Jane Edwards 
- SPA has appointed four fellows to strengthen capabilities across AI, cloud and other tech areas
- New fellows bring experience from NVIDIA, xAI, Effectual and LinQuest, among other companies
- SPA has expanded technical leadership supporting defense and national security clients
Systems Planning & Analysis has appointed four new fellows to strengthen the company’s capabilities in applied artificial intelligence, software engineering, DevSecOps and cloud, and digital wargaming.
The Alexandria, Virginia-based company said Wednesday the appointments expand its technical leadership across mission areas supporting national security and defense priorities.
According to SPA, the fellows serve as senior subject matter experts who help advance enterprise capabilities and support government customers operating in complex mission environments.
Who Are SPA’s Newly Appointed Fellows?
The newly appointed SPA Fellows are:
- Amy Soller, fellow for applied AI
- Ian Harding, fellow for software engineering
- Phillip Pournelle, fellow for digital wargaming
- Steven Hernandez, fellow for DevSecOps and cloud
Soller leads initiatives applying AI and machine learning technologies to defense and intelligence missions. Prior to joining SPA, she led frontier large language model integration efforts for defense and intelligence customers at NVIDIA and xAI.
Harding leads the design of software architectures supporting data analytics, AI and decision-making systems. Prior to joining SPA, he served as a senior cloud application engineer at Effectual, where he designed and implemented mission-critical cloud applications using Amazon Web Services architectures.
Pournelle oversees digital wargaming and analytical approaches supporting joint and naval operational decision-making. Before joining SPA, he spent three years at the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, where he focused on mobility and naval warfare analysis.
Hernandez develops cloud and DevSecOps architectures to support secure and scalable mission systems, including capabilities tied to space and command-and-control environments. Prior to joining SPA, he held engineering leadership positions supporting Space Force modernization efforts at organizations including MCR, which SPA acquired in 2021, and LinQuest.
What Is SPA?
Systems Planning & Analysis is an independent analytical and technical innovation company focused on defense priorities and national security programs. The company provides data-driven insights, digital engineering and mission support services for government customers addressing defense and strategic challenges.
SPA, a portfolio company of Arlington Capital Partners, employs more than 3,000 professionals with expertise spanning land, air, surface and undersea warfare operations, intelligence, radar and sensor systems, unmanned systems, space, missile defense, cybersecurity, economic security and hypersonics.
In recent months, the company secured a potential five-year, $100 million contract from the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering for technical and business operations support. SPA also expanded its executive leadership team with the appointments of Douglas Coleman as chief legal officer and Raj Badhwar as chief information officer.
