Beverly Lee
Hometown:
Tullahoma, TN
Connect: LinkedIn
Beverly is excited to use her military background, network, and Department of Defense experience to enhance opportunities for all groups in the Tullahoma region. With her project, she hopes to inspire the next generation on the exciting opportunities of STEM careers and working on programs that have significant impact on our nation's security.
Beverly Lee, Colonel, USAF (Ret) is a champion of aerospace and technology-driven economic development. Colonel Lee actively advocates for technology driven companies and entrepreneurs in the Middle Tennessee region and was instrumental in the city of Tullahoma being awarded the 2022 designation of “Great American Defense Community” by the Association of Defense Communities.
As a former intelligence officer, Colonel Lee worked with many Air Force flying units and was the senior military spokesperson and project officer for many high-level assignments in the United States, Europe and Asia. Assignments to Arnold Engineering Development Complex provided experience with the mission, people, and technology-driven assets of the largest and most advanced aerospace testing center in the world. In addition, she was formerly employed by two of the nation’s top defense contractors, Northrop Corporation and EG&G Inc., where she worked on highly-sensitive compartmentalized emerging technology programs.
She is an active member of the Arnold Community Council, National Defense Industrial Association, Tullahoma Area Chamber of Commerce Board Member, and Chair of the Military and Government Affairs Committee.
Colonel Lee has served as a grant review panel member for the National Science Foundation and is a certified Community of Heart and Soul Coach. She has been recognized as the Citizen of the Year for Laguna Niguel, CA as well as Tullahoma, TN, the 2023 Volunteer of the Year by the Tennessee Economic Development Council, and received the Lifetime Achievement Women Impacting the Community award from the Tullahoma Area Chamber of Commerce.
ERC Project
Project Title:
Arnold Heritage and Innovation Center
Host Community or Region:
Tennessee
Host Organization:
Tullahoma Area Economic Development Corporation
In 2020, Tullahoma Area Economic Development Corporation designed a strategic plan to address the need for regional high-tech growth. Home to the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (the world’s largest and most advanced aerospace testing center), rural Tullahoma is the epicenter of emerging technology testing for the nation, underscoring the need for highly-skilled technicians, engineers, scientists, and professional administrators with projections to hire over 1,000 personnel in the next few years. After significant stakeholder engagement, the development of the Arnold Heritage and Innovation Center, located in a Census tract with 32 percent poverty, was identified to grow an inclusive workforce and increase the region’s economic resilience. The ERC Fellow will serve as primary liaison for aerospace and tech industries, recruiting firms, and entrepreneurs to identify, prioritize, and develop workforce development needs and strategies critical for an inclusive, community-informed entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Interested in supporting this project or learning more? Contact the ERC program team here.
