Dr. Robert A. Smith is a Boeing senior technical fellow and is currently the distinguished professor of practice for the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program at Virginia Tech where he is developing advanced complex problem-solving frameworks for collaborative sociotechnical innovation developments. He is a technical leader for strategy, avionics and remote sensing applications in Boeing Research & Technology for missile defense, space exploration and satellite systems. He leads academic and industry collaboration in educational and workforce development efforts. He has received recognition from the undersecretary of defense for his workforce development activities and briefed congressional committees.