Desiray Johnston knows how to build a strong team. A former Division I basketball player for California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo, Desiray credits a lifetime of competitive sports with giving her a solid foundation in leadership, communication, and time management skills, as well as the ability to work well in teams while managing stressful situations.
As Senior Production Manager for the Edge Autonomy San Luis Obispo manufacturing facility, Desiray oversees the production floor where UAS technology and resilient energy solutions are built. With more than a decade of engineering and production experience in the aerospace industry, she understands how to foster an inclusive environment where engineers, technicians, and other team members are equipped with the tools needed to excel in their roles and pursue career advancement.
Desiray joined Edge Autonomy in March 2023 because she was attracted to the culture of continuous innovation and effective teamwork across all departments. She was also motivated by the company’s potential for future growth and wanted to be part of the excitement.
“I have spent my career honing my skills in manufacturing operations, project management, engineering, and process improvement,” she says. “I saw so much potential at Edge Autonomy and knew it would be a dynamic place to continue growing my career while helping the company meet its goals and prepare for product and solution expansion.”
Getting to witness this accelerated development on the production floor is both the most rewarding and challenging part of Desiray’s role.
“Our processes quickly grew from a prototype environment to a serial production facility,” she explains. “Throughout 2023 we saw a 300% increase in production, and we’re on track to continue this growth trend in 2024 as well.”
How did Desiray help her team achieve such an aggressive ramp rate increase?
She believes relying on team members with product and process knowledge played a major role, as did value stream mapping and incorporating Lean Six Sigma tools. Desiray has her Lean Six Sigma certification—the foremost training for leading project teams and managing process improvement initiatives. She’s currently a Master Black Belt.
“For effective change management in a rapidly growing company like Edge Autonomy, you’ve got to know the why,” she adds. “In my opinion, that why is the balance between innovations that directly benefit our forces in the field and working alongside my team to help grow and advance them personally and professionally.”
To achieve outstanding results in a short timeframe, Desiray creates a vision statement for what success means. For her team in San Luis Obispo, that vision statement is: “To cultivate a dynamic and innovative environment where collaboration, continuous improvement, and teamwork thrive, empowering our team to achieve rapid growth and build a quality product our customers can rely on and exceed expectations.”
Throughout her career, Desiray has also taken steps that push her outside her comfort zone, pursuing mentorship programs and professional development opportunities that stretch her capacities.
“Being willing to reflect on your progress and then adapt is key,” she explains.
Clear and empathetic communication is another skill that Desiray values. “You’ve got to know your audience and how to best communicate with them,” she says. “It’s important to ask for advice and surround yourself with individuals who have the skillset you want to develop so you can learn from them.”
The growing capabilities of Edge Autonomy’s next generation of UAVs—Group 2 uncrewed aircraft with increased range and payload capacity—along with continuous improvements to processes and mission-based innovations, keep things interesting for Desiray and her team. “I’m excited about the future of uncrewed systems with forthcoming AI enhancements like real-time data processing and decision-making.”
As a parent to a two-year-old daughter and five-month-old son, Desiray doesn’t have much time to relax, but she stays physically and mentally healthy outside of work by pursuing outdoor activities and her lifelong love of sports.
The lessons in leadership and teamwork provided by athletics have undoubtedly benefitted Desiray’s co-workers at the San Luis Obispo manufacturing facility in tangible ways.
“I’m proud of the team we’ve built,” she says. “We’re a diverse and inclusive group of people. We’re all striving to reach common goals so that Edge Autonomy continues on this path of remarkable growth.”
Looking for career advancement and opportunities that provide a meaningful impact to national security and aviation innovations? Explore our open positions and check out what life is like at Edge Autonomy.