Stephen Hayes
Operations & Transformation Executive | Scalable Growth | Infrastructure Modernization | Public & Private Sector Leadership | Strategic Readiness
- Role
- VP Training and Education at United States Air Force
- Location
- Edmond, OK, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Stephen Hayes
I’m an enterprise operations and transformation executive with over 20 years of leadership across aerospace, defense, energy, and emerging tech. My career has focused on turning strategy into execution, modernizing infrastructure, and driving scalable growth in both public and private sector environments. I’ve led large-scale missions, managed $200M+ in global assets, built high-performing teams across five continents, and founded a UAV startup that secured strategic partnerships and high-value B2B contracts. My leadership style blends military precision with entrepreneurial agility — delivering measurable outcomes in high-stakes, high-complexity environments. Some highlights from my journey- Led global aerospace operations for 30 aircraft & 245 personnel, increasing mission continuity by 30%- Founded and scaled a UAV company with 35% channel growth and $500K+ in signed contracts - Directed training & readiness for 400 members, achieved a 25% improvement in organization readiness - Orchestrated interagency disaster response and counter-narcotics operations resulting in 600+ arrests I bring cross-sector fluency, executive decision-making, and a clear focus on infrastructure, innovation, and impact. I’m passionate about operational transformation and helping organizations scale with purpose and precision. I\'m currently open to board roles, executive leadership opportunities, and strategic advisory work with mission-driven organizations. Specialties: Strategic Planning | Infrastructure Transformation | Cross-Functional Leadership | Operational Excellence UAV Systems | M&A Integration | Capital Planning | Financial Modeling (DCF, Monte Carlo) KPI Development | Risk-Based Forecasting | Government Contracting | Public-Private Partnerships Talent Development | Executive Coaching | Business Intelligence (Tableau, Power BI)| Lean Six Sigma Startups & Scale-Ups | Mission Readiness | Enterprise Modernization
Experience
VP Training and Education
Sep 2023 — Present
Education
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Bachelor of Science - BS
2012 — 2016
Missouri State University
Master of Business Administration - MBA
2018 — 2021
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