Elaine Bryant is the Dayton Development Coalition’s Executive Vice President of Aerospace and Defense and the Managing Director of JobsOhio’s Military Federal Sector. In both roles, Elaine has worked to preserve and protect the federal assets in the Dayton region and statewide since October 2019.
Elaine has over two decades of experience in the U.S. Air Force, finishing her career as deputy chief of the Human Systems Program Office at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Elaine is an Air Force Academy graduate with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. She also has a master’s degree in aerospace from the University of Maryland and she was an Assistant Professor for Aeronautics at the Air Force Academy. Her experience in the Air Force includes program management and engineering leadership positions at AFRL, HQ AFMC, F-35 JPO, and SAF/AQR. She has served as a Commander at the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Squadron 24 and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center's Foreign Material Exploitation Squadron at Wright-Patt.
At the Dayton Development Coalition, Elaine leads all aerospace and defense initiatives associated with WPAFB, SANGB, and the Dayton VA. Her projects include efforts to attract jobs and capital investment from the DOD and other federal entities, in addition to preserving and protecting the current missions in the 14-county Dayton Region through advocacy and proactive measures. She also directs and executes industry engagements with companies in the state of Ohio and outside the state to determine advantageous partnerships to expand and/or relocate operations to Ohio. In 2020, JobsOhio established a 10th industry sector, Military Federal, to recognize the impact federal installations have on the state and support their growth. Elaine was named Military Federal Sector Managing Director and stood up the new sector’s operations.
In addition to her roles at DDC and JobsOhio, Elaine serves on the University of Cincinnati Space Research Institute for Discovery & Exploration Advisory Board, the Ohio Defense Manufacturing Community Leadership Board, and has served on the Ohio Department of Transportation Advisory Board, the Dayton Daily News Community Advisory Board and the Dayton International Airport Corporate Advisory Board. She was selected to serve on the Association of Defense Communities 50th Anniversary Committee.
