Beyond the Badge: Meet the New Faces Fueling Davidson’s Future
- David Wood
- Jul 17
- 6 min read
Recently, Director of Marketing and Communications Rikki Klaus talked with three of Davidson’s newest employees—Hannah Bertelson, Brent Christian, and Dr. Casey Cartwright—about their journeys, motivations, and aspirations. From hypersonic flight testing to theoretical physics, their diverse paths reflect the depth of expertise and curiosity that fuel Davidson’s mission.
This feature is part of Beyond the Badge, a new series that brings you closer to the people powering Davidson’s future. These aren’t just job titles—they’re real individuals with stories, ambitions, and perspectives that enrich our culture and sharpen our collective edge.
DR. CASEY CARTWRIGHT | Data Scientist
The past three winters, Casey Cartwright hauled his family’s Christmas tree home to their row house near Amsterdam on a bicycle.
Last year, the tree “was incredibly heavy, and it felt like my bike basket could snap at any moment,” Casey remembers. “I carried all sorts of objects you would never believe could be biked.”
Rain or shine, the then-postdoctoral researcher with four physics degrees (yes, four!) cycled to Utrecht University. There, he modeled quantum field theories using numerical methods and differential geometry. He taught, published findings in multiple manuscripts, and presented at the university’s theoretical physics summer school, along with Dutch Nobel Prize-winning physicist Gerard ‘t Hooft. With all the success came significant stress. Casey said he yearned for a more stable life for his family, so he pivoted. Last month, the father took his first job outside of academia, as a Davidson data scientist.
“What I would be doing would be important to help keep the nation safe. That's something I could do and feel proud of,” Casey said.
In May, the Colorado native and his wife Jana moved to Madison, Alabama with their cats
Goose and Fern, their dog Higgs, who’s named after the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Peter Higgs, and their toddler Alice, who’s never lived outside of The Netherlands.
“Almost all of her toys for her first two years of life spoke to her in Dutch,” said Casey.
He chose to work at Davidson, he explained, because the role sounded exciting and he could tell his new colleagues would make excellent teammates. “I thought it was really cool that Davidson is the site of the second D-Wave quantum computer in the US,” he added.
Casey’s research interests range from quantum field theories and black holes to topology and differential geometry.
“I love puzzles and games. Mathematically heavy topics are like really complicated puzzles. Once I start solving, I just need to keep putting pieces in place. Turns out completing the puzzle is a very strong motivator.”
So is supporting the safety of families like his across the country through his new industry.
“I want to provide my best work to assist my team and grow as a data scientist, knowing that I have contributed to the security of the nation,” Casey said.
HANNAH BERTELSON | PAC-3 Test Engineer
“My family is super competitive.”
Hannah Bertelson is trained to aim high -- both literally and figuratively. The test engineer was a D1 pole vaulter and high jumper as well as an electrical engineering major at the University of Wyoming.
Athleticism runs in the family from Midland, Texas. Hannah says among her and her five siblings, half were D1 college athletes.
“We used to do a yearly flag football game, but it usually ended with someone getting hurt. So we transitioned over to a less-physical yearly cooking competition,” explained Hannah. She is preparing for this year’s competition at a family trip in St. George, Utah.
“We pull out of a hat who our partner will be, and we each pick a night of the week to cook. We also get randomly-assigned a genre of food we have to cook. It is great because on vacation you only have to worry about grocery shopping and cooking one night and the rest you get to enjoy everyone else's creations,” Hannah said.
Her sister and role model, Bri Aylesworth, could also be her cooking partner next month.
“I have always looked up to my older sister, who is a petroleum engineer. We have very similar personalities and strengths, and it was so encouraging for me to watch her go through the struggle of engineering and come out on the other side. I still go to her for work and life advice because I really trust her opinion,” said Hannah.
A knack for problem solving
On a school trip, finding a makeshift solution for a broken armrest with a friend inspired Hannah’s career path.
“She and I were laughing at how silly our fix was when her dad leaned forward and said, ‘Now that is what an engineer would do,’” Hannah recalled. “I never felt that I fit the engineer stereotype, but his comment made me realize engineers are just people who love solving problems. So, I decided at that point that I wanted to become an engineer.”
Hannah interned at aerospace companies then worked at NSWC Crane in Indiana on drones and hypersonic flight testing. “I spent five years working under some truly amazing engineers there,” Hannah said.
Why Davidson?
For four months, she’s been working at Davidson on the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) in support of U.S. forces and allies. The Missile Defense Agency says, “For homeland defense, Patriot provides detection, track, and engagement of short-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.”
“I interviewed with Michele Wilson, Senior Test Engineer, for my current position, and I was really impressed with her,” Hannah explained. “She is deeply technical, a good leader and has really encouraged and challenged me along the way. I was excited to get to work and learn from her. Davidson offered a competitive salary, great benefits and unlimited PTO, which are also huge perks.”
Hannah hopes to continue to develop her technical skills while learning about business development.
“As a younger engineer, I struggle with comparing myself to the senior engineers I work with and how knowledgeable they are. I have to remind myself that the only difference between us is 20+ years of experience and that I will be in the same position with time.”
BRENT CHRISTIAN | Algorithms Engineer
Brent Christian has lived, studied, worked and largely vacationed in one place: Alabama. He grew up in Alabaster, where he hosted at the chicken restaurant Champy's. He attended college in Tuscaloosa at the University of Alabama. He works in Huntsville at Davidson’s Headquarters. And he vacations in Fairhope, where he cycles and hangs out by the water.
But in the first few days of 2024, Brent struck out of Alabama, traveling to the most interesting place he’s been so far: the Joint Mathematics Meeting in San Francisco, California. The meeting was billed as “the largest mathematics gathering in the world.”
“Very exciting!” Brent recalled.
Math experts from renowned universities presented on various topics. On a break from the conference, “I got to see Golden State play the Denver Nuggets. The Warriors unfortunately lost when Nikola Jokić scored a half-court shot,” he laughed. Coupled with the loss (softened by a chuckle) was a win. At the meeting, Brent presented his undergraduate research on a solution to the advection-dispersion equation. It was a modeling of “the transport of solute in a porous medium.” The talk scored Brent the Joint Mathematics Meeting 2024 Pi Mu Epsilon (PME) Speaker award.
Math has been a throughline in Brent’s life. “Since elementary school, I’ve loved math,” he shared. He double majored in the subject and Computer Science, then earned a Master’s in Computer Science. He graduated last year.
Brent said positive reinforcement from teachers and a key role model has propelled him.
“My main role model is my mother, Tasha Christian. She is an extremely hard worker with a very positive attitude when approaching difficult tasks. She has always encouraged me through good and bad times, which has given me the boost I’ve needed to jump over hurdles in life. She never misses a moment to tell me she's proud of me,” Brent said.
Now, as a new algorithms engineer at Davidson, Brent develops software for internal research projects pertaining to missile defense.
“I wanted a job where I could use both my math and programming skills effectively, so this was a great fit,” he shared.
Brent is building upon a simulation environment in the programming language C++.
“So far, the highlight of my career has been merging new features I added to the simulation environment into the main branch. I was really excited to see that my work was already being appreciated,” he said.
Just a few months in, he has an eye on more success.
“I want to produce software tools that will protect our national security. Ultimately, I want to know that my impact was meaningful.”
Stay tuned for more Beyond the Badge features as we continue highlighting the people driving Davidson’s mission forward.
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