Dr. Kenneth E. Nidiffer

  Vice President, Member Programs and New Business. Dr. Nidiffer has used his expertise in aligning an organization's technology and quality objectives to its business needs results from more than 39 years' experience as an engineering executive directing the research, development, test, maintenance, and acquisition of software-intensive systems across a wide range of business domains. 

Dr. Nidiffer helped initiate the Consortium's programs in 1986, following a distinguished, 24-year career in the U.S. Air Force (where he retired a full colonel) during which he was instrumental in the foundation of the Software Engineering Institute.  In 1990, he launched the Consortium's business initiative in software process improvement, now the largest such program in the world.

In 1991, Dr. Nidiffer left the Consortium to serve one of its founding members, Northrop Grumman, as Director of Systems Design and Development, Data Systems Division, and then as Director of Technical Operations, External Data Systems division, where he directed over 500 engineers and support personnel in the successful development of a variety of C4I, MIS/logistics, and high-speed computing applications.  In 1995, he joined Fidelity Investments Systems Company as Senior Vice President of Quality and Systems Assurance, implementing Total Quality Management, best-in-class software engineering, large test environments, and quality assurance practices.  He rejoined the Consortium in 1997 as the Vice President of Business Development and has led the Consortium to a 20% growth rate per year and in 2001 was given additional responsibility for the Consortium’s Member Programs operation.

A Professor Emeritus of the Defense Systems Management College and adjunct graduate engineering professor at George Mason University, Dr. Nidiffer has been widely published in the systems and software engineering community.  He is a member of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), National Security Industrial Association (NSIA), and the Air Force Society.