James L. Tangler is a Senior Scientist at the National Wind Technology Center, which is part of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton in 1963 and his M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University in 1965. After serving as an Army aviator and working 10 years at Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, TX, he joined the Rockwell International Wind Program in 1978, which became part of the Solar Energy Research Institute, and then NREL. Over the last 20 years, he has lead the design of new airfoils for wind turbines, been involved in the development of performance prediction codes, and has participated in the design of advanced blades.