Businessman, Entrepreneur and Agile Thought Leader: Donald J. Reifer '69

Donald J. Reifer ’69 is recognized as an agile thought leader and a leading figure in the fields of software engineering and management. He has more than 40 years of management experience in industry, academia and government. He is skilled in program/project/product management, development, metrics, measurement and change management. He has led major agile enterprisewide initiatives, headed process improvement efforts, built businesses, managed major programs and changed the way organizations did their business. Additionally, he has acted as an adviser to senior management in several Fortune 500 companies, sat on the board of directors, led government panels, served on the board of trustees of Prescott College and served as a visitor at the University of Southern California’s (USC) Center for Software Engineering.

From 1993 to 1995, Reifer managed the Department of Defense Software Initiatives Office. In this position, he led several major enterprisewide initiatives as a senior executive service official (Lt. Gen. equivalent). Previously, while with TRW, Reifer managed their Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) efforts. While with the Aerospace Corporation, Reifer led all the software efforts related to the Space Transportation System (Shuttle). Currently, as a trusted adviser, he helps executives in Fortune 500 firms transform organizations using technologies emphasizing agile and agile-at-scale methods. He is known for his business, technical, team-building and practical problem-solving skills. Among his key accomplishments, he has built a management consulting firm from scratch; helped start up businesses such as Ashton-Tate and grow others; as a Hitachi consultant, helped develop engineering workstations that were credited with saving millions in cost; as a Nokia consultant, devised an R&D/acquisition strategy that led to new product sales, and as a deputy program manager, led the on-time and budget delivery of software for a large satellite program.

Reifer received his B.S. in electrical engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology, his M.S. in operations research from USC and the Certificate in Business Management for Technical Personnel from UCLA. He has published 11 technical books and over 200 software engineering and management papers. 

Reifer’s many awards include the U.S. Secretary of Defense’s Medal for Outstanding Public Service, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the AIAA Software Engineering Award, the ICEAA Freiman Award, the DISA Service Award and the Hughes Aircraft Company Master’s Fellowship. He is a member of Eta Kappa Nu, Omicron Delta Kappa and Who’s Who in the West.

Although he currently is semiretired, Reifer said that he loves his work and continues to assist clients in change management as a consultant in the software field. His current focus is on introducing ways to improve software workforce productivity. He approaches this scientifically via benchmarking. This allows him to win arguments using the numbers which are hard to dispute.

Reifer said that NJIT helped him by providing the foundations, confidence and core discipline that he needed to succeed after he graduated. However, getting an engineering degree was “tough.” “My study habits were rusty and I was starting school after serving four years in the Air Force,” he said. Like many in his generation, he was also the first in his family to get a college degree.  

Reifer did not envisage becoming a “software guru” when he was a student at NJIT. “My emphasis in school was on digital design and my love was mathematics and the scientific method,” he said. “My software career was a happenstance. My first job after graduation was in software. Because I liked the work so much, I never pursued anything else. My growth was a function of my inner drive. Many of the opportunities that I took advantage of while progressing was a function of luck, not skill. However, I was smart enough to recognize and jump on them.”

During his first year at NJIT, Reifer lived in a cold-water flat in Newark in the Alpha Sigma Mu fraternity house (veteran’s frat). “I got lucky the next year,” he said. “NJIT had just opened its new Alumni Center and was looking for someone to be its resident manager. The job was perfect for me because it provided me both management experience and free room and board in return for my duties. This was a big deal because in the 1960s, NJIT had no student housing. In addition, as part of my duties, I also got to work with the Alumni board and administration. This helped me realize that I wanted to pursue a career in technical management.”  

For Reifer, NJIT proved to be both hard work and fun. “I had just got out of service and my study skills were rusty,” he recounted. “I did not know anyone, was older and lacked confidence. My fraternity mates helped greatly because they came from similar backgrounds. I became active in the fraternity, made many friends and worked hard to get good grades and build my confidence. I enjoyed most of my classes and my fellow students. As important, the faculty and staff were very supportive.”

Reifer’s most memorable moment at NJIT was when he was inducted into both Eta Kappa Nu (electrical engineering honorary society) and Omicron Delta Kappa (national leadership honorary society) in his senior year. These events told him that he had achieved the goals that he had established when he decided to return to school. 

In the year immediately after graduating, Reifer moved to Los Angeles, California, as a Master’s Fellow with Hughes Aircraft Company. “This was a work-study program,” he said. “I went to the University of Southern California full-time and worked part-time as a software engineer developing code for airborne radars. I enjoyed school and my work and excelled at both. Within three years, I was leading department efforts to automate factories, develop new weapons system software and perform research aimed at improving software workforce productivity.”

NJIT (NCE) will always have a special place in Reifer’s heart because the institution gave him a chance. 

“My grades were average and SATs marginal,” he recalled. “But, NJIT admitted me because I had potential and was a veteran. The faculty and administration were supportive and I was provided with access to the resources I needed to ease my burden. My veteran’s frat provided me the mentoring that I needed to make the transition and, of course, the GI bill helped with my financial burdens.”

What advice would he give to those considering a career in the fields of software engineering and management?    

“Software is a great field with many well-paying jobs,” he explained. “The work is challenging and fun and the ability to collaborate and work on interesting topics and with interesting people exciting. Having an engineering background is valuable because many of the people in the field come from other backgrounds (math, science, music, history, etc.). Engineering provides you with the foundation to understand and solve many of the problems you will face using a scientific approach. But, managing people can be tricky. To build my skills, I went to UCLA under company sponsorship and received a Certificate in Business Management. This provided me with the background that I needed to excel as a manager and owner of several software businesses.”