Jonathan Beck is the Executive Director and Principal Investigator (PI) for the National Center for Autonomous Technologies (NCAT). His career in Aerospace, Geospatial and Autonomous technologies has involved creating unmanned aircraft system programs across state and federal organizations and higher education. In 2011, he supported Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls, MN in launching the nation’s first UAS Maintenance program. He serves on National Visiting Committees for the NSF GeoTech Center and Micro and Nano Technology Education Center, the Board of Directors for the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers, a Mentor for the NSF Mentor-Connect program and a Principal Investigator for multiple NSF awards working with a dedicated team to create professional development workshops, STEM engagement opportunities, educational pathways, and industry partnerships, expanding educational resources.