Eric Dowty

Blake Scholl is founder and CEO at Boom Supersonic, which he founded in 2014 with the goal of making supersonic flight mainstream. Boom has built and flown XB-1, the first-ever independently-developed supersonic jet and the first to demonstrate a practical solution for sonic boom. Blake personally led the campaign that resulted in the legalization of supersonic flight in the US. United, American, and Japan Airlines have placed orders and pre-orders for 130 Overture supersonic airliners. Blake started his career at Amazon as a software engineer in 2001, where he invented an automated ad buying system that in 2004 was responsible for more than 5% of revenue at both Amazon and Google. Blake later founded Kima Labs (acquired by Groupon). Blake has had a lifelong passion for flight and holds a private pilot license and instrument rating. Blake holds a BS in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University; he lives in Denver and is the father of four.

Aaron Taffet is Head of Finance at Boom Supersonic, leading financial strategy, capital planning, and investor engagement as the company advances Overture and Superpower toward commercial service. He guides Boom through its next phase of scale and execution with a focus on high-growth capital environments. Previously, Aaron served as Director of Strategic Capital at Boom, leading capital formation efforts, shaping long-term funding strategy, and supporting corporate development during a pivotal period of growth. Prior to Boom, he held leadership roles across private equity, venture capital, and operating companies, with experience spanning financial modeling, valuation, due diligence, M&A, and debt and equity transactions. Aaron holds a degree in Mathematical Economic Analysis from Rice University.

Erin Young is Head of Engineering at Boom Supersonic, where she leads engineering strategy and execution across technical product development as the company advances its next generation of supersonic programs. As Boom’s 10th employee, she brings a decade of technical leadership, flight test experience, and systems expertise to scaling the company's engineering capability. Previously, Erin served as Director of Superpower and Aircraft Systems Lead for XB-1, overseeing all major flight systems through key test milestones. She designed XB-1’s original flight control architecture, led its mechanical systems team, and served as Test Conductor during XB-1 flight testing. Prior to Boom, Erin was a Flight Controls Engineer at Textron AirLand on the clean-sheet Scorpion Jet program, which progressed from concept to first flight in 22 months. Earlier, she supported NASA’s New Horizons mission at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Erin holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, serves on Notre Dame’s Aerospace Advisory Board, and is a certified private pilot.

Jackie Alsop is Head of People at Boom Supersonic, leading the company's People function in close partnership with executive and engineering leadership. She oversees talent acquisition, performance frameworks, total rewards, and people operations, focusing on building the teams and capabilities needed to support Boom's technical goals. Jackie joined Boom supporting the XB-1 program and expanded her scope as the company grew, bringing broad experience across People Partnerships, Total Rewards, and People Operations. Prior to Boom, Jackie held human resources roles across consulting and in-house environments, supporting workforce strategy, employee relations, and organizational effectiveness. Jackie holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado Denver and is a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

John Bonanni is Head of Executive Projects at Boom Supersonic, partnering with executive leadership to drive strategic alignment, operational execution, and cross-functional coordination. He focuses on organizational clarity and translating company priorities into actionable initiatives across the business. Since joining Boom, John supported company growth in commercial leadership roles contributing to strategic planning and business operations. Prior to Boom, he held roles across business development, strategy, and technology leadership in aerospace and advanced technology organizations. Earlier in his career, John served in the Intelligence Community with the United States Air Force, leading teams responsible for space systems analysis, collections management, and mission planning. John holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business and a degree in Astronautical Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Nate Hepler is Head of Manufacturing at Boom Supersonic, leading assembly, machining, facilities, and production operations across the company. He is responsible for building the infrastructure, teams, and processes required to produce advanced aerospace hardware, driving decisions around vertical integration, supplier partnerships, and manufacturing readiness. Nate joined Boom after four years at SpaceX as a Manufacturing Engineer across the Falcon and Starship programs, engineering hardware for Falcon 9 subassemblies and Falcon and Starship mechanisms. At Boom, he previously served as Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Manager of Test Engineering responsible for propulsion and airframe test milestones on XB-1, and Head of Talent Acquisition during a period of rapid growth. Nate holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering / Aerospace Engineering from Boston University.

Nick Sheryka is Chief Engineer at Boom Supersonic, bringing nearly two decades of experience in complex aerospace system design, build, and flight testing. A member of the original team that developed and constructed the XB-1 demonstrator, Nick previously led flight test engineering for Boom before stepping into the Chief Engineer role. Prior to Boom, Nick contributed to pioneering aerospace projects including hybrid-electric flying cars and next-generation fighter aircraft technology demonstrators. He also led subsystem development on the world’s largest aircraft and holds qualifications to operate three distinct types of naval nuclear reactors. Nick is a licensed Commercial Pilot who builds experimental home-built aircraft.

As a veteran leader in commercial aviation, Phil Condit brings end-to-end experience delivering large commercial airplanes to help Boom lead a renaissance in civil supersonic aviation.

Steve Friedman is a Partner at Darsana Capital Partners, where he helps lead the firm’s fundamental equity investments across industries including aerospace, defense, and technology. Since joining Darsana at its inception in 2014, he has contributed to the development of the firm’s long-term, concentrated investment approach and works closely with Darsana portfolio companies and their management teams to evaluate opportunities in complex, innovation-driven sectors.

Jeff is the founder and CEO of Atomic Machines, a company bringing to the world a radical advancement in micromanufacturing at the intersection of artificial intelligence and robotic matter manipulation.