Laura Militello, M.A., is a co-founder and CEO at Applied Decision Science. Laura is a leading authority on cognitive task analysis (CTA) methods – the tools and techniques for uncovering human cognition. She has extensive experience conducting CTA across a broad range of military and healthcare domains. Laura has been instrumental in the advancement of CTA methods, including the development of the applied cognitive task analysis (ACTA) suite of methods for use by practitioners. She coauthored Perspectives on Cognitive Task Analysis: Historical Origins and Modern Communities of Practice, an important textbook detailing approaches for studying decision-making in complex settings. She has spent decades teaching others to conduct CTA via workshops, mentoring, and most recently through the CTA Institute. Laura coauthored the Handbook of Augmented Reality Training Design, exploring the potential of augmented reality to enhance training experiences and improve performance in critical settings. She cohosts the Naturalistic Decision Making podcast and is an active member of the Naturalistic Decision Making Association. Laura received her Master of Arts in Experimental Psychology and Human Factors from the University of Dayton in 1995.

Steve Wolf, MBA., is a co-founder and VP of Finance at Applied Decision Science. Prior to forming ADS, Mr. Wolf served as the Chief Information Officer at Bridge Worldwide, a member of the WPP network. Bridge Worldwide is a digital marketing services firm specializing in customer relationship marketing. Mr. Wolf came to his role with ADS backed by more than 10 years of cognitive psychology and market research expertise. He received a portion of his training at Procter and Gamble as a Consumer and Market Knowledge Manager. In this capacity, Mr. Wolf constructed and executed market research, including pioneering the use of the Internet as a research tool for P&G, to understand consumer brand perceptions. Prior to joining P&G, Mr. Wolf researched the human factors of decision-making at Klein Associates, working with Dr. Gary Klein and with Ms. Laura Militello. While there, he led the redesign of new human-computer interfaces for the US Army, Air Force, Navy, and the Federal Aviation Administration. Mr. Wolf has published numerous articles in the area of Naturalistic Decision Making on a range of topics including: new models of cognition and information processing, principles for improved user interface design, and new methodologies for capturing and representing expertise. Mr. Wolf holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Electronic Commerce from Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Cognitive and Human Factors Psychology from Wright State University.

Christen Sushereba is a research associate at Applied Decision Science, specializing in the application of human factors psychology and cognitive systems engineering to training design and evaluation. Her work includes utilizing augmented reality to enhance recognition skills for medical treatment and developing training frameworks, such as one application developed to support Emergency Medicine Technicians in recognizing and recovering from tourniquet errors. She coauthored the Handbook of Augmented Reality Training Design Principles, showcasing her expertise in this field. Beyond training design, Christen has applied her knowledge to a variety of research domains. These include military pararescue, emergency response, cybersecurity, electronic health record design, air traffic control, workload management, and human-automation teaming. Her diverse experience demonstrates her ability to apply human factors principles and cognitive systems engineering and contribute valuable insights and solutions to improve performance and safety across different industries and domains. Christen obtained her Master of Science degree in Human Factors and Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Wright State University in 2018. Her educational background has provided her with a strong foundation in understanding human behavior, cognition, and the interaction between humans and technology.

Julie DiIulio, M.S., leads design and usability efforts at Applied Decision Science. With a background in human factors psychology, perception, and cognition, Julie applies user-centered and user-experience design principles to create designs that support human performance. Examples include prototypes of decision support applications, virtual assistants, and augmented reality applications. Complementing her design work, Julie has over 15 years of experience conducting usability testing on a range of technologies including electronic health records, voice-user interfaces, and handheld devices. Julie came to ADS after a career in telecommunications and digital marketing. Julie received her Master of Science in Human Factors Psychology from Wright State University in 2004.

Michelle Wang Whitlock, M.S. is a research assistant at Applied Decision Science. Her role involves data collection, analysis, designing solutions, evaluating designs, and project management. Michelle’s research experience includes the design of clinical decision support systems to aid in patient-provider decision making, understanding the impact of advanced automation on pilot decision making for future rotorcraft, and exploring the use of automation designed to support petrochemical plant control room operators. Michelle completed her Master of Science degree in Human Factors and Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Wright State University in 2019, with a focus in auditory perception, both in real-world and virtual environments. Her experience allows her to investigate how different sensory cues and environmental factors influence human performance and decision making. Prior to joining Applied Decision Science, Michelle worked as a research assistant at the Air Force Research Laboratory for six years, establishing a solid foundation for applying human factors methods within military contexts.