As Director of Strategic Operations, Robert D. Bliss researches and advises on automotive and sponsorship industry trends and technologies. He briefs DiMora Motorcar and sponsor staffs on his findings including recommendations on whether, how, and when to take action.

As Chief of Software Development for Star Bridge Systems, Inc., Mr. Bliss managed the production of more efficient ways to code field-programmable gate array (FPGA) chips. This solved significant problems that arose as densities increased from thousands to millions of gates on each chip. He developed training courses for customers on how to use the innovative Viva software environment created by Star Bridge Systems. He also increased interaction with current and prospective customers by editing and publishing the Reconfigure! digital newsletter.

In the 1990s, Mr. Bliss edited CrossTalk, The Journal of Defense Software Engineering, which played a key role in improving the quality of software developed by and for the U.S. Department of Defense. CrossTalk provided software engineers and managers with industrial case studies and theories coming out of universities on how to manage complex software development. The magazine also evaluated how well these systems worked in the real world of deadlines and budget constraints. His Curmudgeon's Corner articles were a very popular feature, and during the four years Mr. Bliss edited the magazine, readership increased tenfold. He also helped manage the annual Software Technology Conference for the Department of Defense as attendance increased five hundred percent in five years.

During a 22-year career in the U.S. Air Force, Lieutenant Colonel Bliss directed the program to train and support over 1,500 office workers in the use of their first desktop computers in the 1980s. As deputy chief of a 400-member software engineering division specializing in F-16 and ICBM flight programs and test equipment, he integrated infrared thermography and neural network techniques to improve circuit board diagnosis and repair. He directed the planning of all logistics support for peacetime, crisis, and wartime operations of NATO's airborne early warning force in Germany.

After scoring a perfect 800 in the Math SAT, Mr. Bliss earned a B.A. in Political Science from Occidental College at age 20. He later earned an M.S. in Human Resource Management from the University of Utah. After winning his first adult chess tournament at the age of 14, he went on to become a Chess Master and Chess Champion of the Air Force.

Mr. Bliss is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and the Air Force Association.