John Besich Ph.D.

Dr. John Besich is currently serving as Principal Scientist in the Industrial Psychology Solutions department at SkillsNET^®. In over two years at SkillsNET, Dr. Besich’s efforts have been directed towards conducting job analyses, workforce planning, and process development, with a primary focus on working with the United States Navy and Department of Defense. He has also served as lead scientist while performing various types of data analyses, survey validation, and data assurance studies. Dr. Besich has worked on the development of an automated staffing tool and other applications utilizing SkillsNET technology. Additionally, Dr. Besich has also been involved with a comprehensive workforce analysis in the petro-chemical industry.

Prior to SkillsNET, Dr. Besich spent several years working in The Boeing Company implementing a team-based organization model. After this, he spent several years working with the Department of Veteran Affairs on a strategic workforce planning effort. Dr. Besich has also designed, developed, and implemented organization-wide employee surveys used for workforce planning efforts. John Besich received his Ph.D. and M.S degrees in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of North Texas and a B.S. in Psychology from Texas A&M University.

Blaine Gaddis Ph. D.

Dr. Blaine Gaddis` six years of applied experience in Industrial-Organizational psychology includes execution and oversight for several large-scale projects with SkillsNET®. His primary focus has been on job analysis, training design, and workforce planning for the United States Navy and Department of Defense. While working with the Navy, Dr. Gaddis has led projects to identify, standardize, analyze, and maintain occupational skill data for enlisted sailors. Additionally, Blaine is responsible for managing SkillsNET’s applied research centers, which currently include facilities at the University of Oklahoma, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and Northern Illinois University. Outside of his work with the Navy, Dr. Gaddis has worked closely with clients including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Mi-SWACO, Monster.com, and Bearing Point. Previously, he collaborated with the State of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to design and validate employability assessments, selection interviews, and instruments assessing research integrity.

During his career, Dr. Gaddis has authored 20 articles and book chapters on the subjects of leadership, planning, feedback delivery, scientific integrity, creativity, and selection interviewing and has presented at numerous conferences on those topics. He holds doctorate and master’s degrees in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology, all from the University of Oklahoma.

Laura Mastrangelo Ph.D.

Laura Mastrangelo has six years of experience in the field of applied psychology, specializing in performance assessment and application of quantitative and qualitative methods. Dr. Mastrangelo has used her expertise to manage projects for SkillsNET^®, primarily in the areas of performance benchmarking and job standards for the United States Navy. While at SkillsNET, Mastrangelo has led internal research efforts, and served as a statistical expert on many projects. Her previous experience includes over five years of project management for large, federally funded grants. Mastrangelo has independent consulting experience working with multiple academic institutions in program evaluation and focus group facilitation. Her primary research interests include multi-rater feedback and mixed methods research.

Dr. Mastrangelo is a member of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychologists and the American Evaluation Association, and has given workshops and presentations in multiple regional and national conferences. She has a Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University in applied psychology, an M.A. in experimental psychology from Southern Methodist University, and a B.A. in psychology from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi.

David Payne Ph. D.

Dr. David Payne has over 25 years experience in using job/task analysis methodologies to create human capitol systems that enable organizations in both the public and private sector to achieve critical business goals. Since joining SkillsNET^® in 2003, he has focused on workforce planning, competency modeling, and the application of SkillsNET tools and methodologies to achieve Department of Defense Manpower, Personnel, and Training goals. Prior to joining SkillsNET, David successfully provided consulting services to numerous clients in the manufacturing, food service, and professional services industries. He has developed, validated, and implemented a variety of strategic HR systems for use with hourly workers to high level (CEO) corporate positions. A sampling of his past clients includes Nabisco Bakeries, TGI Friday’s, PolyOne (chemical company), Applebee’s Restaurants, Domco Tile International, and KrispyKreme Doughnuts.

David is a retired Air Force officer who holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Syracuse University.

Jill Strange Ph. D.

Dr. Jill Strange has seven years of experience in the field of industrial and organizational psychology enable her to oversee several projects for SkillsNET^®. In her two years at SkillsNET, her primary focus has been on competency modeling, job analysis, and workforce planning, specifically relating to the United States Navy and Department of Defense. While working with the Navy, Dr. Strange has served as the lead scientist to design an enterprise-wide competency model as well as the lead on projects comparing military and civilian work, occupational skill identification, and human capital metric design. Additionally, she is a lead scientist on SkillsNET’s work in the European Union. Previously, she worked with US- and EU-based clients such as Wachovia, Valero, Adidas, and the University of Oklahoma to design and validate employability assessments as well as performance assessment systems and workforce planning strategies.

Strange is the author of over 15 articles and book chapters on the subjects of leadership, assessment, and competency modeling and has presented at many conferences on those topics. She has Ph.D. and M.S degrees in industrial and organizational psychology from the University of Oklahoma and a B.S. in Psychology from Southern Methodist University.