Terrance J. (Terry) McKearney is the president and founder of The Ranger Group. A retired naval officer whose service spanned the Vietnam era to the post Cold War, he has spent the last fifteen years analyzing the organizational needs of contemporary military and public organizations. He has employed a wide range of analytic techniques from field studies to seminar gaming to study critical management issues in the military and governmental sectors, including operational requirements, organizational structures, decision making, public sector ethics, municipal disaster management, and emergency response He has been particularly focused on the evaluation of command and control (C2) systems in joint operations.

Prior to founding The Ranger Group, Terry was the Senior Analyst at Kapos Associates (KAI) for the company's SPAWAR Systems Center (SSC) San Diego and the Advanced Information Technical Services Joint Program Office (AITS JPO) C2 support. In this capacity, he led concept of operations development for the integration of emerging information technologies and command processes at the senior headquarters level, including analysis and modeling of these processes. He has been responsible for the initial integration of developing C2 technologies into theater and JTF command structures and assessing their adequacy at supporting commanders' planning for contingency operations. His career as an analyst has included support for a variety of DARPA, ONR and OSD knowledge acquisition and decision support initiatives. Under his leadership, The Ranger Group has participated in the study of ASW C2 requirements for OPNAV, coalition naval network requirements for The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP), operational planning requirements at the Air Combat Command (ACC), and the assessment of C2 technologies for naval expeditionary forces and strike groups. He led an ONR study of operational experimentation best practices and is currently supporting the ONR Director of Innovation in a study of alternative landing craft options. He is an instructor in the Navy's DAWIA program, teaching a course in contemporary naval operations.

Terry graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1973 and during a twenty-year Navy career participated in operations ranging from the final days of the of Vietnam conflict to relief operations in Somalia. He commanded Assault Craft Unit ONE during the first Persian Gulf War and was the commissioning Executive Officer of the USS Germantown. He served as the Plans Officer on the staff of the Commander, Amphibious Forces Western Pacific, responsible for the planning of over ninety annual joint and bilateral exercises as well as real world contingencies in the Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Persian Gulf regions. As Director of Wargaming and Tactical Training, Expeditionary Warfare Training Group, Pacific, he was responsible for the advanced training of senior Navy and Marine Corps commanders in the principles of joint expeditionary operations. During his naval career Terry earned Navy subspecialty qualifications in Strategic Planning, Far Eastern Affairs, Command and Control Systems Technology, and Training Management.

Terry holds Masters Degrees from the U. S. Naval Postgraduate School and San Diego State University. His postgraduate work emphasized strategic planning, international relations, public policy, and organizational theory.

Michael D. Simpson joined The Ranger Group after completing a 30-year Navy career as a Surface Warfare Officer and a proven sub-specialist in strategic planning. His broad experience includes operational expertise in Naval, Joint and Coalition operations, as well as strategic planning assignments at senior headquarters staffs, including the Pentagon. In his assignment as Commanding Officer of one of the nation's largest NROTC Units, he enjoyed the opportunity to serve simultaneously on the faculty of two major universities, serving as a head of department and as a professor teaching courses in management, leadership, and ethics.

Prior to joining The Ranger Group, Mike worked as an independent consultant for such diverse clients as United States Northern Command in Colorado Springs and the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia. Areas in which his expertise has been sought range from the development of critical capabilities required for homeland defense to the ethics of government service for elected municipal officials in post-civil war conditions.

Mike graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1973. His career included service in five ships, three command tours (two sea, one shore), several staff tours, including three in Washington D.C., and multiple deployments in every major region of U.S. Navy presence. He commanded the frigate USS MARVIN SHIELDS during the first Gulf War.

He earned a Masters Degree in National Security Affairs from the U. S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1984, completing a thesis on the subject of the national interest. He also served as the 1994-95 Navy Fellow at Harvard University's Center for International Affairs, devoting his year of independent study to the issue of United Nations Peacekeeping operations in the post-Cold War.

Mike is an Associate of the Joan B. Kroc Institute of Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego, and is a founding member of the Ethics Consortium of Southern and Baja California. He resides in San Diego, CA.

Castle W. Phelps joined The Ranger Group with a broad spectrum of present day technology and business experience in production, technical support, project management, marketing and professional services. His corporate background ranges from Cisco Systems to “dot.com start-ups.” His most recent experience was the management of the NMCI fiber-optic network backbone build-out at San Diego Naval Station, Naval Base Coronado and MCAS Yuma.

Prior to his adventure into the business world of high technology, Castle completed a 20-year career as a Naval Aviator with proven sub-specialties in manpower analysis and anti-submarine warfare including designation as a Master Training Specialist. His experience also includes instrumented range operations, range safety and operations analysis, coordinated ASW operations instructor, Navy work study management and squadron manpower documentation analysis and development.

Castle graduated from Central Methodist University with a major in physics, from National University with an MBA in organizational development and is currently a candidate for his PhD in the management of engineering and technology at Northcentral University. His dissertation focus is in organizational creativity.

E. Michael Abler E. Michael Abler joined The Ranger Group after a 25-year Navy career as a Surface Warfare Officer. He is experienced in naval, joint and coalition maritime operations, as well as the Defense Department's planning, programming and budgeting process. Mike is also an attorney licensed to practice law in California and is currently a legal fellow at the law firm of Harris, Cutler, Cash & Houghteling in Washington, D.C.

Mike graduated from Marquette University in 1981 and received his naval commission in 1982. During his career, he served in nine sea-going assignments on destroyers, combat logistics and amphibious warships. His operational expertise is focused around the littoral regions of the Pacific and Indian ocean basins.

Mike commanded USS Germantown, forward deployed to Sasebo, Japan. During his tour, Germantown participated in CARAT 2000, a four-month series of bilateral exercises with U.S. partners in Southeast Asia to enhance military interoperability across the region and to promote good-will through wide-ranging humanitarian projects. Germantown served as the flagship for the task force commander conducting the exercise. The U.S. component of the task force included five warships, a special purpose Marine task group and Seabee and medical units. Mike was assigned as the commander of the amphibious task group for the exercise. Germantown also participated in Tandem Thrust 2001, one of the largest exercises within PACOM, with the Essex Amphibious Ready Group, Kitty Hawk Battle Group and Australian Defense Forces. Germantown received the Battle Efficiency award, the CNO safety award and the Pacific Fleet retention award during Mike's command tour.

Ashore, his tours included duty with both the Joint and Navy staffs at the Pentagon. He served in OPNAV N85 as the in-service amphibious warship and LCAC requirements officer. His responsibilities included oversight of the $5 billion program for the operations, maintenance, and modernization of 36 warships as well as the service life extension program for the LCAC fleet.

On the Joint Staff, Mike managed the development, testing, and introduction of innovative business application software onto the staff's computer network to further information superiority, improve decision-making, and promote efficiency. He administered two contracts totaling $5.5 million and involving 43 government software developers and civilian contractors.

His last Navy assignment was as the operations and plans officer for an amphibious and expeditionary strike group. He assisted the commander in coordinating the operations and future plans for 20 subordinate commands, including 11 warships and 11,000 Sailors and Marines supporting the Pacific and Central commands. While forward deployed, the strike group provided humanitarian relief following the tsunami disaster in Indonesia and supported Operation Iraqi Freedom by defending Iraqi oil infrastructure in the Arabian Gulf.

Mike earned a Masters Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in 1997. He earned a Juris Doctor cum laude at California Western School of Law in 2009, graduating in the top 10 percent of his class. He authored Plugging the GATTs and WTOs: Towards a Globalized Pharmaceutical Regulatory Framework which appeared in the February 2010 issue of Biotechnology Law Report. Mike is a member of the ABA and the Bar Association of D.C.

Monica Macera has over 25 years experience in accounting, bookkeeping services, and income tax preparation.  She began her career working with small businesses in a variety of fields.  During the 1980’s she worked for a large business management firm in Beverly Hills and Century City exclusively in the entertainment industry.  She handled many high-profile clients, including lead actors/actresses and well-known producers and directors.  She maintained a client base of small businesses during that time and continues to work with small businesses, entertainment industry figures, and Department of Defense contractors.  For the past three years she has worked with several small businesses in the San Diego area and directly with DoD.  She is proficient at invoicing on the new WAWF electronic invoice submission system and is current in the complex cost accounting requirements set by the government.  Monica’s wide range of experience prior to becoming involved in DoD work greatly benefits her ability to “see the whole picture” as she directs The Ranger Group’s business operations.