Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University graduate Terrance Westerfield promoted

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia. – Terrance Westerfield of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Geospatial Research Laboratory was recently promoted to DB-V, the laboratory demonstration project equivalent to the federal governments General Schedule 15 level. It is estimated that less than one-third of those who apply for this position are selected. For most, it is the highest achievable rung on the career ladder and only 130 such positions exists within ERDC.

He was chosen in a four-phase process that takes into account a variety of factors including his ability to lead, job history, program/project development and significant projects and publications. A comprehensive application packet is submitted by those who aspire to be considered for the DB-V level.

Westerfield earned a bachelor’s in human factors psychology and a master’s in human factors and systems, and aeronautics Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is currently the senior researcher and program manager for the $48 million, multi-year Map Based Planning Services Program. MBPS is a Joint research program developing geospatially enabled and collaborative mission planning capabilities as services to allow planners, staff and leaders to collect, process, store, display and share data. MBPS will provide a truly digital, collaborative, geospatially enabled planning environment, in near real time, giving planners and leaders increased decision space through a collective shared knowledge.

He is also the Office of the Secretary of Defense technical lead for the development of Adaptive Planning capabilities. In this role, he serves as a senior adviser to OSD leaders, the ERDC director, GRL, and the ERDC Geospatial Research and Engineering Business Area. He provides expert advice on research and engineering issues related to the development of geospatially enable, adaptive, virtual, collaborative, interoperable planning capabilities to support the joint planning process and the Army’s military decision making process.

Westerfield joined ERDC in 2014 as a statistician in GRL’s Information Generation Management Branch. He previously worked as an operational research systems analyst for more than six years at the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command. The Owensboro, Kentucky, native is the recipient of the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service and the Achievement Medal for Civilian Service.