Koepasetic (koh-puh-SET-ik)

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Steve Koepenick is a seasoned business development and technology leader with more than 45 years of experience supporting complex programs across the U.S. Department of Defense, defense industry partnerships, and advanced systems strategy. His career is defined by the ability to translate technical innovation into operational impact, while building strong teams and sustainable capabilities.

Prior to founding Koepasetic Consulting, Steve served as a Senior Technology Manager and Contracting Lead at the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific, one of the U.S. Navy’s premier research and development organizations. In this role, he led multidisciplinary teams across mission-critical initiatives, guiding technology direction, strategic partnerships, and program execution in highly complex environments.

Steve brings deep expertise in uncrewed and autonomous systems, systems engineering, remote and distributed technologies, and full life-cycle program support—from concept development and prototyping through operational deployment and sustainment. His leadership style blends technical rigor with pragmatic decision-making, enabling organizations to navigate uncertainty while remaining future-focused.

A passionate advocate for STEAM education, Steve is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of engineers, technologists, and innovators. Throughout his career, he has supported early-career professionals through guidance, hands-on technical leadership, and systems-level thinking, believing that strong mentorship is essential to sustaining innovation, capability development, and workforce resilience.

Steve holds a Master of Science in Management from the Naval Postgraduate School and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 2023, he was granted a Global Talent Visa by the Australian Government and relocated to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, where he continues to champion innovation, international collaboration, and STEAM-focused initiatives aligned with community and industry impact.

 Terri Wirth Koepenick is a senior program and project management leader with a professional background in uncrewed and autonomous systems, complemented by more than 35 years of business development, marketing, and strategic growth experience across complex and evolving industries.

Her career includes supporting all four United States Military Services, either as a government employee or as a support contractor and consultant, contributing to mission-driven environments where advanced technologies, operational planning, and multi-stakeholder coordination were critical to success. In these roles, Terri worked within highly structured and operationally demanding settings, supporting initiatives that required reliability, accountability, and long-term capability development.

Terri has been directly involved in uncrewed systems research and development, with a focus on advancing system autonomy to fulfil the promise of uncrewed system effectiveness by genuinely reducing manpower requirements for operations. Her work spanned the full development lifecycle, from early design concepts through 3D renderings, prototype development, and iterative refinement, supporting the transition from theoretical capability to operationally viable systems.

In addition to development, her experience includes training, experimentation, and capability demonstration, operating at the intersection of technology, collaboration, and strategic engagement. She has contributed to initiatives that relied on systems-level thinking, innovation leadership, and cross-sector cooperation, using structured experimentation and hands-on engagement to evaluate performance, inform decision-making, and support adoption of emerging autonomous technologies.

In parallel, Terri has built a long-standing reputation in business development and marketing, leading brand positioning, market entry strategies, partnership development, and growth initiatives. Her work consistently bridges technical innovation with commercial strategy, ensuring that complex capabilities are understood, valued, and positioned for sustainable, real-world impact.

Known for her systems-thinking approach, Terri brings together technical insight, commercial acumen, and operational discipline. Her leadership style emphasises clarity, scalability, and measurable outcomes, enabling organisations and initiatives to move from complexity to execution with confidence.