Taylor Johnston is the President and Chief Executive Officer for the Institute of Applied Engineering (IAE) and Executive Director of the Global and National Security Institute (GNSI) at the University of South Florida. At IAE he leads a multi-disciplinary team of engineers, program managers, information technology experts, business development professionals and finance experts solving complex problems for the Department of Defense, US Government Agencies, and various businesses. At GNSI, he brings scholars, students, policymakers, and practitioners together to tackle the most pressing security challenges of our time. The IAE is unique in design, leveraging internal engineering personnel, program management, financial, and federal acquisition regulation contract expertise to deliver results across the spectrum of need and is currently working several multimillion-dollar contract vehicles with the DoD. Its core competencies are Integrated Systems, Software Systems, Intelligent Systems, Space Systems, Mechanical Design, Rapid Prototyping and Talent Development. The IAE also leverages both USF professorial talent and a consortium of 39 universities and small businesses across the nation to address customer’s needs. Anchored in rigorous, policy-relevant research and real-world collaboration, GNSI’s research spans the full spectrum from emerging technologies and strategic competition to the interplay of military and society, the resilience of governance, practitioner education, and the evolving role of intelligence.

Taylor, a native of Barrington, IL, entered the Air Force in 2002 as a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He attended undergraduate pilot training at Whiting NAS, Florida and Vance AFB, Oklahoma and earned his wings in 2004. During his career, Taylor instructed on the C-21 Learjet, the C-130 Hercules, and the KC-135 Stratotanker and logged more than 3,600 hours. He held numerous positions at the squadron, group, wing, and Headquarters United States Air Force branch chief level and finished out his career in the United Stated Air Force as the Chief of Innovation, 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill AFB FL.

He and his wife Aleksandra have two boys and reside in Tampa FL.

EDUCATION

• 2002 Bachelors of Arts, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL
• 2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL
• 2011 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
• 2011 Masters of Arts, American Military University, VA
• 2016 Masters of Science, Air Force Institute of Technology
• 2016 School of Advanced Study of Air Mobility (ASAM), JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst