Presentation Title:
2024 I/ITSEC Fellows Presentation

Special Event Type: Focus Event

Tag Line : BEING ELECTED A FELLOW IS THE HIGHEST HONOR BESTOWED BY THE NTSA ON BEHALF OF THE WORLD-WIDE MS&T COMMUNITY!

Program Description:

I/ITSEC Fellows is a series of presentations by technical leaders responsible for the seminal contributions that have fundamentally shaped the simulation and training capabilities being delivered today. The conference leadership invites iconic visionaries to share their insight for future developments and to describe their part in reaching our current posture, relating both their success and challenges as enduring lessons learned that will apply across a broad range of endeavors as the community moves forward. Please note that Recipients are asked to submit a paper to I/ITSEC describing those efforts and lessons learned as a way to preserve this information in our collective Body of Knowledge – this requires commitment on the part of the Nominee to write the paper, create a presentation, and to travel to I/ITSEC to make a 90-minute presentation that will be recorded and available on the NTSA YouTube Channel for posterity. THE I/ITSEC 2024 FELLOW I/ITSEC is proud to announce Dr. Winston “Wink” Bennett has been selected as the 2024 I/ITSEC Fellow.  This prestigious recognition is a testament to Dr. Bennetts outstanding contributions in the fields of Training, Education, and Modeling and Simulation which span four decades.  His leadership has directly improved the quality of training of the warfighter and has injected advancements into the field of Model and Simulation.  His leadership has been instrumental in ensuring Air Force’s success at Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) both in committees, program work, panels, demonstrations,and STEM activities for many years. His leadership in the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) paved the way for Live Virtual Constructive simulations by helping to co-author and evolve the relevant standards. This work also helped to inform Air Combat Command and HQ Air Force, blended training requirements and alternatives. As part of his passion for learning and the development of the future STEM workforce, he established the Gaming Research Integration for Learning Lab® (GRILL®), inspiring students interested in modeling and simulation to pursue careers in M&S. Dr. Bennett's numerous accomplishments include serving as USAF Member at Large, then USAF representative, to the NATO modeling and simulation group; leading the creation and initial execution of the Science, Technology, and ops-centered investment portfolio for the 711 th HPW Human Effectiveness Directorate, Readiness Product Line; and defining several visionary products and capabilities that have become foundational as ways to create and evaluate training and readiness investments and impacts.  Wink was inducted into the National Center for Simulation – Modeling and Simulation Hall of Fame in 2022.  He was also awarded the Thomas J Wells Senior Leadership Award, the Florida Governor’s award for

Moderator Information: Brian Holmes Chair, I/ITSEC Fellow Committee

Panelist #1 Information: Dr. Winston “Wink” Bennett SAIC | Mod and Sim Engineer Senior Principal Support, DAF Chief Modeling and Simulation Office, HAF SAF/SAM