Charles Batten

Charles Batten specializes in safety consulting services on liquid and gas pipelines and hazardous materials transportation. These services include accident investigations, technical analysis, expert testimony, training, regulatory compliance audits, risk management analyses, engineering and research.

Batten has more than 40 years of engineering and management experience in pipeline transportation and hazardous materials safety working in private industry and government (state and federal). His expertise in pipelines and hazardous materials transportation safety is recognized both nationally and internationally. 

For the National Transportation Safety Board, Batten performed investigations of pipeline and hazardous materials transportation (aviation, rail, highway, marine) accidents, conducted special investigations of technical safety issues and participated in and reported on studies of national transportation safety issues.  He also managed a team in the investigation and reports of accidents. In connection with investigations, he conducted public hearings, depositions, and witness interviews involving each transportation mode. Over the course of his career, he has addressed regulatory compliance, accident causes, and prevention strategies for more than 300 accidents.

Having testified before the U.S. Congress, Batten has worked with congressional committees on developing legislation affecting transportation systems. He is a member of the Gas Pipeline Technology Committee (ANSI Z-380) and the ASCE Subsurface Engineering Committee and has served on numerous national committees (e.g., ANSI B31.8 and National Academy of Sciences). Moreover, he is frequently asked to appear as an expert witness in trials.

Batten has written and presented technical papers before industry, government, and public audiences. He co-wrote the American Gas Association’s Gas Engineering Operating Practices Series chapter on accident investigation.

Batten holds a master of science degree in safety from the University of Southern California and a bachelor of civil engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.  He has specialized education on Risk Management from Texas A&M University and on Contemporary Executive Development from George Washington University.  He is a registered Professional Engineer in California in both Corrosion (#194) and Safety (#1568).

 

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Morrie Goodman

Morrie Goodman is a nationally recognized and award winning crisis communications and emergency information professional.

He currently serves as crisis communication consultant with Hall & Associates LLC in Washington, DC.  His clients include the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, FEMA and other federal and state agencies, where he develops and writes crisis communications plans.

He has recently facilitated the development of emergency communications plans for FEMA's catastrophic planning initiatives and developed and wrote the crisis communications plans for state emergency management agencies.

Goodman served as Director of Strategic Communications and Emergency Information at the Federal Emergency Management Agency from January 1993 to November 1998. He managed crisis communications for some of the nation's worst disasters, including; the Northridge earthquake, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Great Midwest floods, Southern California wildfires, hurricanes and more than 200 other presidentially declared disasters. He also worked with the National Transportation Safety Board managing press after the explosion of TWA 800 and managing the board's hearings.

For his work in disaster communications, Goodman won several awards, including the Federal Technology Leadership Award and top honors from the Public Relations Society of America for his development of innovative communications, including live television programming and newsletters intended to keep disaster victims informed in the immediate aftermath of and recovery from disasters.

He developed and taught courses in crisis communications at the Emergency Management Institute and served as a consultant to NATO lecturing and participating in seminars in Europe and Russia.

Goodman also served as press secretary at the United States Department of Commerce from 1998 to 2001 under Secretaries William M. Daley and Norman Y. Mineta, where he was a key member of the team working on permanent trade relations with China

As a veteran journalist, he spent 17 years in television news as a reporter, producer and news director. He was the senior producer for CNN on site at the Kennedy Space Center during the Challenger tragedy.

In the private sector, he worked as vice president of communications for Boeing's Air Traffic Management Division.

Goodman holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kansas.

He currently resides in Washington, DC.

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Chris Gourley

Chris Gourley joined Hall & Associates LLC in 2007. Gourley has spent the last forty-two years employed within the aviation industry enjoying all aspects of maintaining, inspecting and auditing aircraft and their associated support requirements including bases and vendor groups.

Gourley’s previous experience  includes 33 years within the commercial airline industry employed with CPAir, Canadian Airlines and Air Canada where he assumed a number of positions  including aircraft maintenance engineer , aircraft inspector and technical writer. Gourley transitioned from the maintenance to the regulatory compliance aspect of aviation in the late nineties where his responsibilities included senior auditor to airworthiness manager responsible for the regulatory oversight of the Air Canada technical operation in Vancouver, British Columbia. His association with Transport Canada and the FAA has been extensive.

Over the years Gourley has worked extensively throughout the United States and Canada where his responsibilities included technical and airworthiness audit of maintenance bases and vendor companies associated with the aircraft industry.

He holds a Transport Canada Aircraft Maintenance Engineers license with technical experience on Boeing and Douglas aircraft and audit experience on the Airbus.
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Gerald F. Marsters

Gerald F. Marsters serves Hall & Associates LLC as a consultant. For the past 35 years, Marsters has taught, worked and consulted in the aviation industry.

His previous experience includes teaching at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, for 15 years and serving as the director of airworthiness at Transport Canada. In 1987, Marsters became the director general of the Institute for Aerospace Research at the National Research Council.

In 1994, Marsters founded a consulting agency, AeroVations Inc. For the past 12 years, he has provided technical and management advice to a number of aerospace clients in both industry and government. In his consulting practice, he has worked with the Department of National Defense Canadian Forces Experimentation Center, which is developing requirements and CONOPS for UAVs in the Canadian Forces, as well as providing consulting services to DND on airworthiness issues related to the CP140 Aurora, the CC130 Hercules, and the Maritime Helicopter Project.

He is a member of the Executive of the ASTM Subcommittee F38 tasked with developing standards for commercial operations of UAVs in the U.S. National Air Space. Currently he is a lecturer at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where he is a consultant to a student design team that is designing UAV platforms for civil applications.

He served as a pilot and pilot instructor in the RCAF for six years. Following that, he received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Queen’s University, and his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering at Cornell University. Marsters has taken numerous continuing education courses and maintains a pilot's license.
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Earl H. McKinney

Earl H. McKinney Jr. joined Hall & Associates LLC as a consultant. Originally from Bowling Green, Ohio, McKinney specializes in aviation and human factors safety.

McKinney has published a number of articles on aviation and human factors safety. His research examined flying experience in the following criteria: crisis decision-making, the impact of the familiarity of pilots on crew performance, the role of communication on early flight deck team development, and organizational learning in response to aircraft accidents. He has received grants from the Air Force Mobility Command and Air Force Research Lab to study crew behavior and help design an IT system to support the collaborative needs of decision-makers in crisis.

His consulting work is varied. From the Crew Resource Management training to ground controllers for a major U.S. airline, McKinney has worked with some of the best and brightest in the field. Additionally, he helped write the Air Force’s New World Vistas report that identified new technologies for military use. Recently, he served on a blue-ribbon panel for the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture that reported on the safety and effectiveness of aerial wildland firefighting.

Before joining Hall & Associates, he was an associate professor in the business school of Bowling Green State University. Prior to assuming that position, he served in the United States Air Force. His military career includes 2,500 hours of flying time as a pilot and instructor pilot in T-37, T-38, F-4, and TG-7 aircraft.

Trained at the Air Force Safety School, McKinney served as a Wing Flying Safety Officer, investigating and reporting on aircraft accidents and incidents and leading the safety program for more than 100 fighter pilots. He holds an undergraduate degree from the Air Force Academy, a master of industrial engineering degree from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas. He served on the faculty of the Air Force Academy for nine years.

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Robert Pearce

Robert Pearce serves as a consultant for Hall & Associates LLC.  Prior to this he served as a U.S. Army combat pilot, a flight instructor, and research pilot, as well as Senior Air Safety Investigator and later Regional Director for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). 

He began his career in 1967 as a combat pilot for the 101 st Airborne Division where he logged more than 1,000 combat flying hours.  After serving for five years, he moved on to the New Jersey Army National Guard, where he served from 1972 until 1994.  While with the Army National Guard, he commanded the 50 th Combat Aviation Brigade and the 150 th Combat Aviation Battalion.  During his time, Pearce also served as a civilian research pilot for aircraft and weapons systems where he compiled data and wrote specifications for airworthiness releases for test aircraft.  He retired from the Army National Guard in 1994 at the rank of Colonel and Master Army Aviator.

In 1992, Pearce joined the NTSB as an Air Safety Investigator.  While in this role, he conducted more than 260 aviation accident investigations serving as the Investigator-in-Charge and Group Chairman.  These investigations covered a wide spectrum including general aviation, corporate, government, and air carriers.  By 1997 he was serving as Senior Air Safety Investigator and in 1998 was promoted to Regional Director of the NTSB for the Northeast United States.  During his tenure as Regional Director, he was Chief Investigator and report writer for the Piper PA-32 crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard that resulted in the death of John F. Kennedy Jr. and his family.  While in this charge, he also briefed State Department officials and the Egyptian Ambassador in the wake of the EgyptAir Flight 990 crash as well as supported the FBI on scene at the World Trade Center in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001.

Pearce has attended Fairleigh Dickinson University, Rutgers University and the University of Southern California, where he specialized in accident investigation.

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Charles M. Pereira

Charles M. Pereira joined Hall & Associates LLC, as a consultant in 2006.  Pereira specializes in aviation, aerospace, rail, and marine accident and incident investigation.

From 1986 to1988, while attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University , Pereira worked for Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation as Engineering Intern in its Flight Test Division and Stability and Control Division.

From 1990 to 2005, Pereira worked for the NTSB as Senior Aerospace Engineer in the Engineering Services, Vehicle Recorder, and Vehicle Performance divisions.  He went on to serve as NTSB Group Chairman on more than 100 high-profile aviation, aerospace, rail, and marine accident investigations including Sen. John Heinz's fatal airplane crash in Merion, Pa.; the TWA Flight 800 explosion off Long Island, N.Y.; and Sen. Paul Wellstone's fatal crash in Eveleth, Minn.  The NTSB also loaned Pereira 's services to other federal agencies during the course of several high-profile investigations, including the C-172 that intentionally crashed onto White House grounds, and the break-up of the Space Shuttle Columbia.

Following the events of September 11, 2001, Pereira was the sole NTSB investigator selected by the 9-11 Commission to serve as a member of its professional staff.  While detailed to the 9-11 Commission, Pereira was responsible for the analysis, written summary, and public presentation of all radar, FDR, CVR, ATC, Command and Control, terrain, and building geometry data for hundreds of aircraft, numerous ATC and Command and Control facilities, and three crash sites – all of which were spread out between Florida, Indiana, and Massachusetts.  Pereira used his analyses of these data to co-write significant portions of the 9-11 Commission report and to develop 3-D animations of the hijacked airplanes, military airplanes, Air Force One, and other commercial and general aviation airplanes of interest on 9-11, including synchronous playback of audio recordings from FAA, military, and other sources.

Pereira received his bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1989 and is in the process of completing his master of science degree in aeronautical science with a specialization in aviation/aerospace safety.  He received his United States Coast Guard Captain's license from the USCG Baltimore Regional Exam Center in 2000 and frequently operates offshore charter and commercial fishing vessels as President of Sushi Sportfishing, Inc.  Pereira received his North Carolina General Contractor's Unlimited License in 2004 and is President of Beach Design & Construction, Inc.
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J. Vernon Roberts

J. Vernon Roberts serves Hall & Associates LLC as a consultant. For the past 30 years, Roberts has worked in the automotive industry as both an engineer and a consultant.

Roberts’ previous experience includes supervising vehicle safety for General Motors, conducting clinical accident investigations for the National Highway Traffic Board and serving as chief engineer for the National Transportation Safety Board. Most recently, he served as a consultant to the United States Air Force to improve vehicle fleet operational safety. He also recently consulted to Battelle and the federal Department of Transportation for peer review of regulatory analysis for upgrading federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 216 for Roof Crush Protection.

He received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee.
 

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Darrel Smith

Darrel Smith specializes in aviation safety and operations. A native of British Columbia, Smith is a consultant for Hall & Associates, focusing on operational and safety work, and has served a number of private and government agencies in aviation purposes.

From 1991-2000, he served as senior vice-president and then chief operating officer of AirBC, the major commuter airline in western Canada. He previously served as vice chairman of Canadian Airlines International, senior vice president of operational safety for Pacific Western Airlines, and operations manager at Airwest Airlines. He is a past director of the Air Transport Association of Canada, Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame, and Canadian Air Transport Security Authority.

Smith received an advanced management degree from Harvard University, served in the Royal Canadian Air Force and received his undergraduate degree in marketing and transportation from the University of British Columbia.

He holds an airline transport pilot’s license with land, sea and rotary endorsements.

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Barry Sweedler

Barry M. Sweedler serves as a consultant with Hall & Associates LLC.

Previously, he served as the Director of the Office of Safety Recommendations and Accomplishments of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.  During his 31-year career with the NTSB, he was involved in safety in all modes of transportation and was responsible for achieving the highest rate of acceptance possible for the recommendations made by the Safety Board to prevent accidents.

 Working closely with policy-makers, program administrators, safety advocates, and legislators to bring about needed safety improvements, Sweedler managed the Board's "Most Wanted" safety recommendations program, participated in accident investigations and conducted studies on many of the nation's major transportation safety issues.   Among others, these issues included: impaired operators, young drivers, seatbelt and child restraint use and technology, air bags, heavy trucks, operator fatigue in all modes, school buses, emergency response, bridge safety, rail and maritime operations, rail-highway grade crossings, damage to underground pipelines, airport runway incursions and the transportation of hazardous materials.

He also served on the NTSB Board of Inquiry on many high profile accidents, including the ValuJet Flight 592 crash in the Everglades, Florida, the TWA 800 in-flight explosion of a B-747 off the coast of Long Island, New York, the cruise ship Ecstasy Fire in Miami harbor, and the special investigations on improving motor carrier safety and preventing damage to pipelines.

Sweedler was awarded both the U.S. Presidential Rank Awards of Meritorious Senior Executive (from President Reagan) and Distinguished Senior Executive (from President Clinton) for his leadership role in the NTSB's efforts to help improve safety in all modes of transportation.

He holds both a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master's degree in Business Administration, and is a licensed professional engineer.  From 2003 to 2007, he chaired the System Users Group Executive Board of the United States Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board (TRB), covering many safety issues, such as older drivers, truck and bus safety, pedestrians, bicycles, traffic law enforcement, operator licensing, motorcycles, human factors, and alcohol and drugs.  He was instrumental in the establishment of the International Transportation Safety Association and was the Editor of the ITSA Report, the association's newsletter.  He is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Southern California Safety Institute where he lectures on aviation safety and edited their SCSI Safety Monitor newsletter.  He is a Past president of the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (ICADTS) and co-edits the ICADTS Reporter newsletter.  In 2007, he received the prestigious ICADTS Haddon Award.
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Dr. Kay Yong

Born in Shanghai in 1941, Kay Yong moved to Taiwan with his parents at the age of 5. In 1962 he received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering at the National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, and then went to the United States where he completed both the master's and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York.

After graduation, Yong worked in various aerospace establishments in the United States, such as NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Martin Marietta Aerospace Corp., and the Aerospace Corporation.

During his time at the Aerospace Corporation, Yong was the Director of the Spacecraft Systems of the USAF Follow-on Early Warning Systems. He also served as the Director of the Space-based Kinetic Energy Weapon (SBKEW) Flight Experiment Program, and the Director of the Advanced Launch Systems.

In 1992, at the invitation of the Premier of the Republic of China, Yong returned to Taiwan, to serve as the Deputy Director of the newly formed National Space Program Office. In 1995, he joined Microelectronic Technology Inc. as Vice President of Research and Development. In 1997, Yong returned to his alma mater, National Cheng Kung University, as the Director of the Center of Aviation and Space Technology, and also taught graduate courses at the Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. In 1998, Yong was appointed as the Managing Director of the Aviation Safety Council (ASC), an independent government agency responsible for Taiwan’s civil aviation accident investigation. In 2004, he became the chairman of the ASC. He resigned from that post in 2005.

During his years at the ASC, he participated in more than 30 aircraft accident and serious incident investigations. He was the Investigator-in-charge (IIC) for two major accidents in Taiwan: the Singapore Airlines SQ006 accident, and China Airlines CI611 accident.

Yong is the recipient of the 2004 Laura Tauber Aviation Safety Award from the International Flight Safety Foundation, the 2003 Laurel Award from Aviation Week and Space Technology, and the Sir Barnes Wallace Award from the British Royal Pilot and Navigators Guild in 2002.

Yong’s specialties include space systems technology, satellite design and systems engineering, aviation safety, accident investigation, and program management. During his employment at the ASC, Yong has also been the adjunct professor at the Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics of the National Cheng Kung University, and Tamkien University, teaching courses including aviation safety, accident investigation, space systems engineering, and satellite design and technology. He has published more than 40 papers on space systems and aviation safety.