Her expertise is in technical and strategic management, innovation and business policy, particularly with respect to defense and space systems. She has over 35 years of industry and academic experience in the US, Europe, and the Middle East. After graduating with her engineering degree, Dr. Tinoco became a systems integration engineer at Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin), focusing on defense systems for USAF jet fighter platforms. She then transferred to Washington, D.C. to work with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the ATC modernization program and weather radar. Afterward, Dr. Tinoco returned to defense and served as a technical manager of both foreign and domestic subcontractors for Lockheed Martin and then as a project engineer for Northrop-Grumman before leaving to pursue her PhD. Since her time at ERAU, she been involved in research with NASA and the FAA and has completed numerous aerospace and aviation consulting projects with the OCOB MBA student body ranging from aviation market opportunity identification to spaceport revenue stream development. Dr. Tinoco has received several academic research and industry awards, most notably the Lockheed Martin Corporation's "top 100." She has published in numerous academic journals, co-authored research reports for industry and government agencies, and is lead author on an introductory book on spaceports. Consequently, she been an invited guest lecturer on spaceport development in the US and abroad. 

 Dr. Tinoco holds a BS degree in Engineering from Southern Illinois University Carbondale; a Master of International Business from Webster University, and a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida with a focus on strategy in high technology industries. She is professionally certified in Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and completed certificate courses through IAASS on Space Debris Risk Analysis and Mitigation, AIAA on Understanding Space: Introduction to Astronautics, among others.