TheGriffin | Issue 1 Jan-Feb 2024

What’s Inside?

Page 4 | Staff Spotlight Page 3: A Look Ahead

Page 5 | GI 2024 Operating Plan

Page 4: GI Happenings

Back | The Griffin Cross Word Puzzle

Page 6: 2024 Operational Plan

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A Note from ELT With genuine excitement, we introduce the inaugural edition of our Griffiss Institute Employee Newsletter, The Griffin!

Heather Hage President & CEO

Mike Wessing Chief Engineer

Seth Mulligan Chief Operations Officer

Tracy DiMeo Executive Office Manager

Griffiss Institute is more than a workplace; it’s a community that thrives on inclusivity and collaboration. From engaging STEM programs for K-12 students, collegiate internships, fellowships and training academies fostering entrepreneurial endeavors, our tapestry includes team members diligently working behind the scenes in finance, IT, HR, legal, marketing, security—keeping our facility clean, our community safe, and seamlessly executing events that not only bring us, but our Innovare community together.

The Griffin has been carefully crafted as a dedicated space to strengthen our connections, share important updates, and celebrate the incredible achievements of our diverse team. Whether you’re contributing to STEM projects, driving innovative initiatives, or supporting our shared mission, each individual at Griffiss Institute plays a pivotal role in shaping the positive trajectory of our future.

As we embrace abundant opportunities and navigate challenges, effective communication is our guiding light, ensuring we move forward united and purposeful. This publication will serve as a delightful window into organizational news, project highlights, employee spotlights, and valuable resources, enriching your daily experiences.

Your active participation, insights, achievements, and feedback are not only welcomed, but encouraged. Together, we will continue to redefine the boundaries of innovation, cultivate a culture of excellence, and embark on a future brimming with possibilities.

We wish you joy and inspiration as you explore this inaugural edition.

Melissa Tallman Chief Brand Officer

Editor & Publisher: Pam Mustee Content & Design: Ashley LaForce and Darian Deeley Photo & Video Production: Daryn Boulerice Graphic Design: Darian Deeley and Corrine Bush If you are interested in submitting a story, announcement, update, or other item to The Griffin, please submit your request to GI News found on the GI Corporate Dashboard. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact marketing@griffissinstitute.org.

The Griffin is a publication of the Griffiss Institute MarCom Department. All information herein is reported to the best of our ability and knowledge. Should you have changes or corrections please direct them to Pam Mustee, Marketing and Communications Manager. ©2024 The Griffiss Institute

Griffiss Institute POCs

Todd Humiston Chief Talent Officer

Tracy DiMeo

ELT

Todd Humiston

Talent

Mike Feng

I&P

Seth Mulligan

Operations

Dr. John Salerno

II

Jennifer McCullough VICEROY Kelly Poynter

Events

Pam Mustee

Marketing

Jennifer Marshall

RI STEM

Ben Graniero

Air & Space STEM

Wendy Carpenter

ACE and RI Intern

Makenzi Enos

LEGACY

Tom Kramer

Security

Ashley Springer

Human Resources

Cover Story: A Look Ahead As we gear up for another successful year at the Griffiss Institute, we wanted to take a moment and preview what’s to come.

All of our teams are working hard to prep for another amazing summer of promising partnerships, collaborative camaraderie, and exceptional events.

Kicking it off in February, we are welcoming the team from SUNY Morrisville for a tour and briefing, producing the second VICEROY Virtual Career Fair and holding not one...

But three exciting STEM camps! For all upcoming events, be sure to check the GI Facility Calendar on Outlook!

March greets us on day two with an ORION Pi Day STEM camp for 9-12th graders. Students will learn their way around a raspberry Pi and be introduced to the amazing world of IoT. This camp is followed closely by the VICEROY Symposium in San Antonio, Texas and the Air and Space STEM Outreach team representing at the National Science Teaching Association Conference in Denver, Colorado.

There’s more exciting STEM on the horizon in April with the Annual AFRL Challenge Competition. GI & DAF STEM HQ teams are planning a virtual quantum event in partnership with AFRL/RITQ on International Quantum Day.

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May quickly follows with the beginning of HUSTLE’s Emerge Track and ACE Orientation!

BUT – June is where it gets really exciting!

We kick it off with Information Institute’s (II) Meet and Greet and Tech Talks, VICEROY Orientation, the ACE Gettysburg trip, the onset of HUSTLE’s Elevate Track, and round out the month with the 6th annual Q4I workshop on June 25 - 27.

Now, if all that wasn’t enough, in July we will continue the innovative Information Institute Tech Talks, make some sweet ice cream at the Quantum STEM camp, and high-five that with a VICEROY Capstone followed by poster sessions for RI Interns and the Information Institute. During all this excitement at the GI, the AFOSR team will be preparing for the second cohort of STEM Teacher Leadership Academy hosted at the National Air & Space Museum.

As we begin to “wind down” the summer in August, we celebrate VICEROY graduation, ACE Capstone and graduation, and unleash new businesses on the tech world through HUSTLE Demo Day. And let’s not forget Coffee and Concepts on the go, launching of a new GI website and the 2023 Annual Report!

We hope you’re as excited about this summer as we are and we can’t wait to celebrate!

Upcoming STEM Camps Off In The Clouds: 17 February Girls In STEM: 19-23 February RFA JR ROTC Drone Camp: 20-23 February ORION Pi Day: 2 March Proctor JR ROTC Drone Camp: 22-26 April Challenge Competition: 22-26 April

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Staff Spotlight This edition’s Staff Spotlight is on Sandy Lamb!

Sandy is the Air & Space Force STEM Outreach Coordinator at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado. We reached out to Sandy to get some tidbits we can share before she retires in March.

Sandy Lamb STEM Outreach Coordinator US Air Force Academy, CO

We want to give Sandy a happy send off and a big thank you for her service to the Griffiss Institute!

Most adventurous place you’ve traveled? Tunisia Favorite Ice Cream Flavor? Chocolate Coconut Beach or mountains? Live in the mountains and vacation at the beach Favorite Color? Green What do you like to do outside/inside? Inside - crafting / Outside - gardening What’s your newest piece of tech? Fire Stick What’s a fun trick you can do? Teach 4 & 5 year olds how to read Tell us about your family? Husband Rich (married 43 years), 2 kids Tiffany & Justin, 4 grandkids Favorite movie? Mr. Holland’s Opus Favorite song? Amazing Grace What is an inspiring quote you live by?

Love one another What’s a weird food combo that you love but others find strange? Amaranth, spinach & blueberries

All the Happenings Work Anniversaries 1 YEAR Brian Abbe - 1/16 Todd Humiston - 1/17 Tom Kramer - 1/17 Brian Marshall - 1/25 Ashley Springer - 2/1 2 YEARS Amy James - 1/10 3 YEARS Dawn Rava-Crofoot - 1/4 5 YEARS Bob Kaminski - 1/16 10 YEARS Greg Iannello -1/27

Birthdays

Bambi Patterson - 1/8 Jon Parry - 1/8 Todd Humiston - 1/16 Klyer Alm - 1/16 Lauren Fossel - 2/2 Khattab Girshab - 2/23

New Hires

welcome

Kyler Alm, LEGACY- Hill AFB Site Lead (Start 12/1/2023)

Mike Betro, I&P Externship (Start 1/23/2024)

John Robinson, Knowledge Analyst (Start 2/1/2024)

Promotions

congratulations

Hannah Reece, Incubation Director Ben Graniero, Talent Division Project Analyst Darian Deeley, MarCom Coordinator Arianna Belluscio, Project Support Associate Melissa Tallman, Chief Brand Officer

GI 2024 Operating Plan

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We’re thrilled to announce the inclusion of the 2024 Operating Plan in our newsletter. This comprehensive plan serves as our strategic roadmap, outlining key initiatives, goals, and milestones for the year ahead. It is more than just a document; it’s a dynamic guide that shapes our collective journey towards success.

As valued members of our team, understanding and embracing the 2024 Operating Plan is crucial for several reason:

Alignment with Organizational Goals: The plan clarifies how our team’s efforts align with broader

organizational objectives. By comprehending this alignment, we empower ourselves to contribute meaningfully to the organization’s overall success.

Clear Roadmap for Priorities: The 2024 Operating Plan breaks down our priorities, providing a clear roadmap

for the year. This enables each team member to grasp the bigger picture, prioritize tasks effectively, and contribute to the achievement of key milestones.

Enhanced Communication and Collaboration: A shared understanding of the operating plan fosters

improved communication and collaboration. By being aware of each other’s goals and responsibilities, we can work cohesively as a team, leveraging our collective strengths.

Empowerment Through Insight: Knowledge is power. By familiarizing ourselves with the 2024 Operating Plan,

we empower ourselves with insights into market trends, industry challenges, and opportunities. This knowledge equips us to make informed decisions and adapt swiftly to changing circumstances.

In essence, the 2024 Operating Plan is not just a document to be read; it is a tool that empowers each of us to contribute significantly to our team’s success. Let’s embrace it with enthusiasm, leveraging its insights to navigate the exciting journey that lies ahead.

Here’s to a successful and collaborative 2024!

Brand & Reputation Strategic Initiative: GI Website Overview

In the coming year, our revamped website will prioritize agility and relevance. This includes a focus on search engine optimization (SEO) excellence, content strategy with multimedia-rich, trend-aligned content, and a user-centric approach for seamless functionality and enhanced security. Analytics-driven optimization and social media synergy will also play a key role in refining our strategies.

Strategic Initiative: Project Culture Overview

Griffiss Institute is growing. Creating a culture where people thrive is a culture where businesses thrive. Project Culture seeks to empower Griffiss Institute employees with the knowledge and resources to create a ripple effect that can be felt beyond our offices and impact our programs, customers, community, and potential partners. Project Culture’s end goal is to transform our teams to support and coach each other; enable our teams to offer up new ideas and collaborate.

Building employee morale through Culture Club and All Hands is a crucial aspect of this project.

GI 2024 Operating Plan

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Strategic Initiative: Events Management & Annual Gala Fundraiser Overview

From day-to-day events management, we see and hear the need to elevate the experience within IAC to accommodate increasing demand for socials, workshops, and programs. A signature annual fundraiser event will build community and catalyze giving to regional STEM programs.

Infrastructure Strategic Initiative: Innovare Studios Overview

Offer a physical incubation zone for startup companies inside the GIBI and HUSTLE programs. The zones would be at the farthest west annex, extra offices on the first floor, and some expansion space into East Bay, to offer about 9000 sq ft of incubator space.

Strategic Initiative: Quantum Hardware Overview

Provide an environment and capability that will house a Trapped Ion Network node that is sharable with academia and industry, enhancing and enabling the quantum T2 mission with AFRL/RITQ.

Strategic Initiative: Wireless Upgrade Overview

The wireless access to the Internet is the lifeblood of an interactive innovation campus. This requires a modern, flexible, fast, and reliable wireless infrastructure. Today our system is not optimized and not as resilient as it should be. This project will install modern, deconflicted wireless routers and endpoints, as well as software optimizing traffic management.

Strategic Initiative: East Bay Expansion Overview

As the mission of the GI continues to show success, the original core space within the IAC has reached capacity. This initiative is a three - phase approach to expanding the GI mission into the east bay/hangar of building 100. Phase 1 includes the planning and development of an environment to house a Trapped ION Network node for the purpose of sharing the technology with academia and industry with the hopes of enhancing the T2 mission of quantum technology.

Phase 2 and 3 will be the requirements finding/design/build of the east bay to meet the mission needs for expansion of the IAC and the GI’s mission.

GI 2024 Operating Plan

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Community Impact Strategic Initiative: Expand Regional STEM Services Overview

GI plans to launch two new initiatives: an Industrial Intern Program and an After School STEAM Program. The Industrial Intern Program will place university students in internships with regional defense companies, leveraging the company’s expertise and systems. It aims to expand students’ skills and provide career counseling. The After School STEAM Program will offer fee-based activities for elementary students, with sponsorships to include students from under served communities.

Strategic Initiative: Regional DIB Advocacy Overview

Extending our efforts into state and federal agency activities and advocacy through existing and new business development.

Strategic Initiative: STEM Suites & HUSTLE House Overview

GI Consistently sees demand for temporary housing for professionals and interns. Our existing stipends issued for housing in the greater Mohawk Valley have now exceed $500,000 annually. There is an opportunity to own or secure housing units to maximize returns on our programs. In 2024, the GI will explore available housing units and the business models required to acquire or operate them.

Strategic Initiative: VICEROY 2.0 Overview

VICEROY plans to significantly enhance its cybersecurity workforce development initiatives over the next two years.

This includes tripling MAVEN internships for VICEROY university students, emphasizing security in GI-related IoT work, expanding and sustaining VICEROY Virtual Institutes’ curricula, exploring apprenticeships, conducting research on USbased trusted computing capabilities, exploring/creating high school apprenticeship/internship programs, and utilizing VICEROY Virtual Institute to pursue national virtual cyber academy goals in bolstering the cybersecurity workforce.

Strategic Initiative: M.I.S.S.I.O.N. Defense Studio Overview

Creation of GI-led private equity Fund and Venture Studio to support new startups with dual-use technologies and applications. The goals are to increase the throughput of defense technology transfer; increase commercialization of defense technologies to civil and commercial markets; and generate returns.

GI 2024 Operating Plan

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Strategic Initiative: Women Investing in Women Overview

A collaboration between the Griffiss Institute, the Women’s Fund, and Baird to support and elevate the 3rd Annual Women Investing in Women Awards Ceremony. This partnership aims to celebrate and promote the economic growth of Women-Owned local businesses while enhancing the brand of Griffiss Institute as a champion of diversity and empowerment.

Core Strength & Capacity Building Strategic Initiative: Succession and Business Continuity Planning Overview

As identified in our Enterprise Risk Management program, the GI needs to develop more robust succession and capacity planning. Cross training and adding human capital will be considered as will documentation and accessibility of knowledge systems and Policies and Procedures handbooks. Similarly, the same care and deliberate attention is needed to maintain a strong Board of Directors.

Strategic Initiative: Secure Network & Data Environment Overview

The ITS backbone at GI needs additional capabilities to reach new contractual compliance requirements. Intrusion monitoring software, stronger and deeper cyber security solutions, Mobile Device Management, server, and hosting services, etc. All items acquired in 2024 will allow us to reach NIST-800 compliance standards.

Strategic Initiative: Optimize Employee Benefits Overview

Routine internal best-practices for benefits are being fully implemented in 2024, a human capital calendar includes cyclical performance reviews, salary benchmarking, COLA evaluations, and evaluating new benefits vendors. Specific activities will include evaluating a PEO model for HR outsourcing, and a competitive bid for retirement/401(k) servicing.

GI 2024 Operating Plan

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Strategic Initiative: Improve Project Management Discipline & Align Platform Overview

Not all platforms are created equal, and not all programs have the same needs. As we progress towards even better metric reporting, capturing of relatable data, and managing diverse projects; aligning platforms that get the job done is important for more effective and efficient work and time management. Smartsheets currently is in use across the organization and may need to have additional resources added to a project management function.

Strategic Initiative: Build a Development Arm Overview

Creating a development arm, establishing a dedicated team, defining goals, and crafting a diversified fundraising strategy. This includes building relationships with donors, leveraging technology, hosting events, and pursuing grants.

Emphasizing transparency, impact measurement, and adaptability for a goal of sustained success in securing unrestricted funding and support for the GI’s mission.

Strategic Initiative: Employee Engagement Activities Overview

Building employee morale is a crucial aspect of fostering a positive work culture, and organizations can achieve this through various strategies. One effective approach involves organizing community events that bring employees together in and outside the workplace. These events, can be done virtually or in person such as volunteer activities, team-building exercises, or social gatherings, not only strengthen interpersonal relationships but also contribute to a sense of shared purpose and community. Providing branded apparel across the organization can further enhance the sense of unity and belonging among employees.

Strategic Initiative: All Roads Training Program Overview

A key way to remove risk from our ERM is through proper and quality training. Done well, training becomes an employee benefit. In 2024, GI will invest in creation of learning tracks for Project Management and Project Status Communications, Strategic Communications and Presentations , Compliance Training specific to HR, IT, Security and Safety, and PIA specific training.

Griffin Crossword Puzzle

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