Key Staff

CHERYL S. GIGGETTS, PMP
President

Ms. Giggetts is President of CTA Communications, Inc. She has worked in the two-way radio communications field since joining CTA.  She has 18 years of experience in the assessment, implementation, and management of communications projects. 

Her work at CTA encompasses project integration management, scope management, schedule management, cost management, quality management, information management, risk management, and procurement management.

Ms. Giggetts’ experience in evaluating the overall requirements of a project, analyzing the scope of
services to be performed, and negotiating project contracts, includes a well-rounded and informed
knowledge base of Radio and Telecommunications infrastructures.

During her career with CTA Ms Giggetts has worked on thirty-eight (38) projects for the company.

KENNETH A. BALLARD, Ph.D.
Vice President - Technology Manager

Dr. Ballard has 27 years of engineering experience with two-way radio communications systems, RF propagation, antenna design, and aerospace electronics.  His career includes experiences with the Electronic Warfare Laboratory, and the Atmospheric Sciences Laboratory, the Radiophysics Laboratory at the Thayer School of Engineering, as well as leadership roles with GE Aerospace, Ericsson Private Radio Systems, and now at CTA Communications.

His recent two-way radio design experience has involved engineering of a variety of two-way radio applications, including wide-area trunked radio systems, both digital and analog systems, and the control and networks required for integration of these systems.  This systems design experience enabled Dr. Ballard to successfully manage the implementation of several complex, wide-area communications systems. 

Since September 2001, Dr. Ballard has been the Lead Wireless Architect on a major contract with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.  The task undertaken here was to develop a conceptual design for a wireless network that would encompass the entire nation and provide functionality for all law enforcement components and bureaus in these two departments. 

In addition to the Federal project Dr. Ballard has worked on 12 other projects with CTA.

WALTER C. KARVETSKI
Vice President - Business Development Manager

Mr. Karvetski’s engineering career comprises over 33 years of engineering and project management experience including design engineering, system engineering, field installation and testing, and qualification test engineering for four major radio manufacturers.  Starting as a radio equipment design engineer, he worked in RF design for five years and then moved to systems design, where he designed major two-way radio systems subsequently implemented in the US and abroad. 

His engineering experience includes the project management of multi-million dollar radio projects in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and in the USA.  As project manager he was involved with customer needs assessments, communications site surveys, field engineering, implementation logistics, installation, system optimization, quality assurance, testing, training and cutover.  Mr. Karvetski was the resident project manager for Saudi Arabian projects from 1981 to 1985, and for Jordan projects from 1987 to 1990.  He was also involved in negotiation and contract preparation for several international turnkey radio systems.

Mr. Karvetski is also experienced in the implementation, auditing, training and management of ISO9000 quality systems. He is an ASQ certified quality auditor (CQA) and a certified ISO9000 auditor from the International Register of Certified Auditors (IRCA).

Mr. Karvetski’s CTA project management experience includes thirteen projects.  

JAMES M. DYE
Vice President - Operations Manager

Mr. Dye has managed two 911 Centers in large suburban areas.  Both involved the creation of an organization that did not previously exist.  This included construction of the Center, creation of databases, purchase and installation of equipment, and training of dispatchers.  Both Centers included combining and consolidating multi-discipline and multi-government operations. In these endeavors he has overseen the creation of standard operating procedures and multi-jurisdictional management committees.  Mr. Dye also managed, from bidding to operation, a county wide radio system.  This was a eighteen channel, four site, simulcast, 800 MHz trunked system.  

During the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he served on the OSSG (Olympic Security) Communications Committee. He was President of the Georgia Chapter of APCO for two years from 1995-96. He also served on the Congressional Public Safety Wireless Advisory Council, the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials’ Project 31, and the National Emergency Number Association’s Technical Requirements Committee.  Mr. Dye worked with the Georgia Chapter of APCO and the Senate of Georgia to create legislation and regulation for Wireless 911.  The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) has certified Mr. Dye as an Emergency Number Professional (ENP).

During his time with CTA he has worked on thirty (30) projects.