2024 STEM Hero Honorees

Education:  Masters in Mechanical Engineering, the Ohio State University; Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

As the Air Vehicle Subsystems Engineering Branch Chief at Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Chris Casillas is responsible for recruiting, hiring, training, enabling, and ensuring the future success of the subsystems engineering enterprise across the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center. 

Since 2008, Chris has consistently displayed a remarkable ability to inspire and  motivate his team, driving them to achieve results in the face of complex challenges by nurturing the talent and skills of his team members, providing  guidance and support to help them grow both professionally and personally in an engaging way.

His adaptability and willingness to embrace new technologies and  methodologies have significantly contributed to the success of the Center. His  combination of technical expertise, leadership abilities, and dedication makes him a significant asset to his team. 

His current  responsibilities as Chief, Air Vehicle Subsystems Branch give him authority within his branch as well as responsibilities to all of the Air Vehicle Subsystems Engineers not working in his management chain.

Always putting the organization ahead of his own career path, Chris shines above others because he truly believes he serves even others that he does not supervise. He has initiated many initiatives to “lift all boats” as it were. 

He created outreach to better connect policymakers with their users, and became a training facilitator identifying opportunities as well as connecting mentees with mentors. He also maintains a weekly seminar series to prepare younger members of the workforce faster than traditional methods. 

With respect to hiring, Chris is proactive about resume review and identifying potential candidates for openings within his responsibility as well as openings for other functional leads.  He attends hiring events, and reaches out to potential candidates above and beyond the usual.

His efforts are well appreciated by candidates, and resulted in filled vacancies across numerous bases through a deep understanding of the hiring system that has resulted in critical roles being filled by outstanding candidates beyond the traditional hiring path.  He is an outstanding role model for fellow engineers of Hispanic descent.