Meet the BPAC Team

Captain Fred Kirijan has been involved in aviation for 58 years. Fred has experience as a civilian pilot, military pilot, commercial airline pilot, an FAA Certificated Flight Instructor, Proficiency Check Pilot, Line Check Pilot and an Aircrew Program Designated Flight Examiner. Captain Kirijan also has been a Type Rating Instructor and a Type Rating Examiner for Type Rating Training Organizations in the USA, India and the Republic of Turkey. He has also performed as the customer acceptance and delivery pilot for two major air carriers operating both the Boeing 767 and the Boeing 777.

Captain Kirijan’s management experience extends to three major airlines around the globe. 

He has served as a program developer, project manager, Manager of the Advanced Qualification Program and Director of Training and Standards. Captain Kirijan has been the sponsor of several FAA research projects including Instructor and Evaluator Calibration Software and Rapidly Reconfigurable Line Operational Evaluation Software.

Captain Kirijan graduated from the Professional Pilot Course at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Institute and received his Bachelor of Science degree in education from West Chester University. He earned his United States Air Force wings in 1972 and subsequently completed Combat Crew Training on the C-130 Aircraft. Captain Kirijan has authored and directly managed the approval of eighteen Advanced Qualification Programs. This tally includes the only FAR Part 142 provisionally approved AQP. Captain Kirijan is a proud recipient of the coveted FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.

Captain Asher has accumulated over 30 years of military and commercial aviation experience while filling every role in aviation training as student, instructor, evaluator, curriculum designer and manager. Dave flew as Aircraft Commander on the P-3 Orion and Copilot on the C-130 Hercules in the military. He has flown the A320, A330, B757, and B767 as Captain as well as the MD88 and B737 as First Officer since leaving the military. As an instructor, Dave has experience as Flight Training Procedures Instructor, Flight Training Instructor, Proficiency Check Pilot, and Aircrew Program Designated Flight Examiner during his commercial career and served as Flight Instructor and NATOPS Evaluator during his military career.

Captain Asher has served as Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) Fleet Representative for a major airline for over ten years. In that role, he is tasked with safety data analysis and has amassed years of experience using the GE Aerospace Event Measurement System (EMS).

In addition to FOQA and Pilot duties, Captain Asher has gained extensive experience managing aviation training programs during his military and civilian careers. Most recently he spent two years managing the largest B757/767 fleet of aircraft in the world as Assistant Fleet Captain. His duties involved every facet of training management including budgeting, curriculum development, instructor and student supervision, and program administration.

Captain Asher earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Information and Computer Science from Georgia Institute of Technology, and later earned his wings in the United States Navy while serving active duty. He also spent two years training undergraduate pilot students on the T-6 Texan II for the United States Air Force.

Captain Joe Gemma started in aviation at the age seventeen, and over the last 20+ years, he has served in many roles from CFI to Curriculum Developer to Aicrew Program Designee. Mr. Gemma holds type ratings for the Embraer 145 and Airbus A320 aircraft. He is currently a Captain and APD on the A320 at a major US airline.

Captain Gemma has successfully led the development and implementation of an AQP at a large US airline. His responsibilities include maintaining comprehensive AQP manual sets, curating a robust curriculum and courseware, and serving as the primary point of contact for end users of the AQP.

In addition to his AQP duties, Captain Gemma has also made significant contributions to his fellow pilots through active involvement on several ALPA Committees. Notably, he has played a pivotal role in pilot development by chairing both the Pilot Mentor and Training Committees. 

Mr. Derik Gadson is a strategic technology leader, product innovator, cofounder, and consultant with over two decades of experience designing and delivering enterprise-grade software systems, SaaS platforms, and mobile products. With a career rooted in both corporate IT and entrepreneurial ventures, he brings a unique blend of business acumen and technical depth to every engagement. Mr. Gadson currently specializes in working with early-stage and growth-stage startups, where he serves as a trusted fractional CTO, technical advisor, guiding product strategy, product and platform design and architecture, and go-to-market readiness.

As the founder of Boundless Brain Solutions, Mr. Gadson has helped launch and scale numerous technology initiatives—ranging from real-time communication platforms to complex enterprise back-office SaaS systems for Fortune 500 clients and early stage startups. He partners with founders and executive teams to shape digital products from the ground up, including business process design, competitive analysis, user experience, and agile project leadership. His ability to translate business goals into scalable technology roadmaps has positioned him as a go-to expert for organizations seeking digital transformation.

Mr. Gadson’s experience spans sectors such as healthcare, education, finance, real estate, logistics, and event management. He has led cross-functional teams through full product lifecycles— from ideation to post-launch iteration—across web, mobile, and cloud environments. His deep understanding of platform architecture, system integration, and user-centric design allows him to advise clients on creating intuitive, secure, and extensible solutions that grow with their businesses.

Educated in Computer Science at Drexel University, Mr. Gadson also holds certificates in Entrepreneurship, Agile Leadership, Software Design/Architecture, and Product Development. He has successfully cofounded several startups, a recent of which launched within two months of ideation and was profitable within hours of its initial launch.

With a network of professionals who recognize his ability to connect vision with execution, Mr. Gadson continues to empower organizations to build impactful technology with strategic clarity and lasting value.

Mr. Chris Hallman is a human factors consultant with Big Picture Aviation. Chris has 30 years of aviation safety experience with industry and the U.S. Air Force. Chris has provided aviation human performance consulting and training to improve operational safety for organizations such as the USAF, U.S. Coast Guard, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines.

Chris is a former manager of multiple safety programs at Delta Air Lines. His responsibilities included leading the pilot human factors training office, ASAP and FOQA programs. Chris served on the original staff that developed Delta’s pilot AQP. He attended the highly regarded NASA Fatigue Countermeasures training program and has assisted with fatigue research and education at Delta Air Lines and the U.S. Air Force.

Chris retired from the USAF Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel after 27 years of commissioned service. A C-130 Navigator and flying safety officer, Chris completed his Reserve career as the chief of operational risk management for Air Force Special Operations Command and as a faculty curriculum developer for the distance learning program at USAF Air War College.

Timothy E. Goldsmith, PhD is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of New Mexico. He is an applied cognitive psychologist with general interests in training, assessment, and knowledge models. His current research focuses on extracting and representing semantic information from large corpuses of text. His research funded by the Federal Aviation Administration has been aimed at improving training and assessment of pilots and the analysis of aviation accident and incident reports. He teaches courses in statistics, research methods, and applied psychology.

Captain Ritzerwan Rashid brings 50 years of aviation leadership, including roles as an airline CEO and senior management positions with major airlines. He has driven transformation programs, strengthened operational and financial performance, and championed global aviation safety and compliance.

He currently leads an independent aviation management firm specializing in airline recovery, Safety Management Systems (SMS), and Operational Safety Audits, ensuring full compliance with ICAO and IATA Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs), as well as other aerospace and aviation business initiatives.

His expertise spans airline management, restructuring and recovery, operational and technical leadership, multiple flight examiner and instructor designations, IATA Operational Safety Audit and SMS Implementation, aircraft and flight simulator acquisition and Entry-Into-Service (EIS) programs.

Committed to continuing a positive legacy, Ritzerwan guides organizations to strategic success while advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).