Mike Ramsey

Performance Assurance Director

Mike Ramsey is the NAS Performance Assurance Director, overseeing the Quality; Security; Continuous Improvement; and Safety, Health, and Environmental Branches.

Ramsey began his career at AEDC in contractor purchasing in 1985. He has 33 years of AEDC experience with 27 years of progressive leadership roles spanning fields from Procurement, Materials Management, Logistics, Manufacturing, Facilities Maintenance and Project Management. Ramsey left AEDC for FedEx in 2000. At FedEx in Memphis, he held various Supply, Contracting and Project Management positions before returning to AEDC in 2004. Since then, he has held leadership positions of increasing responsibility with multiple AEDC contractors as Logistics Manager, Civil Engineering/Facilities Maintenance Manager, NAS Manufacturing Group Manager, and NAS Acquisitions Manager.

Ramsey has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management from the University of Tennessee at Martin, and a master of business administration degree in Finance from Middle Tennessee State University. Ramsey has a lifetime certification as a Certified Purchasing Manager from the Institute for Supply Management.

Joe Edwards

NAS Technical Director

Joe Edwards, a world-renowned astronaut, aviator, and test pilot, is the Technical Director for NAS. He has more than 30 years’ experience in the military and defense/aerospace industry, including operational, developmental and experimental flight tests of multiple hypersonic vehicles, aircraft and weapons systems. He earned the U.S. Navy’s only peacetime Distinguished Flying Cross. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and postgraduate degrees in systems engineering, industrial management and engineering flight test.

Mark Bymaster

Test Complex Modernization Director

Mark Bymaster is the NAS Test Complex Modernization Director, supporting the growing hypersonic and nuclear modernization investments at AEDC.

Mark has 30 years of experience at AEDC in a number of roles, including as a test customer while working as a Test Development Engineer at GE Aircraft Engines for 10 years. He has also served as a lead test operations engineer, a section manager for Aeropropulsion Test Operations, Deputy Branch Manager for base-wide Test Operations, and Branch Manager for Aeropropulsion Products under a previous AEDC operating contractor.  Mark also served in the role of integration manager for the Hypersonic Test and Evaluation Investment Portfolio for a small business supporting AEDC.   He most recently served as the Performance Assurance Director, where he led the departments of Safety, Health, and Environmental; Security; Continuous Improvement; Quality; and Hypersonic Investments.

Mark is a graduate of Purdue University, as well as a certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional, an instrument certified commercial pilot, and a certified airframe and powerplant mechanic.​

Ronnie Skipworth

Base Operations & Support Director

Ronnie Skipworth oversees the Utilities, Facilities and Services, Capital Projects and Work Control areas for NAS at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC). He brings 30 years of AEDC experience with prior assignments in utilities, design/project management, plant operations and maintenance, planning/scheduling and testing. Ronnie hired into AEDC as a test installation engineer and later became a system engineer before he entered the management arena. Prior to his employment at AEDC, Ronnie worked for Milliken and Company in LaGrange, Georgia.

Jonathan Ragan

Deputy General Manager

Jonathan Ragan is the Deputy General Manager for NAS overseeing the Business Operations and Performance Assurance Directorates. Jon has extensive knowledge of NAS’ business practices to keep NAS business operations aligned to best support AEDC test operations and sustainment mission operations.

Prior to this role, Jon served as the Mission Support Director overseeing Prime Contracts; Project Controls; Finance; Human Resources; Acquisitions; Project Management; Information Systems and Technology; Engineering; Office and Administrative Services; Operations and Maintenance; and Public Affairs.

Prior to joining the NAS team, Jon supported several Bechtel-led projects, including the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in Pueblo, Colorado, and the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in Richmond, Kentucky. Jon supported several other Bechtel programs in Virginia, Maryland, Alaska, and Alabama.

Jon has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Old Dominion University.