Insights on the Huntsville/Redstone Community- Where We Have Come From and Where We Are Going!

Dr. Joe Fitzgerald, D.Sc

Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for North Alabama 

Dr. Fitzgerald has been a business, civic and community leader for more than 4 decades.

Dr. Fitzgerald currently serves as the Founder and President of Decision Sciences a defense and aerospace consulting firm.

Previously, he served as Vice President for BDM International; Director of Advanced Programs for Teledyne Brown Engineering; and served as Deputy Director of Engineering for Perkin-Elmer Corporation during the Hubble Telescope development program. He was the first Program Manager for what has become the Army Aviation and Missile Research and Development Center’s  Software Engineering Directorate; and he was the first Program Manager for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Simulation Center.

He was the founder and President of “Honor Flight - Tennessee Valley”, an organization that from 2006-2010 transported more than 1300 WWII Veterans to their memorials in Washington, D.C. It was one of the first organizations in the country to Honor WWII Veterans in this way. Thousands of volunteers, guardians, family members and supporters took part in each and every flight.

Dr. Fitzgerald also founded “Honor Flags”, a program accompanying each Honor Flight. This program transported 250 burial flags of deceased Veterans for ceremonies at the National WWII Memorial to recognize and honor their service.

In 2015, he organized “Victory Day” a National observance of the 70^th Anniversary of the end of WWII.  More than 500 WWII Veterans were honored at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL.

He currently serves as the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) for Alabama (North). He is the Past Chairman of the Alabama Space Science Exhibits Commission (The U.S. Space and Rocket Center). He is the Past Alabama State President of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) and Past-President of the Redstone-Huntsville Chapter. He is Past-President of the North Alabama Veterans and Fraternal Organizations Coalition (more than 45 Veteran support organizations across North Alabama).

Dr. Fitzgerald is the 2014 recipient of the National Defense Industrial Association “MG John Bruce Medaris Award” for Excellence in Support for Defense Preparedness.

Dr. Fitzgerald received a Bachelor of Arts in 1971 from UAH (serving as its Alumni Association President in ‘80); a Master of Science in 1977 from Alabama A&M University (where he taught Graduate School in Computer Science for several years); and a Doctor of Science (Honorus Causa) in 2015 from Southeastern Institute of Technology.

Other Relevant Information/Professional Affiliations:

• Golden Eagle Award, Boy Scouts of America, 2016
• Major General John B. Medaris Award, National Defense Industrial Association, 2014
• Barrett C. Shelton Sr. Freedom Award, Spirit of America Festival 2010
• Selfless Service Award, Congressional Medal of Honor Society, 2010
• DAR Medal of Honor, National Society of the Daughters of The American Revolution, 2009

 Earns 1 PDU Credit in the "Strategic and Business Management" category.