Our Team

Missile Experts is staffed with seasoned defense industry engineers. We are based in the Snowflake, Arizona area, and draw from industry veterans with deep experience across Army, Navy, and Air Force missile systems. Our team holds active security clearances and brings decades of hands-on program experience to every engagement.

Jonathan Rhoads

President & Chief Engineer

Jonathan leads Missile Experts with a dual focus on business strategy and hands-on engineering. With extensive experience across tactical missile and missile defense programs, he oversees all technical direction from concept development through system deployment. Jonathan’s background spans weapon systems engineering, 6DOF simulation, software development in C/C++, and real-time systems. He has contributed to programs including SM-3/Aegis BMD, the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle, and advanced interceptor concepts. He leads the company’s proprietary simulation engine development and AI-driven fire control optimization initiatives.

Dave Douglas

Senior Fellow, Algorithms & Signal Processing | Active Top Secret Clearance

Dave is an Engineering Fellow with over 40 years of experience at a major defense prime contractor, specializing in missile seeker algorithms, signal processing, and tracking systems. His expertise spans image processing, small signal detection, multiple hypothesis tracking, automatic target recognition, high energy laser aimpoint tracking, adaptive guidance laws, and body-fixed seeker design. He has deep hands-on experience in C++, C, Matlab, and assembly-level embedded development. Dave’s specialties in Bayesian classifiers, super resolution, wide-area detection and tracking, and SWARM behavior systems design directly support our simulation and AI-driven fire control work. Based in Arizona, he holds a BS in Controls Engineering from California State University, Fullerton.

Stephen Bennett

Senior Advisor, Guided Munitions

Stephen is a retired Program Manager for the M982 Excalibur precision-guided artillery projectile. He brings decades of experience in guided munitions development, production, and fielding, including deep expertise in gun-launched projectile survivability, GPS-aided guidance, and system integration. Stephen provides senior technical advisory support to the Dead Eye program and other guided weapon initiatives.

Gary Garcia

Senior Advisor, Hypersonics & Advanced Threats | Active Clearance

Gary is a consulting Hypersonics Systems Architect and Chief Engineer with extensive experience at a major defense prime contractor, where he has led work on Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) and Golden Dome programs. He provides Missile Experts with senior advisory support on hypersonic threat characterization, advanced interceptor design, and system architecture for next-generation missile defense.

Chris Geswender

Senior Advisor, Systems Architecture & Precision Guidance | Active Top Secret Clearance

Chris is a nationally recognized systems architect and guided weapons expert with over 48 years of aerospace and defense experience, 38 US patents, and the 2014 Richard Johnson Trophy for Technical Excellence in Precision Warfare from the Precision Strike Association. He has served as systems architect, technical director, and chief engineer on programs including Excalibur (XM982), HARM, JSOW, JASSM, the Advanced Interceptor Initiative (AI3), Precision Guidance Kit (PGK), and the Hypervelocity Projectile (HVP). He has served as the US representative to multiple NATO study groups on guided projectiles and is a certified System Architect. Based in Arizona, Chris provides senior advisory support on systems architecture, guided projectile design, and precision guidance.

Emeline Beyer

Contracts & Business Operations

Emeline manages contracting, compliance, and business operations for Missile Experts. She serves as the primary contracting point of contact for government and prime contractor engagements, and ensures the company maintains compliance with federal acquisition regulations, HUBZone requirements, and SAM.gov registration.

Program Experience Across Our Team

Our engineers have contributed to some of the nation’s most critical missile and missile defense programs:

SM-3 / Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense
Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI)
Golden Dome / Homeland Defense Architecture
SM-X / Boost Glide Strike
Prompt Global Strike
AIM-9X Sidewinder
M982 Excalibur Guided Projectile
Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV)
Iron Dome
Patriot / PAC-3