About Chapter

Club President: Laura Sunden
laura.sunden@motorolasolutions.com 

Laura Sunden is the Managing Director of Business Development & Strategy for the Go-to-Market (GTM) Business Development team at Motorola Applied Technology. Her career has focused on key leadership positions within industry for over 20 years, specializing in advanced technical systems, engineering services, and the development of specialized technology. She is a recognized professional within the Special Operations Technical Intelligence & Surveillance community, the Commercial Defense Industry, the Intelligence Community, the International Defense Industry, and with the U.S. Allied Foreign Military partners. Originally from New York City, her work in the Defense Industry began in San Diego, CA. She served on the Armed Forces Communication & Electronics Association (AFCEA) Executive Advisory Board for both the San Diego and Southern Florida Chapters. Laura has served as the Vice President for the Association of Old Crows Capitol Club Chapter, Director of Coordination for the annual AOC STEM Symposium, and as an active volunteer supporting K-12 STEM efforts in the National Capitol Region. In 2017, she was honored to receive the "Electronic Warfare Professional of the Year" award from the Association of Old Crows. When Laura is not working in the Electronic Warfare industry and volunteering for the Capitol Club she enjoys spending quality time traveling or camping with her husband and three children. 

 

Club Treasurer:  Matt Shipley
mbshipley@gmail.com
757-849-9285
 
Matt Shipley currently owns two small businesses in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, providing consulting (Six S Solutions) and construction services (Marble Doctor). He previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Readiness. Matt was the focal point within the Office of the Secretary of Defense for the near-term strategic and operational readiness of the Armed Services, developing and overseeing policies and programs to ensure the U.S. military is ready to perform missions assigned by the President and the Secretary of Defense. In this capacity, he also served as a principal staff advisor on global force management and Reserve Component mobilization, and was responsible for the Department’s quarterly readiness reporting to Congress.  Prior to this role, he served as the Military Legislative Assistant to Senator Ted Cruz. He advised the Senator on national security and veteran matters, crafted public policies to improve our warfighting capabilities and represented the Senator to community and military leaders. Previously, Matt served for 20 years in the United States Navy where he completed four deployments as an EA-6B Electronic Countermeasures Officer and served on several major staffs, including Commander, Carrier Group ONE, United States Central Command, and the United Kingdom’s Permanent Joint Headquarters.  Matt received a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Business Administration from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, where upon graduation he was accepted to the Beta Gamma Sigma international honor society.  He resides in Northern Virginia with his wife and four children.

 

Club Secretary: Joseph A. Durso
Durso.joe@aol.com
Cell: 571-435-5174

Joe Durso is a Senior Systems Engineer and Action Officer at American Systems Corporation providing technical and programmatic support to the Under Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering’s Developmental Test, Evaluation & Assessments Directorate.  Primarily responsible for supporting development of the Family of Future Vertical Lift (FVL) Systems, along with the technical and programmatic risk reduction initiatives for the Services Rotary Wing aircraft.  Prior to joining the OSD(R&E) staff in 2014, Joe was the Deputy Director for Army Business Development for the Aerospace Systems sector at Northrop Grumman, developing advanced multi-purpose airborne reconnaissance and targeting sensors for manned and unmanned aircraft.   Mr. Durso retired as a colonel from the U.S. Army after 28 years of service as an operational Aviator and Aviation Acquisition Officer. Commanding tactical units at the platoon and company levels, he served as a Flight Operations Officer during Operation Desert Storm. As a Level III-certified Program Manager, he led the efforts to develop and field advanced suites of airborne radar and infra-red countermeasures systems, and later helped modernize the Army’s entire strategic and tactical portfolio of Air Traffic Control Systems. Assigned to the Pentagon for multiple assignments, Joe served on both the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Force Development and Secretariat Aviation and IEW Staffs.  He later served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (AT&L) EW Office, and also the Land Warfare Division, responsible for providing critical support for Army and Joint EW airborne tactical programs, future rotorcraft, and development of unmanned aircraft systems.  Mr. Durso was commissioned a Second Lieutenant with a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy, West Point. He holds Masters of Science degrees in Materiel Acquisition Management from the Florida Institute of Technology, and National Security Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He is a graduate of the Defense Systems Management College’s Program Managers Course, the Army’s Command and General Staff College, and the Operations Research-Systems Analysis Course.   Joe is a Master Army Aviator certified as a Pilot-in-Command and Instructor Pilot for several Rotary Wing aircraft and is rated as a multi-engine commercial fixed wing Airline Transport Pilot; having flown more than 3,000 accident-free rotary and fixed wing flight hours.  Joe actively serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Old Crows Capitol Club Chapter, serving as its Secretary and Awards Chair An avid runner, Mr. Durso competes annually in the Marine Corps Marathon and in several capacities at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, VA.