Faculty and Staff

Dr. Mary Aiken serves as Chair and Professor of the  Cyberpsychology Department. She holds a Ph.D. in Forensic Cyberpsychology. Professor Mary Aiken is a world leading expert in Cyberpsychology – the study of the impact of technology on human behaviour and is a Professor of Forensic Cyberpsychology in the Department of Law and Criminology at the University of East London. Dr. Aiken is a member of INTERPOL's Global Cybercrime Expert Group and an Academic Advisor to Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3). She is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Medicine, Global Fellow at the Washington DC Wilson Center, a member of the Medico-Legal Society, an International Affiliate Member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and a Fellow of the Society for Chartered IT Professionals.

Dr. Tyler Asher currently works for Performance Contracting Group. Thoroughly knowledgeable of all safety and health technical requirements, considerations and protective measures to be instituted to achieve an accident-free work site. Particularly skilled in implementing safety training and performing safety inspections and hazard/risk analysis. Safety experience also translates into review and analysis of all subcontractors on-site to assure that all participants of the construction effort maintain the highest safety. Bachelors in Science with a degree in Safety Management and a Masters in Occupational Safety and Health. Dr. Tyler Asher also has a PhD in Occupational Health & Safety with a focus in Virology, Heat Illness, and Fatigue Management from the University of Capitol Technology University.

Dr. Soren Ashmall is 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, Dr. 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. He held positions of increasing authority throughout his career, including service as a Vice Chairman, Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Operations Officer, Company Commander, Officer-In-Charge, and Division Head multiple times at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. He directed all resources, programming, and budgeting for Marine Corps Intelligence, regularly briefed U.S. Congressional Committees, directed all signals intelligence policy for the Marine Corps, led a large national event for the Marine Corps, and held fiscal responsibility for hundreds of millions of dollars during his military career. Dr. Ashmall is the Chairman Emeritus of the Faculty Advisory Council for the Maryland Higher Education Commission. He also serves on multiple workgroups and roundtable councils for the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Dr. Ashmall is married to Professor Tammie Ashmall. He has two adult children who hold leadership positions in major companies.

Dr. Richard Baker is Associate Dean of Graduate 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.  

Dr. Juanita Butler is Doctoral Faculty and the Assistant Dean of Doctoral Programs at Capitol Technology University. She has served as a Professor of Practice at Capitol in the Master's program and is currently teaching Doctoral courses. She has previously taught at the University of South Florida in the CCA program and University of the People.

Dr. William (Bill) Butler is currently the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Capitol Technology University. Prior to this appointment in 2021, Dr. Butler served as Cybersecurity Chair for 8 years at Capitol Tech. Earlier in his career, he worked in the networking and IT industries as a network engineer and consultant for over 20 years. He 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). Dr. Butler holds a Doctorate in cybersecurity earned from Capitol focusing on preserving cellphone privacy and countering illegal cell towers (IMSI catchers).

Dr. Kellep Charles is Chair of Cybersecurity programs at Capitol Technology University. He completed his Doctorate in Cybersecurity at Capitol Technology University.  He also holds a Master of Science in Telecommunication Management from the University of Maryland University College and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Dr. Charles Conner has worked in industry and academia since 1980.  His specialty is digital signal and image processing and has worked with Catholic University as well as many government agencies.  He started teaching (part-time) in 1984.

Darin has served in a number of roles throughout the industry for the last 20 years. He has served in roles such as Safety Director, Director of Operations, and currently CEO of a company located in Lexington, KY.  His academic tenure has been obtaining a Bachelor Degree in Science with a concentration in Occupational Safety and Health from Eastern KY University, an M.B.A. from Midway University, and am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Occupational Safety and Health from Capitol Technology University. He has also completed a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma from Villanova University. However, his most proud accomplishment is being a husband to his wonderful wife and a father to his five children.

35 years of professional management and safety leadership experience and earned my Certified Safety Professional (CSP) designation in 2003. Prior to my current position as CEO for Seabreeze Safety Solutions LLC, I served as a senior safety consultant for JJ Keller and president/CEO for Total Safety Inc. Prior to that, I served as safety director for AK Steel retiring after 31 years and Asst. Professor of Safety Technology for Marshall University, where I retired as Professor Emeritus in 2001. U.S. Air Force veteran.

A native of Louisville, KY. Dr. Michael Fain, currently serves as a Professor. When not working with 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 Tech.

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.

Drew is a seasoned occupational safety and health (OSH) professional with over 15 years of progressive experience in a variety of industries. He is the current President/CEO of Arrow Safety, LLC, a safety consulting and training firm based out of Glasgow, KY. Drew holds a PhD in Occupational Health and Safety from Capitol Technology University and is an OSHA-Authorized Outreach Trainer for both general industry and construction industry.

Dr. Jones is an award-winning, risk strategist who helps others think strategically about the future of technology and cybersecurity, and how to address potential barriers to success. Laura also served for 10 years as a global management consultant where she developed quality assurance and risk management programs for organizations such as The Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security, Department of the Treasury and various Army agencies. In the corporate sector, Laura led the development of cybersecurity risk management programs for two publicly traded companies; a Fortune 500 company, a newly publicly traded company experiencing hyper growth in their industry and a privately held conglomerate organization comprised of over 360 businesses. She is known driving programs from conceptual framework to global execution. Dr. Jones previously served as an Associate Dean of Students for Academic Affairs. A United States Army veteran, Dr. Jones served 21 years on active duty and earned the rank of Master Sergeant/E8- before achieving an honorable retirement. Dr. Jones is an educator, speaker, author and entrepreneur. She serves as a mentor to other professionals seeking to learn more about risk management.

Dr. Vijay Kowtha is a strong and visible leader in the support and encouragement of young people in their studies in Engineering and specifically in formulating areas of responsive research. He was a leader in STEM education endeavor long before it became a national acronym, and his accomplishments stand as a foundation to the quest in the promotion of STEM since 1980s in the inner cities. Shortly after returning from England in 2007, he promoted basic research within DOD establishment using undergraduates who visited basic research facilities both in US and abroad. Several midshipmen completed their doctoral work under his guidance at Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College in UK and Chalmers in Sweden. These doctoral students worked in basic research in USA and mentored US college students locally in diverse engineering fields. Dr. Kowtha has organized STEM events promoting basic research at the USA science festival, US Navy, Sea and Air Exposition and Sigma Xi annual research meetings. His efforts resulted in responsive research and workforce development. Recently he formed a new non-profit called MASER (Mentors Advancing STEM Education and Research) with two MOUs with local universities. Dr. Kowtha also mentored high school students in First Robotics competitions for two decades, teams won national level competitions and many students have graduated and are now gainfully employed in federal workforce.

Born in the great state of Hawaii while my mother was stationed on the Naval base. I have always enjoyed science from a young age, my uncle introduced me to space while we were watching an Apollo documentary. Since then, I always knew a career in space is something that I wanted to do. While in Elementary school I would read any book I could about space, I even could tell you the names of all the space shuttles, what year they built and there first launch, I also began learning about astronomy and became fascinated in the field. On my 5th bday my godparents gifted me my first telescope and on that same night we looked at the planet Saturn, small in size that telescope allowed me learn more about astronomy and take what I learned in books and see them in real life. My junior year of high school, I wanted to get an early start to my college search, I knew astronomy and space were my ideal fields but many colleges and universities I attended open houses seemed too large and I felt I wouldn’t get the exposure I required in the field. I attended an open house at Capitol Technology University (then Capitol College) and knew their AE program would be my best track to working on a NASA mission. In fall of 2006 I was selected as a flight operator on NASA’s TOMS-EP mission and that was my stepping stone to greater missions. Since graduation I have worked on over 12 NASA and commercial missions, attended various conference and help run the Space Flight Operations Training Center (SFOTC), to train the next generation of spacecraft operators.

Dr. Ron Martin is a Professor of Practice at Capitol Technology University, specializing in the functional areas of Critical Infrastructure, Industrial Control System Security, Identity, Credential, and Access Management. Dr. Martin maintains professional relationships with a diverse mix of businesses. He serves on the board of directors for many profit and nonprofit organizations, such as the International Foundation for Protection Officers (IFPO), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) P2887 - Zero Trust Security Working Group (ZTSWG) as Vice Chair. He is a voting member of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to the International Standards Organization (ISO), which works to develop and articulate the U.S. position by ensuring public and private sector stakeholder involvement. He is also a member of the Cloud Security Alliance Zero-Trust/ Software Defined Perimeter Expert’s Working Group and the Security Industry Association Standards Committee.

An internationally recognized leader in 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 Technology University. An external examiner on the world wide stage (UK USA, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Japan, Australia, Greece and Kenya) his experience includes over 115 successful Doctorate successes.

 Professor Andrew Mehri teaches across various programs. Prof. Mehri’s teaching philosophy revolves around students academic development, and personal growth, with an emphasis on building solid skills to meet the demands of employers that rely on Capitol Technology University for excellence.

Prof. Mehri brings many years of engineering design and implementation expertise to the classroom. He also offers contextual learning insights on how engineering and market demands shape the path for innovation and opportunities.

Eric Motycka serves Capitol Technology University as the Director of Graduate Programs. Prior to joining Capitol Tech, Eric held multiple leadership positions in industries ranging from industrial coatings to financial services to Higher Education Advancement. Eric holds a BA in Literature and Writing from Burlington College, an MBA from Indiana State University, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Indiana State University.

Dr. Pollack served as the Computer Science Program Chair within the Department of Science and Technology at Sierra Nevada University for two decades. Immediately prior to coming to SNC, he was a member of the Computer Science faculties of both the City College of San Francisco and San Francisco State University. Prior to this Dr. Pollack served for over 20 years as Vice President, Research and Development at several companies in Silicon Valley designing and implementing software products. Dr. Pollack’s special interests include entertainment technology, computer graphics, programming languages, compilers, and the theory of computing.

Todd Raines is an adjunct professor of Aviation Cybersecurity Management at Capitol Technology University. Todd grew up on the west coast in Arizona and California, and attended college at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado, as well as the National University in California. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering, he flew fighter aircraft for the United States Air Force for 21 years. Todd also attained his Master of Science in Cybersecurity. He worked with United Airlines as a Flight Officer for 7 years, and spent 12 years with the US Cyber Command in cyber warfare operations, ensuring the protection and freedom of action in, and through, cyberspace and the information environment. He is currently with the US Space Force (Pentagon) as a civil servant employee. Todd lives in Edgewater, Maryland with his wife of 29 years, Lynn, and two of his six children. When he is not teaching, he is rooting for his son during his football games. 

Dr Bharat S. Rawal is full  Professor & Chair Computer and Data Science at Capitol Technology  University, USA. His research focuses on network security, cloud computing and security, blockchain, Big Data and analytical modeling, smart grid and health informatics for the development of next-generation cyber defense and operation technologies. He has published  about hundreds of  peer-reviewed conference proceedings, and journal publications, and has two patents. He is a member of (ACM, IEEE, IET, etc.). He received his D.Sc degree IT from Towson University Maryland.

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. Joshua Sinai is a professor of practice at Capitol Technology University, teaching courses on terrorism, counterterrorism, intelligence and analytic methodologies, global security issues, military warfare, and other related subjects.

Dr. Robert Steele serves as Chair and Professor of the Computer Science Department. He holds a Ph.D. 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.

Dr. Jamie Teeple is the General Education Director and an Assistant Professor at Capitol Technology University.  His research interests include the philosophy of education, political philosophy, and novel conceptions of STEM and general education.

Dr. Gary Truslow is a veteran of the IT industry with over 30 year of experience. He is currently a computer scientist with the federal government. Gary has experience with numerous programming languages, databases, and network technologies. His extensive expertise in software and hardware focuses all the way down to component-level electronic designs. Gary’s ability to rapidly learn and apply new technologies to existing infrastructures has made him a valuable member of many organizations in industry, academia, and government. Gary applies technical solutions with a focus on cost-effective results, combining technical and managerial acumen.

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.