Profile

Lt Col Joseph Sholtis Jr

Sholtis Engineering & Safety Consulting

Contact Details

Sholtis Engineering & Safety Consulting
PRIMARY: (505)281-4358
ASSOCIATE FELLOW

Committee Affiliations
(linked to AIAA member record)

  • Aerospace Power Systems Technical Committee

Industry
(linked to AIAA member record)

  • Retired Government

Education

University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
PhD Coursework
Nuclear Engineering
1978 To 1980
Advisor: Dr Ronald Knief

University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
MS, 1977
Nuclear Engineering
1975 To 1977
Advisor: Dr Ronald Knief

The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania, United States
BS, 1970
Nuclear Engineering
1966 To 1970
Advisor: Dr Anthony Foderaro

Honors and Awards

2013 Amateur of the Year Award
Professional Golfers Association (PGA) of America, Sun Country Section
2013

Air Force Commendation Medal (3)
USAF
1974, 1976, 1980

Air Force Master Space Systems/Operations Badge/Wings
USAF
1987

Air Force Meritorious Service Medal (2)
USAF
1978, 1993

Air Force Missile Badge
USAF
1987

Air Force Service Medal (5)
USAF
1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990

Defense Meritorious Service Medal (2)
DoD
1984, 1987

DoD Citation for Distinctive Accomplishment (6)
DoD
1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1984, 1988

DOE Citation for Outstanding Achievement (3)
US Department of Energy (DOE)
1987, 2010, 2015

Honorary Sandian
Sandia National Laboratories
1980

Isaac B. Granger Award
United States Golf Association (USGA)
2020

JPL Certificates of Appreciation; with US Flags flown on the Space Shuttle (2)
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
1990, 1991

NASA Achievement Award (6)
NASA Administrator
1989, 1990, 1996, 2003, 2010, 2015

National Defense Service Medal (2)
DoD
1971, 1976

New Mexico Gubernatorial Citation for service to NM
Governor Bruce King (NM)
1993

New Mexico Senatorial Citation for service to NM
Senator Pete Domenici (NM)
1993

Outstanding Alumnus Award
Ringgold School District, Monongahela, PA
1988

UNM Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award
University of New Mexico (UNM), School of Engineering
2017

US Army Reactor Commander's Badge (Only AF Officer ever awarded this Badge for wear on AF Uniform)
US Army & USAF
1982

White House Citation: Service as DoD INSRP Coordinator for nuclear-powered space missions, 1989-1993
The White House, OSTP
1993

Professional Interests
(linked to AIAA member record)

  • Aerospace Power Systems
  • Nuclear and Future Flight Propulsion
  • Society and Aerospace Technology

Previous Work Experience

Sholtis Engineering & Safety Consulting
Owner & Principal
Tijeras, NM, United States
August 1996 - present

Oakton International Corporation (OIC)
Director, Research & Engineering; General Manager, New Mexico Operations
Tijeras, NM, United States
August 1993 - August 1996

Air Force Safety Agency, Directorate of Nuclear Surety
LtCol, USAF: Chief, Nuclear Power & Sources Division; Director, USAF Nuclear Regulatory Authority; DoD Coordinator, Interagency Nuclear Safety Review panel (INSRP) for White House Launch Approvals
Kirtland AFB, NM, United States
September 1987 - August 1993

Air Force Element, US Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy
Major, USAF: Program Manager, SP-100 Space Reactor Power System Development Program
Germantown, MD, United States
March 1984 - September 1987

Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI)
Major, USAF: Chief, Radiation Sources Division; Reactor Facility Director
Bethesda, MD, United States
August 1980 - March 1984

Sandia National Laboratories
Captain, USAF: DoD Member of the Technical Staff; Project Manager, Engineering Safety Systems Study
Albuquerque, NM, United States
January 1978 - August 1980

Air Force Weapons Laboratory (AFWL), Nuclear Safety Division
Captain, USAF: Chief, Space Nuclear Systems Safety Branch
Kirtland, AFB, NM, United States
August 1974 - January 1978

USAF Foreign Technology Division, Nuclear Energy Branch
1Lt, USAF: Space Nuclear Systems Analyst
Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, United States
December 1970 - August 1974

US Bureau of Mines
Student Summer Intern: Statistician & Mine Safety Analyst
Pittsburgh, PA, United States
June 1968 - September 1970

Other Professional Affiliations

Professional Aerospace Contractors Association of NM (PACA)
1994 - Present

The National Space Society
1985 - Present

The Planetary Society
1985 - Present

Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society
1984 - Present

AIAA, Associate Fellow
1983 - Present

National Organization of Test, Research & Training Reactors (TRTR)
1980 - Present

American Nuclear Society (ANS)
1970 - Present