Management Team
Special Tribute to our Original Founder:
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William C. Walter was the founding President and CEO of The Walter Group. With more than fifty years’ experience organizing and managing programs, projects, and companies primarily in the aerospace and defense industries, he also pioneered and led the Placerville, CA proprietorship, Frontier Systems as President and General Manger for twelve years. Mr. Walter specialized in business management seminars, resource planning consultation to manufacturers, new business development, and product development planning. Before his death in 2005, he held a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) from the New Jersey College of Engineering, and a Master’s Degree in Aeronautical Engineering (MSAE) from the U.S. Air Force University in Dayton, Ohio. From 1988 to 2003, he served as Vice President for Engineering with Hybricraft, Inc., also of Placerville CA, pursuing the development of his innovative transportation technology (see Company for more detail). Kathleen Walter serves President for The Walter Group. |
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The President, Kathleen Walter, holds a bachelor’s degree in Applied Sciences (BSAS) from Pepperdine University, and has more than thirty years’ experience in industrial management roles, including purchasing/procurement, inventory management, conducting training, and production scheduling. She has extensive experience with Fortune 500 leaders Xerox Corporation and Hewlett-Packard, and locally with the Aerojet-General Corporation in a number of management and manufacturing scheduling positions. As President, she concurrently serves as Corporate Secretary. |
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The Executive Vice President, Stephen E. Doyle, is an experienced business manager, with a varied career of government service and industrial development. Steve Doyle holds a bachelor’s degree (BA) in literature and history from the University of Massachusetts, and a Juris Doctorate (JD) from Duke University. He has fifteen years’ federal civil service: with the Federal Communications Commission (1965-67); the Department of State (1967-70); the White House Office of Telecommunication Policy (1970-74); the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (1974-78), and the Office of Technology Assessment of the US Congress (1978-81). In 1981, he joined the Aerojet-General Corporation in Sacramento CA, where he served multiple management roles over fifteen years before retiring from Aerojet in 1996. Continuing that year, he co-founded Clean Energy Systems, Inc. of Rancho Cordova CA, an emerging power generation technology company, where he served as President from 1999 to 2003, and where he serves part-time currently, as Executive Vice President. |
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The Vice President for Research and Development, Fred Kent, holds a BS in Aviation Science and Applied Technology degree (BSAT) from Thomas Edison State College. He brings broad experience from the entrepreneurial, military, and government worlds. He started as a US Coast Guard Aviator (1967-1972), flying first off icebreakers, and then Search & Rescue in California. In 1975, he formed a successful residential construction and paving business in partnership with his brother (who continues operating that business today). Mr. Kent advanced to the challenge of Air Traffic Control in 1983 as a Flight Service Station controller, retiring in December 2004. He worked in both staff and management roles, trained new controllers as an instructor, performed 15 years as a union official, and served on many regional and national work-groups and committees, with user groups and other government entities. Fred Kent is a trained facilitator and instructor (classroom and on-the-job), having attended the FAA Management Team Action curriculum. |
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The Vice President of Marketing, Kari Havir, provides The Walter Group over 18 years of international marketing management experience. Launching profitable industrial and commercial startups, one of Ms. Havir’s senior positions (Marketing Communications Manager (1990-1999) with internationally based NOW Technologies, Inc.) facilitated 17-times revenue growth, resulting in the company’s sale at over 40-times its original market capitalization. Similarly, IMI BEVCORe benefited from Ms. Havir’s contract to develop marketing plans, business initiatives, and analyses for product cost vs. pricing, substantially elevating margins. Providing marketing and communications consultation to Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies – including Intel, Piper Jaffray and U.S. Bancorp – Ms. Havir continues earning special recognition on her own, now in her seventh year as sole proprietor (Sierra Rialto (CA), and Rialto Vista (MN)). Kari Havir’s constructive contributions to The Walter Mobility Group exemplify her dedication to excellence, creative approach, and keen strategic market awareness. |
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The Vice President for Business Development, Matthew Doyle, brings The Walter Group a broad range of business management qualifications, education, and experience. Adding to his Navy Nuclear Power School curriculum at USNTC, Orlando, FL, he successfully completed three more years locally toward an Aerospace Engineering (BSAE) degree. Matthew’s 15 years of personnel management assignments include divisional- and work center-level US Navy aircraft carrier-based mechanical engineering management and training. |
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The Chief Financial Officer, Linda Sweet, is an accomplished finance and business manager with over 40 years of experience in accounting and business management, developing and implementing strategies to achieve business objectives, processing business accounting and conducting financial analysis, creating internal systems and process enhancements to streamline workflow and improve efficiency. She has managed owner/investor relations, bank relations, cash management, accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, cost accounting, accounting conversion, bank reconciliation, external audit, operation and accounting policy and procedure implementation, financial reporting, credit and collections, debt reduction, manage administrative support, process improvements across diverse office administration areas, maintain employee personnel files, manage client contract files, administer health insurance and Cobra benefits, oversee general liability and workers compensation exposure and policy administration, Notary, 401K record keeping and all other aspects of accounting and office management. back to top > |
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Brian Brooks, Director. Mr. Brooks has over forty years of government service with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, which included eminent domain real estate valuation, serving as a qualified expert appraisal witness – Superior Court, provided incident investigation and assisted counsel in claims and litigation in court cases and reviewed pending California legislation. He has served on multiple public and private boards including: trustee on the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association Board of Retirement from 2001 – 2003, a $32 billion public pension fund agency with 300 employees; trustee on the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association Board of Investments from 2002 – 2005, which included oversight of their asset portfolio; President of the California Association of Professional Employees from 2003 to present; past President of the International Right of Way Association; and Chairman of the Board of VoltaFlex Corporation whose assets were acquired by a technology company. Mr. Brooks has taken special courses related to board duties including Portfolio Management from the Wharton School of Finance and Fiduciary Law from Stanford University. |
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Glenn Culver, Director. Glenn A Culver comes to The Walter Group from a broad base of business and aviation experience. As a US Coast Guard Officer and Aviator from 1967-1974, Mr. Culver flew fixed wing Search and Rescue and Oceanographic missions on the west coast. He later trained new aviators as a flight instructor for the US Navy in Pensacola, FL. Glenn currently holds commercial, single engine, multiengine, land, sea, and instrument ratings as well as a type rating in the HU-16 Albatross. During his Coast Guard career, Glenn managed the Base Exchange (BX) at the San Francisco CG Air Station where his responsibilities spread from purchasing to accounting and inventory. In 1974, Glenn graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Accounting from the University of West Florida, with minors in Finance, Data Processing and Tax. He and his wife Bonnie married in 1973 and have five grown children. From 1974-1977, he worked on the audit staff of Price Waterhouse & Co. receiving his CPA license in New Jersey and Wisconsin. After only 1 ½ years on the job, Glenn was given “in charge” responsibilities and one year later promoted to “Senior.” He participated in audits of chemical processing, not for profit, electronics, brewery, health care, manufacturing, and warehousing businesses. He next took a position as controller, CFO and board member for Moore Oil Co Inc, a petroleum distributorship in Milwaukee, WI. As a result of Glenn’s effort and his keen business mind, he economized the operation by reorganizing the office staff, creating internal controls, and transitioned from manual to electronic data processing thus significantly increasing profitability during his two-year tenure. Glenn then spent a year as controller and company pilot for Rogers Badgett Enterprises, Madisonville, KY. His accounting responsibilities included record keeping, financial statement review and tax work for Mr. Badgett’s various business interests and his securities portfolio (including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, commodities, and commodities futures accounts) In 1980, Glenn purchased a partnership interest in Interstate Facilities, Inc., Henderson, KY, an auto truck plaza business. Over the next 15 years he, as Vice President of Operations, and his partner grew the enterprise to 16 sites in seven states with 1200 employees, culminating in $130 million in annual sales. In 1994, they sold the businesses and leased the real estate to Pilot Oil of Knoxville, TN. Upon retirement, Glenn built an experimental aircraft, the Glastar. He has flown this award winning aircraft coast to coast and has flown it over 700 hours since completing it. Currently Glenn is a partner in three hotels located in Texas and Indiana and serves on the Board of Directors of AFCO, Boonville, IN, a racecar components manufacturer. |
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James L. Cole. Mr. Cole is President of Advanced Technology Management & Engineering Services, LLC, a small 100% disabled Vietnam Veteran owned consulting firm. As an Army civilian, Mr. Cole had more than twenty years experience in leading and managing a technical workforce. His most recent experience included developing software requirements for the System of Systems Virtual Framework used to test Future Combat Systems. Mr. Cole is a member of the US Army Acquisition Corps, certified at Level III in Test and Evaluation, and Systems Engineering. During his career, Mr. Cole provided executive and technical leadership to his organization and contributed original ideas resulting in many patents. His active duty military experience included: Infantry Officer Command, Rifle Platoon Leader in Combat during Vietnam; resulting in 100% Combat related disability. Mr. Cole was a certified instructor in Infantry Tactics and Weapons at the Infantry School. His Signal Officer assignments included five years of unit command in both Tactical and Strategic communications systems organizations. His final assignment, working for the Department of State and the late Ambassador Hunt, included Design and Implementation of the Communications System in the Sinai Desert to support the Multi-National Peacekeeping Force and Observers. His decorations include: Combat Infantryman’s Badge and Four Bronze Star Medals among many other decorations. Mr. Cole graduated from many military schools including the US Army Command and General Staff College. His civilian education included: BS Engineering Technology, Texas A&M University, MBA in Technology Management, University of Phoenix. |
