Full Name
Dave Decker
Job Title
PhD
Company Name
Southwest Geophysical Consulting
Speaker Bio
Dr. Decker has 25 years of experience working in different aspects of
the radio frequency spectrum while both enlisted and as an officer in
the U.S. Navy. During his time in the Navy he started out as a Fire
Controlman - that is, controlling the firing of guns and missiles from
surface ships. This job also entailed the operation, maintenance, and
repair of gun fire control radars, missile fire control radars, 2D and 3D
air search radars and their associated systems. During his first enlisted
shore tour, then FC1(SW) Decker taught missile fire control system
operations and tactics during the day while working on a BSc in
Workforce Education and Development in the evenings and weekends.
As a Naval Flight Officer, Lieutenant Commander Decker flew in the S-
3B Viking and the EA-6B Prowler off the decks of the aircraft carriers
USS Carl Vinson and the USS Nimitz. This job included the operation of
several different types of radar and sensor systems, including weather
radars, navigation radars, tracking radars, inverse synthetic aperture
radars, forward-looking infrared detection systems, magnetic anomaly
detectors and the Navy's premier radar and communications jamming
system. During his first shore tour as an officer he took the opportunity
to get his MSc in the physics of sensor systems at the Naval Post
Graduate School, with a concentration in radar and optical wave
propagation theory.
Dr. Decker also has several years of experience in program management. As an Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer with the US Navy, he led a team of over 50 military and civilian employees in the very detailed work of installing classified weapons systems on Naval aircraft. This entailed knowledge and skills in systems engineering, contracting officer responsibilities, science and technology management and risk management. He took classes in all these areas and achieved the highest levels of training available from the military school of acquisition, the Defense Acquisition University, then put this knowledge to work for Naval Air Systems Command. After retiring from the Navy in 2010, he returned to graduate school for a PhD in geology. Geology and caving had been hobbies since he was a small boy and in retirement, he decided to pursue that interest.While finishing his PhD, he decided to put all his knowledge, experience, and expertise into starting his own business and Southwest Geophysical Consulting was born. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Principal Geophysicist of this small but growing company that uses geophysics to locate caves and other karst-related features. Dr. Decker has recently served as a director on the Board of Governors for the National Speleological Society and is currently serving a term as a director with the Karst Waters Institute. He is happily married to the former Johanna Clinger of San Diego, California and celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary in 2020.
the radio frequency spectrum while both enlisted and as an officer in
the U.S. Navy. During his time in the Navy he started out as a Fire
Controlman - that is, controlling the firing of guns and missiles from
surface ships. This job also entailed the operation, maintenance, and
repair of gun fire control radars, missile fire control radars, 2D and 3D
air search radars and their associated systems. During his first enlisted
shore tour, then FC1(SW) Decker taught missile fire control system
operations and tactics during the day while working on a BSc in
Workforce Education and Development in the evenings and weekends.
As a Naval Flight Officer, Lieutenant Commander Decker flew in the S-
3B Viking and the EA-6B Prowler off the decks of the aircraft carriers
USS Carl Vinson and the USS Nimitz. This job included the operation of
several different types of radar and sensor systems, including weather
radars, navigation radars, tracking radars, inverse synthetic aperture
radars, forward-looking infrared detection systems, magnetic anomaly
detectors and the Navy's premier radar and communications jamming
system. During his first shore tour as an officer he took the opportunity
to get his MSc in the physics of sensor systems at the Naval Post
Graduate School, with a concentration in radar and optical wave
propagation theory.
Dr. Decker also has several years of experience in program management. As an Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer with the US Navy, he led a team of over 50 military and civilian employees in the very detailed work of installing classified weapons systems on Naval aircraft. This entailed knowledge and skills in systems engineering, contracting officer responsibilities, science and technology management and risk management. He took classes in all these areas and achieved the highest levels of training available from the military school of acquisition, the Defense Acquisition University, then put this knowledge to work for Naval Air Systems Command. After retiring from the Navy in 2010, he returned to graduate school for a PhD in geology. Geology and caving had been hobbies since he was a small boy and in retirement, he decided to pursue that interest.While finishing his PhD, he decided to put all his knowledge, experience, and expertise into starting his own business and Southwest Geophysical Consulting was born. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Principal Geophysicist of this small but growing company that uses geophysics to locate caves and other karst-related features. Dr. Decker has recently served as a director on the Board of Governors for the National Speleological Society and is currently serving a term as a director with the Karst Waters Institute. He is happily married to the former Johanna Clinger of San Diego, California and celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary in 2020.
Speaking At
