The SCU Leadership Team
​The SCU Leadership Team consists of our board of directors, affiliates, and advisors.
The board of directors is led by the founding members of SCU, who coordinate its activities and uphold its mission.
Our Board
Exec. Board Member
Robert has a B.S. in Chemistry and is a former collegiate debater. He has over 28 years of experience in Engineering and Management in the Semiconductor Industry and has managed a state-of-the-art chemistry laboratory and a R&D group that worked on nanotechnology using atomic force microscopes and near-field optical microscopy. Robert also co-authored the reports on the "Stephenville Lights,” and the "UAP: 2013 Aguadilla, Puerto Rico" event.
Richard Hoffman
Exec. Board Member
Richard Hoffman has a B.A. in Organizational Communication from Wright State University. He is an Information Technology Consultant and Strategist , currently working as an Enterprise Architect at Redstone Arsenal and the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. He has over 50 years of experience in the research and investigation of UAP Phenomena.
Morgan Beall
Exec. Board Member
Morgan Beall has a B.S. in Earth Science from Frostburg State University. He has worked in the field of Environmental Consulting and OSHA/EPA Regulations and has conducted numerous investigations throughout Florida both privately and publicly through various organizations and independent projects.
Board Member
Doug Buettner received his PhD in astronautical engineering from
the University of Southern California. Dr. Buettner is the Deputy Chief Scientist of the Acquisition Innovation Research Center, a multi-university applied research center led by the Stevens Institute of Technology. He has over 30 years of industry experience in the engineering of aerospace and software-intensive systems for the Department of Defense (DOD) and NASA. Dr. Buettner is also an adjunct professor in the University of Utah’s Mechanical Engineering Department’s Systems Engineering Program, teaching
space mission engineering.
Board Member
Laura Domine is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University. She completed her PhD in physics at Stanford in 2023, working at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory operated by Stanford University. Dr. Domine worked on novel machine learning (ML) methods for liquid argon time projection
chamber-based neutrino detectors such as Project ICARUS. In 2023 she joined the Galileo Project to help design ML-based scalable experimental approaches to conducting scientific surveys of Unknown Anomalous Phenomena (UAP).
Larry Hancock
Board Member
Larry Hancock is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and earned his BA with honors, majoring in history, cultural anthropology and education. Larry is also a veteran and served in the United States Air Force.
Dr. Cameron Pratt
Board Member
Dr. Cameron Pratt is an astronomy research assistant at the University of Michigan, where he earned his PhD in 2024. His research focuses on employing advanced machine learning (ML) methods to extract high signal-to-noise measurements of cosmic gas from space-based microwave observatories. He is also an affiliate of the Galileo Project, where he leverages cutting-edge ML techniques to analyze multimodal datasets in the search for UAP signatures.
Peter Reali
Board Member
Peter Reali has a BS and MSEE from the University of California Berkley and has a long career in Silicon Valley as an electrical design engineer and manager of engineering projects.
Board Emeritus
Larry Cates
Board Member Emeritus
Larry Cates has a B.S. in Mathematics from Jacksonville University. He has 40+ years of experience in programming, systems analysis, and application and hardware development.
Carl Paulson
Board Member Emeritus
Carl Paulson has a B.S. magna cum laude in Physics and spent four years working on a PhD in Physics at New York University's Dept of Physics Graduate program
Board Advisors
Tejin Cai
Esteban Corio
Science Publication Advisor
Latin American Advisor
Tejin Cai received his Ph.D. in experimental particle physics from the University of Rochester, where he worked on neutrino scattering with the scintillator-based MINERvA experiment at Fermilab. His work on neutrino proton scattering was recognized by the Physics World magazine as the Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2023. Tejin did his postdoctoral study at York University in Canada on the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. He worked on classifying supernova neutrinos using machine-learning method, and also served as the data production team lead. Tejin has more than 10 years of experience in programming, data analysis development, and hardware testing.
Esteban Corio is a corporate executive with distinguished experience in managing organizations, channel sales divisions, and teams in international and world-class corporations like Intel, HP, and AT&T, promoting business mainly in the Latin America region. He has a baccalaureate in Social Sciences, a postgraduate degree in Agronomics, and studies in Electronic Engineering. Esteban often collaborates with UAP forums in Argentina, advocating the scientific approach to the phenomenon. He has been a Science Fiction writer since 2020.
Sarah A. Little, Ph.D.
Science Advisor
Sarah is a marine geophysicist who conducted oceanographic research for ten years before segueing into environmental policy and communication work with state, local and non-governmental organizations. Science fiction writer since 2015.
Jennifer Roche
Communications Director
Jennifer Roche is an experienced consultant, writer, and editor who works with leaders in higher ed, think tanks, and non-profit organizations. She helps her clients advance evidence and knowledge through organizational and strategic management; secures research and programmatic funding through grant writing, development, and relationship management; guides and shapes communications through project and editorial management; and illuminates stories that inform and benefit the public interest. She is the Managing Director of Bowerbird Communications, LLC. Roche holds a B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MLA from the University of Chicago.
Joshua Pierson, DSS
National Security Advisor
Dr. Joshua Pierson is an Active-Duty US Army Warrant Officer with 24 years of service in the Intelligence and National Security field. Joshua has played a major role in educating his superiors and counterparts on the importance of technology protection, and insider threats, and illuminating adversarial capability and intent to target US Interests at home and abroad. Josh’s experience with UAP began with his published dissertation for his doctorate. His dissertation is titled “Detectable Signatures of Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena; Building an Intelligence Picture of Capabilities Through Structured Analytic Techniques” where he applied structured analytic techniques to identify common signatures most often reported during UAP encounters
Kevin Wright​
Public Relations Advisor
Kevin Wright has over 20 years of experience in Washington, DC, with a proven track record of directing multidimensional campaigns, advising clients from diverse sectors and backgrounds, and developing strategic media outreach operations and public affairs campaigns. He recently founded Solve Advocacy, a consulting firm dedicated to UAP and edge science issues. Kevin is a public affairs and public relations Advisor to SCU’s Board of Directors.
Lee Dines
European Advisor
Lee Dines is currently a Senior Instructor in Policing Education at a University in the East of England. He holds a BA (Hons) in Community Studies and an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Psychology. Lee is a former police officer, who served as a police sergeant and acting police inspector. He has extensive experience of conducting and supervising criminal investigations.
Lee has been researching the UAP phenomenon for 24 years. He is particularly interested in CE cases, the history of the field and methodological aspects relating to the investigation of the phenomenon. He previously served as a field investigator and National Director for MUFON.
Jim Richardson
Legal Advisor
Jim Richardson is a trial lawyer with more than thirty-five years of experience in commercial litigation. A graduate of UCLA, Jim is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is recognized by Best Lawyers as one of the nation’s top lawyers in commercial litigation. Thomson Reuters has recognized Jim as one of the Top 50 Super Lawyers in the Central and West Texas Region. Jim recently served as president of a prominent national
association of trial lawyers.
Ready to get involved?
Partnerships
Community Access Members
Contributing Members
The SCU at its discretion will identify other organizations with which it is willing to partner. If a mutual agreement can be reached that provides value to both sides an agreement will be created and signed between the two organizations.
Any individual or group that wishes to work with the SCU can do so by submitting a resume and requesting to be a Community Access Member. Community Access Members will have access to the private SCU Facebook site and will be included in all communications.
Membership upgrades to Contributing Member status are determined after someone has joined the SCU. In addition to Community Access Member benefits, they will have access to business cards, project teams, early access to the SCU Quarterly Review, and other benefits.