Jeff (left) with Jon Bergstrom (right)

Biography: Jeff Kincaid is the Vice President of Engineering for Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR). In this position, he is responsible for leading the engineering process team for PWR’s diverse rocket propulsion, space and land power programs. He was appointed to his current position in February, 2006.
Before becoming Vice President, Kincaid’s previous assignments included: Chief Engineer for Boeing - Rocketdyne, Chief Program Engineer of the Advanced Propulsion Development organization, Chief Program Engineer of the RS-68 Engine for the Boeing Delta IV program and Chief Program Engineer of Reusable Launch Vehicle Programs.

Jeff has a B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, California and is a Fellow of the Institute for the Advancement of Engineering.

Contact: Jeff can be reached by e-mail at jeffrey.kincaid@pwr.utc.com for additional information about this pre-conference seminar.

Rick at work....and at his daughter's (Alyssa) party (linked photo by daughter Aimee)

Biography: Rick Ladd joined Rocketdyne in 1987 as part of the team preparing the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) program for the Shuttle's return to flight. Before that he spent over 20 years as a self-employed small business entrepreneur in both the food services industry and the entertainment industry, where he introduced the practice of using portable computers in performing on-site royalty audits on behalf of major recording artists. Rick has worked extensively at Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) as a process improvement facilitator and has gained a reputation as an articulate and thoughtful problem solver. Currently, Rick leads the SSME’s Knowledge Management (KM) team, is a long-time member of PWR’s KM team, and is the KM liaison to the PWR Program Management Office. Additionally, Rick leads the implementation efforts for PWR’s Expertise Location/Social Networking tool – AskMe Enterprise, and PWR’s meeting capture and presentation tool, Quindi Meeting Companion, as well as writing, editing, and publishing a monthly KM newsletter, quicKMemos.

Rick is currently enrolled in the Roland Tseng College of Extended Learning at California State University at Northridge in the Masters in Knowledge Management program. He received his Juris Doctorate from the University of La Verne in 1976.

Contact: Rick can be reached by e-mail at rick.ladd@pwr.utc.com for additional information about this pre-conference seminar.

Kiho (right) with Russ Ackoff (left)

Biography: Kiho Sohn was named Chief Knowledge Officer (site leader for Knowledge Management for PWR), reporting to Jeff Kincaid. As of July 2007, Kiho continues in this role but with formalized responsibility across all of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) Engineering. In this capacity, Kiho is responsible for strategic planning and implementation of Knowledge Management (KM) processes and innovation tools at Rocketdyne. He also provides technical leadership for KM activities and systemic process improvements across PWR.

Kiho is a faculty member of California State University at Northridge; Chairperson of Knowledge Leadership Forum; a member of International Astronautical Federation; a co-founder of the Southern California Aerospace KM Exchange Forum, and serves on the Editorial Board of KM Review magazine. He earned a MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of California at Los Angeles and a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Contact: Kiho can be reached by e-mail at kiho.sohn@pwr.utc.com for additional information about this pre-conference seminar.


Seminar Title: Developing Our Uncommon Knowledge

Date: Thursday, April 17th

Length: 3 hours (9:00-12:00pm)

Location: Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne - 6633 Canoga Avenue, Canoga Park

Seminar Fee: None

Description: What do we mean by uncommon knowledge? How is it really different from common knowledge? What about common sense? Forget about it. In this seminar, we will explore the spectrum of learning, which begins with data, proceeds through information, knowledge, and understanding, and culminates in wisdom. We will compare how these elements have traditionally been viewed and how the emergence of collaborative concepts and technologies is changing our theory and our practice of learning together, thinking together, and working together.

Target Audience: Anyone who would like to understand how the emerging ubiquity of collaborative technology, and its power to change how we think about our work and our work relationships, promises to radically transform organizations.

Organizational Issues: Agility has become a new buzzword for the capacity of an organization to anticipate, recognize, and respond to rapid developments and changes in their environment. Transforming what is uncommonly known within an organization into what becomes commonly known - and wisely applied - provides the basis for achieving the high level of agility necessary to avoid irrelevance and, ultimately, extinction.

Objectives: At the completion of this seminar, participants will understand the spectrum of learning, appreciate the role networking and collaborative technologies play in each of its areas, and will be well-prepared to tackle the theme of this year’s Forum.

Seminar Handouts: Available for handout after the Forum.