Software Engineering Institute

Media Contact
Kelly Kimberland, APR
Media Line: 412-268-4793
Email: public-relations@sei.cmu.edu

Pittsburgh, PA, July 30, 2009—Paul D. Nielsen, director and CEO of the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute (SEI), has been reappointed to a second five-year term, announced Mark Kamlet, executive vice president and provost of Carnegie Mellon University.

“Paul Nielsen’s vision and leadership have served the SEI and Carnegie Mellon University well over the past five years, and we’re very pleased to announce his reappointment,” said Kamlet. “Paul has been instrumental in expanding the SEI’s impact in both the commercial and government software engineering communities. Through his steady leadership, the SEI remains a premier institution for developing best practices in software engineering and computer security.”

Nielsen joined the SEI in 2004 after a distinguished 32-year career in the U.S. Air Force, where he retired as a major general. In the past five years, Nielsen has overseen the development and expansion of the CMMI Product Suite, the establishment of new SEI offices in Qatar, and new research initiatives in ultra-large-scale systems, computer security and software architecture. He has led the growth of the SEI to an organization of more than 500 staff members with operating revenues of $120 million annually.

Earlier this month, Nielsen testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Defense Acquisition Reform Panel of the Committee on Armed Services on the challenges and opportunities the Armed Services face in defense acquisition. He told the panel that one of the largest challenges the SEI sees facing the Department of Defense (DoD) is the effective management of the software foundation upon which all military platforms, capabilities and systems of systems are built and run. 

Nielsen stated that he is honored to be part of a world-class university and the SEI. “The strength and influence of the SEI comes from the men and women who dedicate themselves to resolving the challenges to our evolving software-intensive systems,” he said. “It is their research, their dedication and their commitment that has made it a privilege to serve as the leader of this organization.” 

The SEI was established in 1984 as a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) sponsored by the DoD. For 25 years, the SEI has influenced the way government and industry organizations address software engineering challenges through its best practices in process improvement, acquisition, software architecture and product lines, and computer security. As the only FFRDC focused on software engineering, the SEI and its SEI Partner Network have transitioned its methods, tools and techniques to hundreds of organizations worldwide.