Meet the Team
Maricela Gray
Chief Executive Officer
Maricela Gray
Chief Executive Officer
Maricela Gray is the Chief Executive Officer for Elevate Systems. She has been the CEO since inception in 2012. She leads the strategic direction of the company and has been responsible for growth year over year. Under her direction Elevate Systems has been able to diversify the business base of Elevate Systems in the Sustaining Engineering Group and led the charge to diversify into the Technology Consulting line of business.
Mrs. Gray was awarded the 2015 Excellence in Contracting Support award from the San Antonio Business Opportunity Council and the UTSA Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). She completed the LiftFund Women's Business Accelerator Program in late 2016.
Scott Gray
President
Scott Gray
President
After being an Executive in the Defense Industry for over 25 years, Scott and his wife Maricela started Elevate Systems in late 2012. Elevate Systems is an Engineering Services Firm based in San Antonio, Texas specializing in Department of Defense Weapon Systems Obsolescence and Sustaining Engineering Support.
Elevate Systems is utilizing state of the art 3D modeling and “printing” of mechanical parts in plastics, thermo plastics and various metals including stainless steel, aluminum and titanium. In less than 3 years, Elevate Systems has become known across the services as a leader in the additive manufacturing and modeling area. They recently delivered a new system for the B-52 Stratofortress that has a 3D printed part as a critical asset for the operation of the radar blower motor assembly. This system flies on over 70 B-52 Stratofortresses today. Elevate Systems also completed an effort for the WC-135 Constant Phoenix where they were able to provide engineering design and overhaul for 17 critical assets supporting the Whole Air Collection System at a cost reduction of 66% to the Air Force.
Scott is actively engaged in the San Antonio community and is the Founder and past Chairman of SASTEMIC (the San Antonio Science Technology Engineering and Math Connectory) which engages the K-12 kids and points them towards technical tracks and higher education, and formerly sat on the board of the College of Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), and the Advisory Council of Executives of the Billy Greehey School of Business at St. Mary’s University. He currently serves as the Chair for the Education Committee of the City of San Antonio Military Transformation Task Force, and is also the Chairman for the Alamo Region FIRST Robotics Organization.
Alex Villareal
Chief Engineer
Alex Villareal
Chief Engineer
Alex Villareal is the Chief Engineer at Elevate Systems. He is responsible for all engineering activity for the Government and commercial departments. He is in charge of all technical aspects form design to completion to production. Specializing in 3D design, Mr. Villareal has taken many client’s ideas and sketches to create/design 3D models. These 3D creations are then typically 3D printed for prototyping and client review. He has years of experience in creating 2D drawings for manufacturing and working with various manufacturers to oversee the production. Mr. Villareal has lead many reverse engineer projects for government and commercial efforts; performed project management duties and the technical lead.
Alex Villareal has 15 years of engineering experience is technical design and is a certified SolidWorks professional. He is also trained in Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing for 2D drawings and Model Base Definition. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and is a licensed Professional Engineer.
Rene Castilleja
Senior Mechanical Technician
Rene Castilleja
Senior Mechanical Technician
Rene Castilleja is our Senior Mechanical Technician. He is responsible for supporting all of our Engineering efforts where he provides technical support for reverse engineering, creation of technical documentation including disassembly and assembly instructions, overhaul and rebuild for mechanical components. Rene has a degree in Electronics and Occupational Therapy and is a certified Solidworks Professional
Scott Stokes
Supply Chain Management Expert
Scott Stokes
Supply Chain Management Expert
Scott Stokes is a seasoned Principal Subject Matter Expert with Elevate Systems, providing pivotal support to the 448 Supply Chain Management Wing/Engineering since June 2023. His expertise encompasses the development and standardization of engineering support tasks, analysis of requirements, and drafting of policies and procedures aimed at enhancing the Group's operational efficiency. Before his current role, he was a Project Manager for the Air Force Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems Sustainment Branch, significantly contributing to various engineering tasks and proposal developments. Scott’s career began in 1983 and includes substantial leadership in Depot Maintenance and Engineering for multiple Air Force systems. He holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Brigham Young University, an Aerospace MBA from the University of Tennessee, and is certified in Life Cycle Logistics and Systems Planning. His dedication and strategic approach have been crucial in fostering innovation and sustaining critical military systems.
Emmanuel Garcia
Lead Mechanical Engineer
Emmanuel Garcia
Lead Mechanical Engineer
Emmanuel received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2018 and is a Lead Mechanical Engineer for Elevate Systems, and a licensed Professional Engineer.
He routinely works on projects performing engineering analysis, simulation, modeling, technical writing, creating technical drawings, and designing products for clients. He has made significant contributions to various efforts for the Army, Navy, DLA Land and Maritime, Texas Lutheran University, etc.
He is experienced with SolidWorks, MATLAB, Python, Finite Element Analysis, numerical analysis tools and will be supporting Elevate Systems and our clients on our engineering design and reverse engineering efforts.
Elevate Systems
Elevan LLC
Elevate Systems
Elevan LLC
Elevate Systems is an engineering services firm specializing in design, reverse/re-engineering solutions, and technology consulting.
Elevate Systems
Elevan LLC
Elevate Systems
Elevan LLC
Elevate Systems is an engineering services firm specializing in design, reverse/re-engineering solutions, and technology consulting.
Elevate Systems
Elevan LLC
Elevate Systems
Elevan LLC
Elevate Systems is an engineering services firm specializing in design, reverse/re-engineering solutions, and technology consulting.
Evan Gray
Senior Software Engineer
Evan Gray
Senior Software Engineer
In mid 2012, Evan started his career in technology at the San Antonio based cloud company, Rackspace Hosting, in their Network Operations Center as a software developer. He spent time developing automation technology for improving the reliability, security, and scalability of the global datacenter network.
After spending time in the physical networking world, Evan joined the cloud organization of Rackspace to work with the SDN (Software Defined Networking) team on developing the next generation SDN stack for Rackspace's OpenStack powered cloud and quickly became a key contributor to many mission-critical closed and open source SDN efforts.
In 2017, Evan decided to leave Rackspace to pursue his goal of influencing the technology field through his intense passion and deeply technical skillset. The base of knowledge developed during his tenure at the growing cloud company that serves over half of all Fortune 100 companies today has proven to be invaluable in his technical development.
Today, Evan is a Principal Solutions Engineer at Elevate Systems.
Oliver Garcia
Senior Software Engineer
Oliver Garcia
Senior Software Engineer
Oliver Garcia is a seasoned programmer and mathematician with a robust background in software development and numerical analysis. He discovered his passion for programming at the age of 12, starting with video game development in Ruby. His early enthusiasm for technology set the stage for a distinguished career in software engineering and mathematical research.
Oliver pursued his academic interests at Texas A&M University, where he graduated with a degree in Mathematics and Physics. His studies not only deepened his understanding of complex mathematical theories but also laid a solid foundation for his later work in artificial intelligence and computer vision. This blend of mathematical prowess and programming skill has been the cornerstone of Oliver's professional journey.
Beginning his career in 2013 as a Software Engineer at Rackspace Hosting, Oliver quickly demonstrated his talent for tackling challenging projects. His journey continued at Grok Interactive, where he played a key role in developing and maintaining applications for global clients using the Ruby on Rails framework. His expertise in Ruby and his knack for problem-solving soon led him to a senior position at Pressable, one of the largest WordPress hosting companies worldwide. At Pressable, Oliver led a massive project to migrate over 5,000 sites to a new infrastructure with minimal downtime, showcasing his leadership and technical skills.
Recognized for his outstanding contributions, Oliver was promoted to Director of Software Development at Pressable. In this role, he managed the development of the MyPressable control panel and its supporting infrastructure, serving over 50,000 live WordPress sites. His ability to lead complex projects and inspire his team was evident as he navigated the challenges of large-scale software development.
Oliver is not only a skilled engineer but also a natural leader. He is known for his ability to mentor and inspire his team, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence. His extensive experience spans enterprise, research, and startup environments, where he has consistently driven successful outcomes through collaboration and technical expertise.
With over thirteen years of professional experience, Oliver specializes in image processing, statistical analysis technologies, and numerical analysis. His deep understanding of mathematical principles enables him to develop cutting-edge solutions in AI and computer vision, pushing the boundaries of technology. His hands-on experience with enterprise-scale implementations ensures data and code consistency and effective team management.
Currently, Oliver serves as a Senior Software Engineer at Elevate Systems, a company dedicated to supporting Department of Defense (DoD) customers. Founded in 2012, Elevate Systems focuses on engineering design, prototyping, and support, particularly in sustaining engineering for aging weapon systems like the B-52 Stratofortress, WC-135 Constant Phoenix, UH-60 Blackhawk, and AH-64 Apache helicopters. At Elevate, Oliver leverages his extensive experience to ensure technical excellence and mathematical rigor in both defense and commercial projects.
Avery Hankins
Software Engineer II
Avery Hankins
Software Engineer II
Avery Hankins is a software engineer who works with Elevate Systems clients to develop quality software. Avery believes in doing things the right way with carefully planned execution, and this attitude has allowed him to succeed in the software development field. He is highly skilled in Go, Ruby, Python, and Javascript.
Joshua Stowers
Senior Software Engineer
Joshua Stowers
Senior Software Engineer
Joshua is an experienced software engineer and habitual tutor. His work has spanned from leading development efforts of enterprise level solutions for DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and DoD (Department of Defense) to building out small web applications from scratch for local startups. Joshua settles for nothing less than absolute perfection in his own work, and enforces the same standards on his own teams, ensuring that the software being built is always as fast, secure, and future-proof as possible. He spends his spare time giving back to the open source community by contributing to a multitude of projects used by millions of developers around the world.
Andrea Varnado
Software Engineer I
Andrea Varnado
Software Engineer I
Andrea Varnado is a versatile full-stack software developer known for her expertise in both front-end and back-end technologies. With a talent for creating complex web applications and developing software solutions across various sectors, Andrea’s diverse skill set and commitment to her craft have established her as a rising star in the tech industry. Andrea’s path to software development began in an unexpected place: the University of North Texas, where she initially pursued a degree in classical vocal performance. However, her passion for technology and problem-solving soon redirected her career trajectory. This pivotal change led her to enroll in a 20-week Full-Stack Java Career Accelerator at Codeup, where she underwent 670 hours of rigorous, project-based training. Through this intensive program, Andrea mastered a wide array of technologies, including Java, Spring Boot, MySQL, and more, solidifying her foundation as a full-stack developer. In 2023, Andrea joined Elevate Systems as a Software Engineer I, quickly making her mark by developing robust code for projects using Ruby on Rails and Python. Her work spans both Department of Defense (DoD) and commercial clients, showcasing her ability to adapt to diverse project requirements and deliver high-quality software solutions that meet stringent security and performance standards. Andrea’s ability to thrive in fast-paced environments and her keen attention to detail have made her an invaluable asset to the team. Before her role at Elevate Systems, Andrea worked on several innovative projects that highlighted her technical prowess and creative problem-solving skills. One of her standout projects, Wedding Wise, is a comprehensive wedding planning application that offers features like budget tracking, guest list management, and vendor directories. This project allowed Andrea to leverage her full-stack skills, creating a seamless, user-friendly experience with a focus on functionality and design. Andrea also contributed to the development of Ad-Lister, an ad management application, and UnRated, a movie app that allows users to search, sort, and favorite movies. These projects required Andrea to utilize her deep understanding of both front-end and back-end development, as well as her ability to collaborate effectively within a team. Her work on these applications underscored her proficiency in JavaScript, jQuery, HTML, CSS, and Bootstrap, as well as her talent for designing intuitive user interfaces and building robust backend systems. Beyond her technical skills, Andrea is committed to continuous learning and professional growth. Her experience as a Senior Stylist at Stitch Fix honed her abilities in customer service and client management, skills that have significantly contributed to her success as a developer. By blending her background in customer-centric roles with her technical expertise, Andrea brings a unique perspective to her work, always aiming to develop solutions that are not only technically sound but also highly user-friendly. Currently, Andrea continues to excel at Elevate Systems, where she leverages her full-stack development skills to support the company’s mission of providing premier engineering design, prototyping, and support services. Her work on complex projects for both DoD and commercial clients highlights her versatility and dedication to delivering top-notch results. Andrea is more than just a full-stack developer; she embodies the spirit of innovation, adaptability, and dedication. Her unique journey from classical music to software engineering reflects her passion for technology and her relentless drive to excel.
Cooper Gray
Director of Happiness
Cooper Gray
Director of Happiness
Cooper Gray is responsible for ensuring that all Elevate Systems Personnel have a little fun on a daily basis. He is also responsible for ensuring that those that enter our office feel safe and protected. He expects to be petted by anyone that crosses the threshold into the office known as Elevate Systems.