Government Solutions: Beasley Selected for New Program Development Post
Beasley Selected for New GTRI Program Development Post
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Electronic Systems Laboratory (ELSYS)
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Veteran research engineer Robert D. Beasley has been chosen director of program development for the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). He is the first person to hold the newly created position.
Beasley, a longtime GTRI principal research engineer, served for the past eight years as program manager for GTRI's Air National Guard Electronic Warfare Program in Washington, D.C. An electrical engineer by training, he is a specialist in electronic warfare (EW), a field that focuses on keeping U.S and friendly aircraft safe from enemy offensive and defensive systems.
Beasley also served for many years in the United States Air Force and its reserve component, the Air National Guard. His current military rank is Brigadier General, retired, Georgia Air National Guard.
"Bob Beasley has both the knowledge and the experience to help GTRI increase its current research portfolio and also expand into new fields," said Stephen E. Cross, GTRI director. "As an engineer, an authority in the EW field and a retired general officer, he is uniquely positioned to serve GTRI in this important post."
Beasley's career achievements were highlighted recently when he was chosen as the 2008 Gold Medal winner by the Association of Old Crows (AOC), a group of 13,500 professionals from electronic warfare, information operations and related disciplines. The medal, which was presented recently at the AOC National Meeting for "achievements, contributions, and dedication" to the field, is the group's highest honor.
"Bob is certainly in select company with this award," Cross said. "It's been a long time since any non-government individual won the gold medal, and I don't believe that anyone from academia has ever won it."
Beasley cites his multi-faceted background as a top qualification for his new job. It's a background that includes extensive military operational and engineering experience, knowledge of Georgia Tech and GTRI, and familiarity with government and the military acquisition process.
"I think of the program development position as being a kind of choir director," Beasley said. "I'll be representing GTRI and its many capabilities as a single face to potential customers. My mission is to help us all work together in the most effective ways -- and especially to grow our business areas across the board."
Beasley first joined GTRI (then the Georgia Tech Engineering Experiment Station) in 1978 after an 11-year stint in the Air Force. He worked for Georgia Tech as a senior research engineer, chief of the Systems Evaluation Branch and program manager of EW programs.
He rejoined the military in 1987 and worked extensively in the EW field, serving in multiple roles including division chief, electronic combat, and also Air National Guard adviser to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Acquisitions.
In 1996, Beasley returned to GTRI as a principal research engineer and program manager of the GTRI Air National Guard EW program. His current appointment retains those duties and adds the posts of director of program development and director of the GTRI Washington Field Office. He will remain based in Washington.
Beasley's protean career included a stint at the National War College, which prepares selected armed forces officers and federal officials for leadership roles. There he spent a year studying national security policy and strategy with 160 classmates that included future top generals, ambassadors and others.
He is also highly familiar with NATO countries, having worked with 27 different nations as part of his Air National Guard experience.
Besides the National War College, Beasley's education includes a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Florida and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Northern Colorado.
"Our GTRI Air National Guard programs have been pretty successful to date and that's because of our GTRI people," Beasley said. "I was able to put together a fantastic team across several labs, and they've done great work with the F-16 and the A-10 that has given those aircraft EW warfighting capabilities like no other."
GTRI, he explains, has the size and expertise to deal with complex research issues, yet the nimbleness and teamwork to move quickly on pressing problems. He points to recent work on a U.S military aircraft that needed a critical upgrade to protect it from an immediate enemy threat.
"A decision to proceed was made at a government meeting in mid-August, and we had two prototype kits built and flight-tested successfully just before Thanksgiving," he recalls. "That was wonderful work - unbelievable - the kind of great work that's come to be expected from GTRI."
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