Biography
Timothy G. (Tim) Riley began his professional journey as a helicopter crew chief in the U.S. Air Force and has been passionate about all things that fly or rotate ever since. Following his military service, Tim went on to enjoy an incredible 23-year career in NASA’s Space Shuttle Launch and Landing Team as a Space Shuttle orbiter technician and eventually operations chief for Space Shuttle Integration at the Kennedy Space Center. After wheels stopped on the final Space Shuttle mission STS-135 in 2011, Tim followed his passion for operations and safety as an EHS manager in new wind projects with Siemens Wind Energy. Tim came to Sandia National Laboratories in 2015 as the lead for ES&H/Security & Safeguards internal auditing before joining the Wind Energy Design and Experimentation Department.
In his role as the Scaled Wind Farm Technology (SWiFT) program lead, Tim brings integration and project management skills to bear for the safe and efficient operation of the SWiFT Facility, and in ensuring the readiness and capacity to support current and future world-class wind energy research and public outreach to support the goals of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office.
He is currently a PhD candidate in aviation safety and human factors at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, with his dissertation focusing on commercial spaceflight mission assurance. Tim holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental management from Rollins College, a master’s degree in environmental management from Webster University, and a master’s of business administration from the Florida Institute of Technology. Tim is a licensed FAA airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic and holds certifications as a Certified Environmental Professional (CEP), a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), and a Project Management Professional (PMP).
