LSU’s Applied Research Corporation for Defense Announces Leadership

BATON ROUGE – Stephenson Technologies Corporation, or STC, is LSU’s affiliate to conduct high-level defense and national security applied research and development. STC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established to respond to national security needs from the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, other federal markets, the intelligence community and industry. Since 2017, STC has helped secure more than $40 million in defense contracts and awards. 

STC is located on The Water Campus and houses a cyber range, where large-scale security breaches can be simulated and responded to in real-time.

“Louisiana is critical to the country’s energy infrastructure, which means protection is paramount. As such, national security and defense, which incorporates cybersecurity, is a strength and priority at LSU, and STC is a strategic part of this vision and plan,” said LSU Executive Vice President and Provost Roy Haggerty.

A new board of directors for STC recently was approved. They include: 

• Roy Haggerty, LSU executive vice president and provost, who will serve as the board secretary
• Kimberly Lewis, LSU executive vice president of finance and administration and chief administrative officer
• Mark Bieger, LSU vice president of strategy
• Todd McCaffrey, president of McCaffrey Consulting LLC
• Pete Weiland, Radiance Technologies Inc. executive vice president and chief technology officer
• Steven Ward, Deloitte defense intelligence consultant
• William Baker, defense and intelligence consultant and former chief revenue officer at the Weather Channel 

“LSU’s military roots are the foundation from which we are growing the modern-day defense and security focus that is a cornerstone of the LSU Scholarship First Agenda. We have the expertise, the technology and the location to be a leader in protecting our state and the nation,” said LSU Vice President of Strategy Mark Bieger.

STC’s board of directors appointed James Olson as chief executive officer on Oct. 7. Olson is also the LSU Stephenson National Center for Security Research and Training executive director. LSU’s Stephenson Disaster Management Institute Director Brant Mitchell serves as the chief operations officer for STC. STC engineers hold more than 33 different professional certifications in cutting-edge technologies and disciplines. STC is an independent affiliate wholly owned by LSU.