David Alexander ('80, Mechanical Engineering)

President, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

BS Mechanical Engineering, Cal Poly Pomona, 1980

David Alexander’s primary challenge as an engineering student was finding the time to focus on his studies. He married in college and paid his rent and bills as a self-employed roofer. He barely met assignment deadlines the first few years, but by the final two years of his education, he buckled down.

“It took me several years to learn how to be a good student and not procrastinate getting my homework completed. I was under less stress once I set a goal to finish homework right after class, when details were fresh.” Alexander says.

His first job after graduation was as a design engineer with Brunswick Defense. Due to a combination of his experience in drafting and his hands-on education in Cal Poly Pomona, Alexander worked fast, pumping out technical designs and drawings as fast as any veteran.

After working in Brunswick Defense for 16 years, he joined General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) in 1996 as a manager of Mechanical, Specialist Engineering and Configuration Management. He’d then move onto senior vice president of engineering before becoming president in 2016, the position he occupies today. GA-ASI manufactures, supports and operates remotely piloted aircraft systems, as well as cutting-edge radars and mission systems for military and commercial applications. Today, GA-ASI has over 10,000 employees, delivered more than1,100 aircraft and operates at 78 locations around the world.

For Alexander, his career success is simple—being the first to take on any problem. “Anytime there was a problem to solve, I was first in line to work around the clock to fix the issue. Being involved in fixing design problems, sometimes not mine, made me a better designer with experience on what worked and what didn’t.”