Rick Mullikin, an SMA Associate specializing in capture and proposal management in the aerospace and defense industries, has the spotlight this week. In our latest interview, Rick shared his educational background, career history, and explained the skills that are vital for those in the industry.

Rick’s education began at the University of Maryland where he received two bachelor’s degrees; one in Electrical Engineering and one in Business Administration. A few years later, he continued his education at Loyola Marymount University where he received his MBA in International Marketing while working at Hughes as a Satellite Control and Missions Operator. Eventually, he realized how eager he was to continue his education, so he attended the Claremont Graduate School and received his PhD in Information Science with a focus on Artificial Intelligence.

Rick held multiple titles within several big and small companies in the aerospace and defense industries, some of which are current clients of SMA. Rick worked at Lockheed Martin for 13 years as a senior manager in business development and advanced technologies. He then worked at Millennium Space Systems as a senior capture manager in business development and spacecraft systems. Just prior to joining SMA, he worked at Raytheon Technologies as a senior manager and business development lead in their space systems division. It was during this time that he began to work with Jacque Keats, current Chief Operating Officer at SMA, and was introduced to the company.

Rick found his way into the SMA family back in 2018 when he attended the launch event for our Talent on Demand (TOD®) platform at our headquarters in Irvine, California. A few weeks later Rick received a call from SMA to work on a proposal for Delta Dental in Sacramento, which was won in just three months. Over the course of the last few years, Rick has worked on different engagements in the aerospace and defense industries. Rick’s most recent and notable project at SMA was his role as the proposal manager for a large government proposal for Iridium that won $324 million dollars awarded by the Space Development Agency, soon the part of Space Force.

We asked Rick to share the skills he believes are vital in the industry. He first explained that communication skills and being able to explain your ideas in a simple, yet direct way is essential. He says that being able to work with different personalities and not let others get in your way is crucial. Lastly, he said that it is important to keep up with technology as much as possible because you don’t want to fall behind.

To meet other hardworking associates like Rick, log in to our TOD® platform. SMA Talent on Demand (TOD®) is the industry-leading platform that connects project needs with an array of professional talent more precisely, efficiently, and effortlessly than before. If you have project needs, click HERE to find the perfect SMA associate or team to help you succeed.