In this article, The AFIT Foundation is recognizing Dr. Kevin Priddy, former Chief Systems Engineer for the Air Force Distributed Common Ground Station (AF DCGS).

Dr. Priddy received his MS in Electrical Engineering (Electro-Optics, Semiconductor Theory) from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology in 1985 and went on to complete his PhD in 1992 in Electrical Engineering (Machine Learning). He gained his interest in electronics from his father, who served in the navy as an Avionics warrant officer. Dr. Priddy’s recognition includes the Air Force Achievement Medal, the AFRL Commander’s Cup, and the AFRL Senior Leadership Award. He retired in 2020 as a GS-15 civilian chief engineer for the USAF Distributed Common Ground Station (AF DCGS) intelligence surveillance reconnaissance system. He remains a prominent leader in AI and machine learning.

A favorite memory Dr. Priddy has from his time at AFIT was completing novel research and realizing that he would be able to graduate due to his MS & PhD research. AFIT provided Dr. Priddy with the tools needed to be successful in a wide variety of engineering assignments both in the USAF and for 12 years in industry. His time at AFIT prepared him to be able to recognize, overcome, and adapt to challenges. His thesis and dissertation experience allowed him to challenge himself academically and resulted in multiple successful research outcomes. Dr. Priddy is a fellow of the Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) in machine intelligence and the Air Force Research Laboratory due to his AI and ISR research. He believes his experience at AFIT is directly responsible for these accomplishments.

Dr. Priddy would like to tell those who are considering entering the military that you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it. He writes, “The USAF is a great place to gain experience and to further your education. You can accomplish many great things in the service of your country and make a difference.” Thank you, Dr. Priddy!