Byron Risner is the director of Aerospace & Defense Partnerships for the Haslam School of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In this role, Risner is responsible for establishing and maintaining partnerships with both commercial and Department of Defense organizations for Graduate and Executive Education.

Before coming to UT, Risner was the director of business development for Leonardo Electronics US, a US subsidiary of the Leonardo Company located in Arlington, Virginia. There, he was responsible for the strategy, capture and execution for Leonardo’s Avionics and Security Assistance Services lines of business in the United States.

Risner also served as senior analyst and site lead for Alion Science and Technology. In this position, he provided subject matter expertise in the integration of air-ground operations.