Randel L. Zeller

Randel Zeller is a native of Virginia. He was commissioned in 1975 as an Ensign upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy. At the Academy he earned a degree in Marine Engineering. He holds a Master of Science in Management from Salve Regina University and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College.

His early Navy assignments included service on nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers. From 1992 to 1994 Zeller commanded the USS GATO (SSN 615). Following command, he served on the staff of the Chief of Navy Legislative Affairs as the submarine portfolio manager, responsible for representing the Navy on Capitol Hill.

From 1997 to 1999, he commanded the navy shipyard in Kings Bay, Georgia. He was responsible for 2000 maintenance and support personnel, a $110 million budget, and the upkeep, overhaul, and repair of 10 Trident Class nuclear submarines.

He then reported to the Secretary of the Navy as Deputy Chief of Navy Legislative Affairs. During this assignment Zeller was responsible for supervising all Navy-Congressional liaison.
In June 2000, he assumed duties as Special Assistant and Legislative Director for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He served in the Office of the Chairman under General Hugh Shelton, USA and General Richard Myers, USAF.

In January 2004, Zeller retired from the United States Navy and joined the office of U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel as Senior Policy Advisor for national security. His responsibilities included the Senator’s Defense, Intelligence, and Veterans Affairs portfolios.

He left Senator Hagel’s office in August 2006 to join BAE Systems as a senior executive.
Zeller was sworn in to the Senior Executive Service on 3 January 2007 and assumed his current duties at the Department of Homeland Security.

Dr. Thomas F. Christian
Technical Adviser, Systems Engineering, Aeronautical Systems Center

Dr. Thomas F. Christian serves as a Senior Level executive, in applied aeronautical systems engineering charged with providing technical oversight and advice to the highest Air Force and government officials. The scope of technical coverage includes system performance and effectiveness, airworthiness, systems-of-systems, best practices, risk management, requirements development, manufacturing, integration, test and evaluation, lifecycle management, and simulation and analysis as applied to manned and unmanned air vehicles.

Dr. Christian entered federal service in 1968 as an aerospace engineer at the Warner Robins Air Materiel Area where he designed depot structural repairs to C-130 and C-141 aircraft returning from Southeast Asia. Following completion of his doctoral research in 1973, he worked in both the nuclear power and manufacturing industries. In 1980, he re-entered federal service at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, establishing an organic durability and damage tolerance analysis capability for the C-130, C-141 and F-15 weapon systems. He also represented the ALC on the C-17 Source Selection Production panel. Dr. Christian became the technical adviser for the System Program Management Division and served on several national technical committees of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

As Chief Engineer for the Special Operations Forces System Program Office, he managed major modifications to the AC-130H and MH-53J weapon systems, the Special Operations Forces Extendible Support Environment, and a joint MH-60G flight test program with the Australian Defense Forces. He later became Director of the 402nd Software Maintenance Group. Under his leadership, the group became the first organic software organization in the Department of Defense aviation community to attain the highest maturity level on the Software Engineering Institute Capability Maturity Model Integrated. Dr. Christian moved to the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, where he became the Director of Engineering for the Agile Combat Support Systems Wing. He provided systems engineering direction for aging aircraft, combat electronics, life support, propulsion and simulator systems with an annual budget of $3 billion.