Nate Ward ’02 is helping chart the future of electric aviation at Vermont-based BETA Technologies, where he leads the development of a nationwide aircraft charging network. From pioneering new technology to making lifesaving medical transport possible, Ward is putting his St. Lawrence education to work in an industry that's taking off.
On the morning of July 10, a plane lifted off from Blacksburg, Virginia carrying precious cargo: a research organ bound for Maryland.
As the launch mission for a new federal pilot program, the 315-mile journey showcased the capabilities of Vermont based BETA Technologies—including its all-electric vertical aircraft and charging network that made the flight possible. More importantly, it demonstrated how a new generation of aviation could transform time-sensitive medical transportation and, ultimately, help save lives.
For Nate Ward ’02, the milestone was deeply personal.
Ward leads the team developing BETA’s charging network, and he’s spent the past six years helping deploy the infrastructure that will allow electric aircraft to move people, packages, and, increasingly, lifesaving cargo across the country.
“It’s been a wild ride,” he says. “When I started, none of this was a reality. Now we’re at the point where an actual electric plane is moving an actual research organ. We’ve made a lot of progress.”
The flights reflect BETA’s astounding trajectory. Founded just eight years ago, the company has grown from a lean startup into a publicly traded aerospace company employing roughly 1,500 people. From its headquarters in South Burlington, BETA designs and manufactures zero-emission aircraft, electric propulsion systems and components, and a nationwide charging network—creating an integrated electric aviation ecosystem that’s safe, reliable, and sustainable.
“We’re a disruptive technology,” says Ward, who majored in economics and has earned his pilot’s license while at BETA. “I would say that electric aviation is probably the biggest step-function change to aviation since the jet engine.” That vision has helped attract engineers, pilots, and innovators from within the state and around the world.
Ward and his family were thriving in Washington, D.C., when he first got a call from BETA. A buddy who helped found the fledgling company wanted his assistance leasing some commercial space in the nation’s capital for one of its first projects. Soon Ward was being recruited, and the opportunity offered something too rare to pass up: the chance to help build an entirely new industry and return home to Vermont with his wife and their two children.
“It was a risk, but I knew I could go back to selling real estate because people will always need a place to live,” he says. “This opportunity wasn’t going to come along again in a dozen lifetimes.”
He often tells students he hosts at BETA through SLU Connect Burlington that he credits his St. Lawrence education with preparing him for startup success, where relationship-building, communication, and creative problem-solving are just as important as technical expertise.
“When I first came to BETA, I had my doubts about my role here. These are all people who are highly technically skilled. And it took me a while to really understand that we also need people who are good at sales, who are great writers, who have a talent for public speaking, who are adept at cultivating contacts. That’s a different skillset than electrical or mechanical engineering,” he explains. “I’m very grateful for the education I received at St. Lawrence. It gave me that broad foundation to support a major career pivot to this new space.”
