The 91·çÃùÄñ³ª Aerospace and Defense Academy inspires, educates, and enhances the Aerospace and Defense sector talent pipeline. We deliver clarity and connection across the Aerospace and Defense small business and startup marketplace ecosystem.
To be the recognized organization to which students, professionals, and industry turn to enhance their Aerospace and Defense sector knowledge, credentials, connections and opportunities.
Inspire | Educate | Enhance | Connect
K-12 engagement
Inspire youth
Professional development
Aerospace Defense Management Certificate
A&D Connect
Support small businesses and startup development
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June 16, 2026
$2.1T. Two TRILLION dollars (yep, with a “T”). That’s SpaceX’s market cap as I write this welcome message, shortly after its historic record-breaking IPO, and is the most recent example of the exponential growth of the Aerospace and Defense (A&D) sector. The latest sector wide data from the Aerospace Industries Association show that the U.S. A&D industry generated of $995B in sales in 2024, a 5.7% increase from the previous year, and significantly outpaced nominal GDP growth across the entire U.S. economy.
While the entire A&D sector is surging to meet demand, its very nature is changing with an avalanche of new businesses, the rise of a cadre of Defense “unicorns,” new requirements for securing supply chains, highly dynamic—and often times highly complicated--U.S. government acquisition processes, and new requirements for strict cybersecurity standards, made even more challenging with the evolution of AI. This translates into an insatiable demand for new solutions and, even more, the talent to deliver those solutions.
The Academy seeks to increase the quantity and quality of those in the A&D talent pipeline by inspiring the next generation in K-12 and providing A&D domain knowledge at the undergraduate, graduate, and continuing professional levels. Our Academy Insight Speaker series, as the name (hopefully not “too on the nose”) implies is geared to share relevant insights from leaders and practitioners in the A&D sector, hopefully leading to a few “aha” moments for students, faculty, and industry professionals alike.
The A&D Academy team, with decades of sector experience, is hard at work developing a cohort of new A&D management courses. We’re developing a Certificate of Aerospace and Defense Management program designed to equip students with foundational knowledge of the U.S. defense acquisition system, government contracting, and the structure and regulatory requirements of the A&D sector. The courses will be primarily offered in online asynchronous formats for maximum flexibility.
We’re partnering with the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) to enable equivalent credit for students taking these UNR courses. Aligned with DAU standards, this curriculum mirrors (and often expands) the frameworks used by the DoD and prime contractors, giving those who earn the Aerospace and Defense Management Certificate a competitive advantage and true day-one readiness.
The talent pipeline is just part of our focus. We’re in the process of developing and deploying an A&D Connect Portal to serve as the digital epicenter for Nevada’s A&D sector. This portal centralizes fragmented federal and state government resources, academia, and industry into one streamlined hub, enabling connections among the key players, private and public. It’s designed to help any venture, whether a student with a great idea, an early-stage startup, a mature supplier, or even prime contractor, navigate the highly dynamic ecosystem to go from “idea” to “contract ready.” I hope this will serve us all well as the “digital landscape” for connection and orchestration to enhance our Aerospace and Defense ecosystem.
Thanks to the Ozmen Family Foundation for the resources tackle all of this. Stay tuned for further updates as our speaker slate solidifies, our courses are developed and the A&D Connect portal goes live.
Mike Jiru, Jr.
Director, Aerospace and Defense Academy
Mike Jiru serves as the Director of the Aerospace and Defense Academy and Principal Lecturer, Economics. The Academy--in partnerships with various educational and government organizations, private foundations, professional organizations, and industry--enhances the development of a skilled workforce and fosters small business growth for the aerospace and defense (A&D) industry in Nevada.
Prior to joining the University, Mike completed a 29-year career as an officer in the US Air Force, retiring as a Colonel. In his last assignment, he served as the Program Director of the Medium Altitude Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) Program Office. In that role he led a 510+ person organization across 12 operating locations executing research, development, engineering, contracting, production, ground and flight testing, logistics and sustainment of several UAS programs for the U.S. Air Force and 7 International partners. He was the designated program manager of record of a $21.9B Major Defense Acquisition Program (MDAP), directly responsible for cost, schedule, performance to Headquarters Air Force, the Dept of Defense, and the US Congress.
Mike has held various positions in executive leadership, program management, aerospace engineering, logistics support, developmental planning, systems engineering, and budgeting, across a wide spectrum of aerospace and defense systems ranging from manned and unmanned aircraft, advanced Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance sensors and systems, command and control systems, mission and enterprise software systems, and space systems at the Squadron, Center, Headquarters Air Force - Air Staff, and Joint Agency levels. He’s also held assignments leading various foreign military sales and security cooperation efforts supporting allies, partners, and NATO.
Jennifer Munro has a rich history in student services at 6 colleges and universities and as a program coordinator and scheduler at two aerospace and defense contractors. Holding BAs in History and Sociology from Millersville University and a MA.Ed in Student Personal from Virginia Tech, Jennifer has a unique perspective on how to introduce aerospace and defense careers to both a college population and to a emergencing pre-college population.
Jennifer is supporting the NASA HUNCH program, the Academy Insight Speaker Program, serves as an advisor to SciVenture Science Fair, as well as advising other student initiatives both post secondary and pre-college.
Jennifer’s masters thesis concentrated on the social emotional credit card payment practices of college students. Several laws and regulations have been written on her work to protect students from high interest rate financial debt prior graduation.
Dr. Rene G. Rendon is a nationally recognized authority in the areas of contract management, supply management, and project management. He is currently Professor of Acquisition Management at the United States Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey California where he teaches graduate acquisition and contract management courses in the Master of Science degree programs. In addition to teaching at the Naval Postgraduate School, Rene has conducted research for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense and the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) and has taught acquisition and program management courses to international military officers and civilian officials.
Prior to his appointment at the Naval Postgraduate School, he completed a career as an acquisition contracting officer in the United States Air Force, retiring at the rank of lieutenant colonel. His Air Force career included assignments as a warranted contracting officer for the Peacekeeper ICBM, Maverick Missile, C-20 (Gulfstream IV), and the F-22 Raptor. He was also a contracting squadron commander for an Air Force pilot training base and the director of contracting for the Air Force’s Space Based Infrared satellite system, and the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle rocket program.
Rene has earned bachelor, master, and doctorate degrees in business administration and has taught contract management courses for the UCLA Government Contracts program. He was also a senior faculty member for the Keller Graduate School of Management where he taught MBA courses in project management and contract management. He has also taught graduate courses for the University of San Diego, University of Alabama in Huntsville, and Sul Ross University. He is a graduate of the U. S. Air Force Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, Air War College, and the Department of Defense Systems Management College.
Rene is Level III certified in both Program Management and Contracting under the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) program. He is also a Certified Professional Contract Manager (CPCM) and Certified Federal Contract Manager (CFCM) conferred by the National Contract Management Association (NCMA), a Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) and a Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.) conferred by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) conferred by the Project Management Institute (PMI). He has received the prestigious NCMA Fellow Award, and he was recognized with the United States Air Force Outstanding Officer in Contracting Award. He has also received the NCMA National Education Award, the NCMA Outstanding Fellow Award, NCMA Award for Most Outstanding Article in Contract Management, NCMA Award for Excellence in Contract Management Research and Writing, the Naval Postgraduate School Richard W. Hamming Teaching Award, and the NPS Graduate School of Business and Public Policy Research Excellence Award. He has published his research in the Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, Journal of Public Procurement, Journal of Contract Management, Defense Acquisition Research Journal, Journal of Defense Analytics and Logistics, Public Administration Quarterly, and the Journal of Public Affairs Education. He is a frequent speaker at universities and professional conferences and provides consulting to government and industry.