Joseph (Joe) Syslo

Joseph M. (Joe) Syslo, a twenty year adjunct faculty member of the Rappahannock Community College, teaching Business Management and Leadership. He is a teacher, advisor, and mentor to small businesses entrepreneurs in the region; having served as past president of the Mathews County Chamber of Commerce and Director of the Small Business Development Center at Mary Washington University.

As the Vice President of the National Center for Advanced Technologies (NCAT), in Washington, D.C., a research & educational foundation under contract with the Director of Defense Research & Engineering (DDR&E), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Services, and the NASA, the role was to foster technology development within the aerospace industry, both large corporations and small business suppliers.

Prior to joining NCAT, he was the Director of Program Management Assistance at the United Technologies Corporation, a troubleshooter for the COOs of the various divisions.

During his military career he worked on advanced manufacturing programs such as the fabrication of the Space Shuttle Main Engine, the development of the Global Positioning System, the production of the F-100-200 engine, and the manufacturing programs for several aircraft at various aerospace companies including the Spanish aircraft manufacturer, Construcciones Aeronauticas S.A. in Madrid, Spain.  He was responsible for all the U.S. government contracts on the Iberian Peninsula.

More recently, he has been appointed the chair of the Mathews County Economic Development Authority (EDA). The primary role of this authority is to train small business entrepreneurs in business planning, incentivize large and small companies to locate in the county, and lend advice to enterprises needing assistance. This past September he created and administered a seven-week course for small business under contract with the Middle Peninsula Planning District.

Bachelor of Science as a distinguished graduate of The Citadel and MBA from Samford University.  A graduate of the Air Force Institute of Technology (manufacturing) and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.