Center since 2001 and previously served as its Director of Research. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Purdue University, a Master of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University (ODU), and a Ph.D. in Engineering with a Concentration in Modeling and Simulation also from ODU.
His research interests include human behavior modeling, decision system modeling, multiagent system simulation, and modeling and simulation representation of social systems. He has published four books on modeling and simulation and is the author of numerous journal articles and conference papers. He is a member of the Society for Modeling and Simulation International, American Association of Artificial Intelligence, Association of Computing Machinery, Phi Kappa Phi, and Phi Beta Kappa.
Prior to joining VMASC he served twenty-seven years in the U.S. Navy as a submarine officer, retiring at the rank of Captain. During his years in the military, Dr. Sokolowski served on four submarines including Executive Officer of USS Hammerhead (SSN663), Norfolk, VA and Commanding Officer of USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN 640), Charleston, SC He also served as Head, Modeling and Simulation Division, Joint Warfighting Center (JWFC), U.S. Joint Forces Command. At JWFC, he led the U.S. military’s most advanced simulation group in support of worldwide joint training. His responsibilities included design and management of complex simulation architectures and oversight of three major Department of Defense simulation programs.
Sheila Flanagan, Director of Administration and Support ---------------------------------------
Sheila Flanagan is the Director of Administration and Support of the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Organizational Management and Human Resources Development from Bluefield College and an Associate’s in Applied Science in Business Administration from Tidewater Community College.
She joined VMASC in 2001 as a Program Support Technician working specifically with government contracting and project management. Within a few years, she quickly moved through the ranks of Program Manager, Assistant General Manager and in 2007 became Director of Administration and Support. Her areas of expertise encompass human resource management, fiscal management and oversight of the Center’s State and Discretionary budgets, travel, purchasing, inventory control, facility oversight and conference services.
Prior to joining VMASC she was a Human Resource Specialist at Tidewater Community College working mainly with faculty contracting and employee leave benefits. Additionally, she was the President of the TCC Classified Association where she interacted routinely with College Administration, Faculty and Staff. Prior to leaving TCC, she was instrumental in institutionalizing the Employee Recognition Program and the New Employee Orientation Program through the Office of Human Resources.
Thomas Reese, Director of Business Development and Technology Transfer ---------------------------------
Thomas Reese is a four-year veteran of the U.S. Army. During his military enlistment at the USA Combat Developments Experimentation Command, he participated in numerous joint forces exercise including Advanced Attack Helicopter Operational Test, High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) Evaluation, Aviation Performance Assessment in a Chemical Environment, and Electronic Warfare during Close Air Support Joint Test Force to highlight a few. Following his military stay, he committed the next twelve years of his career to the Norfolk Naval nuclear and non-nuclear vessel overhaul program. While at Norfolk Naval, he attended Old Dominion University and received his BS in Mechanical Engineering. He later joined the nuclear engineering service group with AREVA NP (formally Framatome Technologies, Inc., Lynchburg, Va.) a French owned firm established in the US to provide a wide array of nuclear engineering products and services. While employed with AREVA, he went on to receive his MBA through a company sponsored Corporate Leadership program. After which he focused his efforts on business development with AREVA. He later transitioned on to become a senior business development manager with the City of Portsmouth Economic Development and focused on domestic and international marketing, developing programs and initiatives that encourage business and workforce sustainability and expansion, and program and project management. He also completed economic development course work at the University of Oklahoma and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Thomas Reese has been the Director of Business Development and Technology Transfer at Old Dominion University's Virginia Modeling, Analysis & Simulation Center (VMASC) since 2009.
David Ralph, Director of Information Technology ---------------------------------------
Dr. Roland R. Mielke, Chair - Old Dominion University MSVE Department ---------------------------------------
Dr. Roland Mielke received his BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin in 1968, 1970, and 1975, respectively; all in electrical engineering. His research interests include system theory and graph applications in data flow architectures. Dr. Mielke joined Old Dominion University in the fall of 1975, and he is presently a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Chair of the MSVE Department.
