Military Service and Analysis Background. Jerry A. Kotchka was commissioned an Ensign in the US Navy upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy (USNA) and was assigned to the USS Hank (DD 702) in Norfolk, VA. He attended the US Naval Destroyer School and served on the USS Steinaker (DD 863) before attending the US Naval Postgraduate School. In 1970 he was on the USS Farragut (DLG 6) until assigned in 1972 to the Systems Analysis Division (OPNAV 96) in the Pentagon as an operations analyst. After three years at sea on the USS Navasota (AO 106) and USS Camden (AOE 2), Jerry returned to the Pentagon for the next four years as an operations analyst in the Naval Forces Division, OSD Program Analysis and Evaluation (OSD/PA&E). Starting in 1981, he was assigned to Navy cost analysis positions in which he became a certified cost analyst by the Institute of Cost Analysis. His last tour in the Navy was as the first Deputy Director Naval Center for Cost Analysis. In 1988, Dr. Kotchka retired with the rank of Captain, US Navy. For the next 11 years he worked in St. Louis, Missouri for the McDonnell Douglas/ Boeing Corporation in various analysis related position including as the Director, Cost and Operational Analysis for Joint Direct Attack Munitions Program win. In 1999 Jerry joined the Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMCO) as Director, Operations Analysis for the Naval Electronics and Surveillance Systems Company in Moorestown, NJ. While in New Jersey, Jerry participated in the first ever, external review of the US Naval Postgraduate School's Operations Research Department. In 2003 he relocated to the Tidewater Virginia area as Director, Operations Analysis for the LMCO Global Vision Integration Center. He retired from LMCO in 2005 and since has established KOTCHKA and Associates.
Education. On scholarships, Jerry attended Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio for a year before he entered the United States Naval Academy in June 1958. Dr. Kotchka completed his Bachelor of Science degree in engineering at USNA in 1962, his Master of Science degree in Operations Research from the US Naval Postgraduate School in 1967, and his PhD in Operations Analysis from The Ohio State University in 1970. He was a Federal Executive Fellow at The Brookings Institution in 1973-1974.
Military Operations Research Society (MORS) Affiliations and Contributions. Jerry attended his first MORS Symposium (MORSS) while a student at NPS in the 1960's. He attended several MORS annual symposiums as a participant or presenter before being elected to the Board of Directors in 1993. Jerry was Chair of the 63rd MORSS held at the US Naval Academy in 1995 and at which, for the first time, over one thousand MORSIANs attended an annual symposium. After a stint as publications committee chair, he was elected to the Executive Council as Vice President (Finance and Management) during which was established a strong and lasting focus on the need to generate annually operating budget to complement the sponsors' annual funding contribution. In 1997 Jerry was elected as President. During the 1997 -1998 MORS year, the first MORS classic in the Heritage series-Morse and Kimball's Methods of Operations Research - was published, the position of President Elect was established, the Thomas and Walker awards were approved, and a strong theme was established- for the MORS Board of Directors to be a "Board of Workers". As Immediate Past President he wrote the criteria and initiated the presentation of the Thomas and Walker awards. Since going off the board, he has served MORS in several capacities to include: (1) participating in annual symposiums as Working Group 13 Advisor and the Navy Junior-Senior Analyst Session; (2) supporting several MORS Workshops/Mini-Symposiums as Chair or Co-Chair of working groups; and (3) serving on the selection committees for various awards. Dr. Kotchka was selected a Fellow of the Society (FS) in 2002.
Phone/Fax: (757) 721-6782
Email: jerry@kotchka.com
