In 2015, Melinda and Steve Tourangeau started Warrior Support Solutions, LLC to fill a critical need for exceptional expertise in Electronic Warfare (EW) and Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO). Having both served in the U.S. Air Force (Steve as an aircraft operator, and Melinda as an engineer and program manager), they worked on technologies relevant to EW and EMSO such as radar, electro-optics, lasers, communications, and geo-navigation. The combination of their abilities and skills made a great team, passionate about the warfighter, and eager to serve the U.S. Air Force.
In eight short years, EW/EMSO needs and requirements have expanded greatly in terms of planning, strategizing, and obtaining capabilities for our military. This has generated a need/capability gap in subject matter expertise for which WSS is perfectly positioned. In 2021, WSS provided its expertise on a report to Congress outlining the DoD’s EW and EMSO capabilities.
The 2021 report for Congress covered offensive Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) recommendations for our armed forces. this report has been used extensively to quide new requirements for EW and EMSO training. WSS’s vast EW network contains contacts with the most influential operators in EW and EMSO. Our main goal is to identify meaningful connections between government and industry so that the best EW solutions get developed and fielded. We maintain an exceptional reputation in the industry, making our message easy to promulgate and appreciated by the entire community.
Melinda and Steve Tourangeau, co-founders of Warrior Support Solutions, LLC.
Melinda Lee Tourangeau
B.EE., M.S.EE, MBA
President and Co-Founder
Melinda Tourangeau, an engineering and USAF ROTC graduate of Georgia Tech, served four years active duty as an officer in the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH. She completed her Master’s in Electrical Engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), majoring in electro-optics and semiconductor physics. Following separation from active duty, Melinda joined the USAF Reserves and went to work as a member of Raytheon’s Engineers and Constructors, assigned to the Savannah River Site. She transferred to Raytheon Electronic Systems in Tewksbury, MA, to develop the terminal track algorithm for an infrared seeker head for the BAT munition. Melinda co-authored a patent for this work, US Patent No. 6,072, 889.
From 1996-2004, Melinda worked in the commercial industry. She was a sales engineer for Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile/Bell Atlantic Mobile (BAM)/Verizon Wireless, designing and implementing CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data) systems. She attended Northeastern University full time to earn her MBA in High Technology and Innovation in 2000. Following a short period at Global Crossing as a landline systems engineer, she joined Sun Microsystems in 1999 as a Sales Systems Engineer, and then transitioned to engineering management in 2000. Melinda managed Sun’s StorEdge line of products, as well as Level 5 support for the Solaris Operating System.
On her own time, Melinda wrote a provisional patent application on photodiode enhancements using nanotechnology: Diffusive-Noise-Reduced Photodiode/Focal Plane Array, Issued September 15, 2003, No. 60/502,931.
In 2004, Melinda returned to defense work with BAE Systems in Nashua, NH. For 8-1/2 years, she served in various program management and program engineering management roles for electro-optics and RF defensive systems. From 2013-2016, she worked as a senior program manager for Northrop Grumman Information Systems in Beavercreek, OH. In this role, she managed legacy software modernization activities for the U.S. Navy. Melinda recently stepped down as executive director of the RVJ Institute, a 501 c3 public charity dedicated exclusively to excellence in the electromagnetic environment. She is enrolled in a doctorate program at Liberty University pursuing excellence in organizational systems.
Melinda serves as the President of WSS. She maintains up-to-date knowledge of relevant technologies, and advises Steve on which technologies would best close Air Force capability gaps. She also serves as the Business Manager, contributing her program management experience to daily operations of the company.
Melinda’s expertise includes: Skilled project administration/management/planning and execution, advanced technical knowledge of military defense systems, critical analysis skills to assess situations and take decisive action, accomplished technical writer (research) and distinguished public speaker, advanced knowledge in semiconductor physics, lasers, Infrared and electro-optical systems.