Wade Burfitt is Vice President of Perikin Enterprises and Director of the Perikin Advanced Engineering business unit. Wade earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from University of Tennessee Chattanooga and his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from University of Tennessee Space Institute. He has over 36 years of leadership, management, engineering, and aerospace test and evaluation (T&E) experience. Wade has a record of successfully creating and executing strategic plans; growing organizations; leading advanced technology development efforts; designing, building, and operating hypersonic aerospace test facilities; and executing ground and flight T&E projects. His contributions to DoD efforts to improve hypersonic T&E capabilities are highlighted by the design and construction of advanced hypersonic ground test facilities, development of advanced sensors and test techniques, and creation of a program called SkyRange which repurposes RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper aircraft retrofitted with special sensors to support hypersonic flight tests. While continuing to support hypersonic T&E efforts, he is also applying his engineering expertise to Perikin’s expansion into the renewable energy field