Lynne Wainfan

4358 Tulane Ave, Long Beach, CA 90808 · 562-425-3338 · LW@Wainfan.com

Summary

I solve complex problems—those with great uncertainty and many intricately-related factors. I do this by simplifying a system down to its essence: its inner nature and the forces driving it. I collaborate to create shared insights and possible options, evaluating each against fuzzy criteria to co-create an implementable solution. Described as “omnicurious,” I combine my experience as a former rocket scientist, board president, and CEO with state-of-the-art research in collaboration, systems thinking, decision making, psychology, creativity, trust, and incentives. Some problems I’ve solved:

• How can a group agree on strategy even though they don’t agree on values, beliefs, or expectations?

• How can we re-engineer a spacecraft company from a prototyping to a manufacturing culture?

• How does the choice of communications medium (video, computer, phone) affect a group’s discussion?

• How can we provide laptop computers for all students in a middle school?

• How can a board participate 100% in implementing a strategy that some members strongly oppose?

• How can we raise $2M for new school buildings in a middle-class community in a downward economy?

• What new businesses can we create that meet the communication needs of the future?

Experience

 RAND Corporation (2003-Present): Doctoral Fellow

• Strategic decision making researcher for water planning, Department of Defense, Department of State.

• Graduate studies: create methods and extend tools to improve organizational decision making. Forthcoming dissertation: “Multi-perspective Strategic Decision Making” describes principles, methodology and tools for reaching consensus on action despite different values, beliefs, and expectations. Includes data-mining techniques to simplify complex problems and find forces driving the system.

• Co-wrote book, Challenges in Virtual Collaboration, submitted proposal to test new governance tools.

• Coursework in operations analysis, organizational decision making, economics, incentives, psychology.

Microflap, Inc. (1999-2008): President & CEO

Created company to bring fuel-saving aircraft wing modification to market. Secured IP, negotiated partnerships with vendors and a major air carrier

Westerly School of Long Beach Board of Trustees (2006-2008): President (2008)

• President (2008): Led creation of 5-year strategy, implemented in 3

• Led school’s first capital campaign that raised $2M in four months and built two new buildings

• Co-created video that inspired donations of $90K for laptops for all middle-scholars

• Led school through departure of head of school and appointment of interim head

• Adopted a new governance model emphasizing partnership and trust

Boeing Space Services Co (2001-2003, educational leave 2003-2008)

Director, Business Development and Chief Strategist (2001-2003)

·         Responsible for all BD activities, including investment, IR&D, M&A, proposals, marketing, sales

·         Created “service line” strategy

Boeing Satellite Systems Co. (1999-2003) which acquired Hughes Space Communications (1979-1999)

·    Director, New Market Development (1999-2003).Created an organization that defined future telecom applications and services; developed business cases; applied for 46 patents; determined strategic alliances, vendors, and acquisitions. Developed & implemented regulatory strategy and rapid network prototype capability for Digital Cinema, which was subsequently spun off

·    Deputy Operations Leader, Systems Architecture (1999). P&L responsibility for 100+ system engineers

·    Program Manager, New Initiatives (1996-1999), Mergers & Acquisitions Whip

·    Program Manager, Spaceway Implementation (now HughesNet) (1996)

·    Architecture Enterprise Team (1995). Member of team picked to re-engineer our $1.5B company. Made recommendations which reduced cost and cycle time and created new manufacturing culture

·    Acting Operations Leader, Bus System Engineering (1992-1995): Identified organizational issue and co-led intervention to integrate siloed business units into work cell teams; Created mentorship program

Education

  PhD Policy Analysis :  Pardee-RAND Graduate School :  expected Spring 2010 

MA Policy Analysis: Pardee-RAND Graduate School:  2005

MS Mechanical Engineering:  UCLA,  1981

BS Aerospace Engineering: University of Michigan , 1979

Coursework for MA Psychology :CSU Long Beach, 2002-2003

Security Clearances

SSBI (12/19/95)                                      DoD Secret (current)  

Publications

Wainfan, L. Multi-perspective Strategic Decision Making Theory, Doctoral Dissertation, Pardee RAND Graduate School, Santa Monica, CA, forthcoming.

Wainfan, L. and Davis, P.K., Challenges in Virtual Collaboration: Videoconferencing, Audioconferencing and Computer-Mediated Communications, RAND, Santa Monica, CA, 2004.

Groves, D., Knopman, D., Lempert, R., Berry, S., and Wainfan, L., Presenting Uncertainty About Climate change to Water-Resource Managers, National Book Network, 2008.

Wainfan, L. and Davis, P.K., "Errors due to Virtual Collaboration," Proceedings of the SPIE Conference on Enabling Technologies for Simulation Science, Vol. 5423, April, 2004.

Wainfan, L. “Chapter 4 of my novel Risk,” Verdad Literary Magazine, 2007:3.

 Wainfan, L. and Lempert, R., “Scenarios, Probabilities, and Robust Decision Making: Which Works Best for Water Planners?” Poster won second prize in the AAAS student poster contest.

Wainfan, L. and Davis, P.K., “Virtual Collaboration: Face-to-Face Communication versus Videoconference, Audioconference, or Computer-Mediated Communication,” DARPA PM-1624-DARPA, January, 2004.

Groves, D., Knopman, D., Lempert, R., Berry, S., and Wainfan, L., “Identifying and Reducing Climate-Change Vulnerabilities in Water-Management Plans” RAND Research Brief, 2008.

Various articles: Sport Aviation Magazine, Sport Pilot Magazine, Kitplanes Magazine, Model Builder Magazine, Women in Aviation Magazine.

Two FCC spectrum filings, numerous proposals & annual reports.

Patents

US Patents #6,339,707 and #6,032,041(Wainfan et al.)  "Method and system for providing wideband communications to mobile users in a satellite-based network.”

US Patent #7,026958 (Wainfan et al.)  "The Method and system of utilizing satellites to transmit traffic congestion information to vehicles."

Awards

Drury Award for Creative Fiction, 2007 

RAND Graduate School Ph.D. Fellowship, 2003

Hughes Aircraft Joe Sanders Leadership Award, 1994 

Hughes Aircraft  Masters' Fellowship, 1979