Fr. Bob

Fr. Bob began his professional career in 1975 by joining the United States Air Force as a police officer. He served in the Regular Air Force, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve until his Honorable Discharge in January 2004. Fr. Bob holds a PhD in Religion, Anthropology of Religion; a Doctorate in Theology; a Masters in Liberal Studies (Natural Science and Society); a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Studies (math/sciences); Associate Degrees in Management, Criminal Justice, and General Studies; Fr. Bob is a practicing Ordained Apostolic Priest of the Old Catholic Church and Anglican Lines of Successions, and a former Episcopal Eucharist Minister. Fr. Bob recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with a diploma in Wind Energy and Turbine Technology; he is a National Science Foundation Infinity Scholar, he a Certified Energy Manager, and Journeyman Electrician, as well as, a published author and artist.Having worked his way through undergraduate college while still on active duty, Fr. Bob was selected to become an Air Force Flight Test Engineer and Program Manager. His duties included developing, testing, and managing cryptology equipment and software for the Air Force, NATO, and National Security Agency. Fr. Bob managed a project in conjunction with MIT Lincoln Laboratories developing data

compression algorithms, as well as the digitized voice recognition and Time Division Multiple Access based technologies, which makes our modern cell phone networks possible. He received recognition for his work, on these efforts in a letter from the Director of the National Security Agency and the Joint Service Commendation Medal from then Secretary of Defense, Casper Weinberger. Fr. Bob later served as a geophysics scientist at the Air Force Geophysics Laboratory where his duties included monitoring foreign nuclear weapons testing, participating in applied and theoretical research of gravitational anomalies, and managing an advanced digital mapping project. Fr. Bob went on to serve as Chief, International Cooperative Programs Branch, Program Manager for The National Data and Information Repository Program, and Chief, Accelerated Software Testing Initiative. Fr. Bob finished his Air Force career working with government, academic, and industrial leaders, to develop domestic and international government/academic/industrial cooperative research initiatives.

After leaving, active duty with the Air Force, Fr. Bob pursued a professional career in private industry as an engineer, manager, and consultant. Fr. Bob managed, developed and fielded a number of highly successful and profitable systems for the insurance, telecommunications, air traffic control, manufacturing, and government sectors. Dr. Straitt's practical ability to apply quantitative methods to business organizations and processes at all levels has resulted in multimillion-dollar contract bonus awards for his organizations. The Presidents of the IEEE Computer Society and the National Software Council have recognized Fr. Bob as a leader in his field.

Fr. Bob has lectured and taught and/or lectured Software Engineering, Quality Management, Security, and Business Processes at universities in the United States and France. Fr. Bob has conducted theoretical and practical research and analysis in Wind Power and other Alternative Fuel technologies, including plasma combustion technologies. He has conducted field research with the University of Corsica at archeological sites in the Mediterranean area, dating back to 6000 BCE as well as the impacts anthropological research by state of the art Geographical Information Systems. Fr. Bob has served as the Executive Director of the Technology Program Advisory Committee (TPAC) at Arkansas State University-Jonesboro.

Fr. Bob is a member of the Institute of Electrical Engineering and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Power Generation Society, Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), Phi Theta Kappa, a Founding Member of the National Software Council, and a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Fr. Bob is a past member of; Rotary International, The International Council on Systems Engineering, American Legion, Atlantic Test Workshop (General Chair), Armed Forces Communications Association, Illuminating Engineers Society, International Test and Evaluation Association, MicroLabs International Advisory Board, National Software Council, Women Controllers Association, REVIC Users Group (Vice Chair), and The Minnesota Opera Volunteers. Fr. Bob was a member of Civil Air Patrol where he earned the Billy Mitchell and Amelia Earhart Awards.

Fr. Bob and his wife Nadine live with their three children in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Their boys are now enjoying boy scouts and their girl has been taking ballet lessons. Nadine, a certified Wind Turbine Technician is a full time student at Excelsior College majoring in Liberal Studies with her interest in sustainable energy and technology. Fr. Bob and his wife enjoy the Arts, especially the Opera, where Fr. Bob previously served as a Volunteer for the Minnesota Opera, and his wife previously owned and operated an art studio and gallery. The couple also enjoys ballroom dancing, where Fr. Bob holds an Associate Bronze Level in Ball Room Dancing. Fr. Bob enjoys writing poetry, and he has won the Editor's Choice Award from the National Library of Poetry for his published work and has published a books on poetry art, and Feminism.