Faculty and Staff

Dr. Abu-Ageel has over fifteen years of academic and industrial experience in research, teaching, and entrepreneurship. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University. He joined Capitol Technology University in January 2016. Prior to this, Dr. Abu-Ageel served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at George Mason University. The innovative teaching practices he introduced include integrating entrepreneurship into class material as well as involving engineering students with the local community.

Dr. Alex "Sandy" Antunes is a professor of astronautical engineering at Capitol Technology University. He mentors and manages undergraduate payload projects that are student conceived and student led, including the Cactus-1 CubeSat mission and two summers with Brazil's “Science without Borders” exchange program, and has been a member of the NASA Academy of Aerospace Quality (AAQ) advisory board since 2015. His recent publications address open source satellite work, cheap deployable sensors, machine learning, and engineering education. In addition to scientific research on solar physics, X-ray binaries, and collisional remnants, he has written five "DIY" technical books for O'Reilly/Maker Media on amateur space and machine learning topics. Prior work includes spacecraft science operations and astrophysics work at GSFC, solar physics at NRL under an NRC fellowship, design of the DIY TubeSat “Project Calliope”, and freelance science writing.

Professor Soren Ashmall directs the university’s assessment, accreditation, and new degree programs. He is also a seasoned professor who has taught many of the Business, English, Humanities, and Social Science courses at Capitol Technology University. In addition to his career in academia, Professor Ashmall has worked as a Senior Director of Business Development for General Dynamics Information Technology and in senior positions at other companies and U.S. government agencies. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Marine Corps in 2009 following over 21 years of continuous active duty service.

Chandra Bajracharya received the Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering from Old Dominion University, USA, in 2014. She is a faculty member with the Department of Electrical Engineering, Capitol Technology University, USA. She was associated with the Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics and worked on several projects funded by U.S. Air Force and National Institute of Health. Her research interests include wireless networking, cyber-physical systems, power electronics, alternative energy, communication systems, numerical electromagnetics, UWB antenna design, and signal and image processing.

Dr. Garima Bajwa holds a master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a doctorate in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of North Texas (UNT), in addition to her undergraduate degree from the Mody Institute of Technology and Science.

Dr. Richard Baker is director of master’s programs at Capitol Technology University. He previously served as associate professor in Indiana State University’s Department of Aviation Technology, and as executive director of the Center for Unmanned Systems and Human Capital Development.  Richard holds a BS in mathematics and an MS in computer science from Indiana State University. He received his doctorate in information systems from Nova Southeastern University.  

Gary Burke has an MBA from Southern Methodist University and a BS in Building Science from Auburn University.  He has extensive experience in business operations and management, commercial and residential construction, real estate and land development, residential and commercial property.  Professor Burke has a passion for education and has mentored hundreds of students in the construction management field.  

Bill Butler is currently Director, Critical Infrastructures and Cyber Protection Center (CICPC) at Capitol Technology University. Prior to this appointment in 2013 Bill worked in the networking and IT industries as a network engineer and consultant for over 20 years. Bill also served as a joint qualified communications information systems officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and retired as a Colonel with 30 years of service (active and reserve). Bill holds a Doctorate in cybersecurity earned from Capitol focusing on preserving cellphone privacy and countering illegal cell towers (IMSI catchers).

A native of Louisville, KY. Dr. Michael Fain, currently serves as Director of Doctoral Programs. He works as director of doctoral programs.  When not working with doctoral students and faculty, Fain spends time mentoring several African American undergraduate students on campus. He brings over 25 years of higher education experience to Capitol.

Rick Hansen is a Professor of Practice in Cybersecurity. He mentors and supports student projects from the university’s Cybersecurity program, the Cybersecurity Competition Team (“Signal 9”) and the Astronautical Engineering Program. He also provides outreach to government and industry. Rick has a Masters Degree in Computer Science from the Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelors Degree in Electronic Engineering from Capitol College. His research interests include Cybersecurity for the Internet of Things, application of Socratic Learning for technology training & education, autonomous vehicle communications & countermeasures, and Entrepreneurship. Professor Hansen is a military veteran and serves as the CEO of a Cybersecurity and Research firm.

Dr. Soheil Hosseini holds a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Toledo and has also accumulated extensive experience in the private sector. While a graduate student, he developed a new machine learning algorithm to forecast short-term electricity load using the data from a North American electric utility, potentially leading to millions of dollars in savings due to better prediction accuracy.

Management and Decision Sciences professor Dr. Robert Leonard joined the doctoral faculty at Capitol Technology University in Fall 2016. With thirty years of experience as a corporate marketing and communications professional in addition to degrees from three colleges, Leonard aims to build synergy in the classroom by drawing from both his business experience and academic interests.

Dr. Linda F. Martin has a PhD in occupational health and safety from Capitol, an MS in Occupational Safety Management, an MBA, and a BS in geology. Dr. Martin has 30 years of professional experience in construction and occupational safety and has a strong background in all aspects of the environmental health and safety disciplines. Dr. Martin is the current Chief Learning Officer at the Board of Certified Safety Professionals, where she previously served as a two-term President of the Board of Directors. She holds several highly regarded industry credentials, such as the Certified Safety Professional and the Certified Industrial Hygienist certifications. Dr. Martin is the 2018 National Safety Council Marion Martin award winner for women in safety who have achieved professional excellence in their area of specialty and helped pave the way to success for other women in the profession.

Through his consultancy, Ron has business relationships with a diverse mix of businesses. He served as a board of directors for-profit and non-profit organizations. Ron retired from the United States (U. S.) Army in 1999 and the U. S. Government in 2011. In between his tours of Federal Service, he served five years as a civilian police officer in the Commonwealth of Virginia. During his Federal Service, he served with the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services as the program director for the development and implementation of the department’s Identity, Credentialing and Access Management (ICAM) Program.

An internationally recognized leader in aerodynamics research and expert on low-speed flight, Dr. McAndrew has five degrees: a PhD, two master’s degrees and two bachelor’s degrees. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Dr. McAndrew chairs several international conferences and journals and is invited to give keynote speeches all over the world. He started his career in the automotive industry as an engine designer, and has worked at several universities across the globe. Dr. McAndrew is Dean of doctoral programs at Capitol. An external examiner on the world wide stage (UK USA, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Japan, Australia, Greece and Kenya) his experience includes over 80 successful Doctorate successes.

Dr. McCaskey developed a solid background in aviation during his twenty years in the United States Navy. As a C-130 and P-3 Flight Engineer with over 5,000 flight hours, he became an expert in aircraft systems, weight and balance, emergency procedures, aircraft flight profiles, safety of flight, and aircrew flight equipment. This considerable systems knowledge allowed him to obtain an FAA Airframes and Power Plant license. 

Professor Pamela Opeka has followed her professional interest teaching mathematics and other sciences for her entire 30 year career at both the high school and collegiate level.  After several years working in the lab as a research technician, she initially taught science courses at the high school level but quickly found a greater love in teaching mathematics.  For her skill and dedication, she received the prestigious 2009 National Institute of Standards and Technology Sigma Xi Chapter’s Outstanding Teacher award.  She is committed to excellence and in keeping with her desire to excel as a teacher; she earned her MEd in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of MD in 2009.  

Jessica Richardson, CSP, CIT is the Professional and Organizational Advancement Manager for the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). She has comprehensive experience developing and managing occupational health and safety management systems, training, and performance improvement programs in construction & energy. She also specializes in instructional design in the workplace and at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Jessica has a BS in Safety and Environmental Management from Slippery Rock University, MS in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning from Boise State University and is a PhD Candidate (ABD) in Safety Sciences at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In 2017, Jessica was awarded the American Society of Safety Professional’s (ASSP) Utilities Practice Specialty Safety Professional of the Year.

Dr. Sims has always been involved with technology starting with receiving a Commodore 64 for his birthday and teaching himself basic programming to do more with the Commodore 64.  He went on to obtain a BS in Building Construction Management from Purdue University and worked coast to coast in the United States and briefly in Europe in the project management area of industrial construction and by default of his experience with technology being involved with the computer systems as well at each company.  Later, he went back to Higher Education to obtain an MS in Building Construction from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction from Purdue University that lead him to his first position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida.  As he moved to different universities, he advanced in the administrative positions becoming a Department Head, Dean, Chief Academic Officer, and President.  Now at Capitol Technology University, he is bringing together his background in construction and technology along with Capitol Tech’s strong cybersecurity to build the first degree programs in Critical Infrastructure design to help protect the nation.  This is an area of special interest to Dr. Sims as he sees the needs of those protecting are critical infrastructure from cyber attacks to also understand how these facilities operate to better defend against such attacks.

Dr. Robert Steele serves as Chair and Professor of Computer Science. He holds a doctorate in Computer Science, has authored more than 140 peer-reviewed publications, and his work has been patented and successfully commercialized. He also has extensive administrative experience in large, complex and leading institutions nationally and internationally and at all levels of program leadership, curriculum development and teaching.

I have lived in Maryland since 1978; and currently live in Kensington with my wife and our son.  I have taught at several colleges and universities in Washington, D. C. Metropolitan area. Areas of interest include: 3D Printing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality, Big Data, Blockchain, Drones, Genetics, Internet of Things (IoT), Robots and Virtual Reality. 

Dr. Ronald Wakeham’s career encompasses over 40 years working and teaching emergency and protective services. After joining law enforcement following military service, his career track shifted to fire and emergency services. There he rose through the ranks from firefighter to fire chief and served in that capacity for three different departments. As his formal education progressed further opportunities led him into emergency management and teaching. From 1996 – 2016 he was a course developer and contract faculty member (1996 – 2016) for the Department of Homeland Security/National Emergency Training Center/National Fire Academy. He also served as undergraduate faculty at several universities before taking a position as Department Chair of Security Emergency Services for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University from 2011-2019. He earned an Associate in Applied Science in Fire Science from Tidewater Community College, a Bachelor of Science in Governmental Administration from Christopher Newport University, a Master of Public Administration from Old Dominion University and a Doctorate in Public Administration from NOVA Southeastern University. He also has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals.