Scott Tait

 Scott Tait, CAPT, USN (Ret) / Executive Director, National Security Innovation Catalyst / CEO, Pacific Science & Engineering

Scott Tait having served a 27 year Navy career is now executive director of the National Security Innovation Catalyst located at UC San Diego.  The Catalyst pursues two related lines of effort: improving the transition of innovative commercial technology to national security users, and providing practical, effective policy recommendations to improve U.S. national security competitiveness.

In addition to his leadership of Catalyst, Scott is CEO of Pacific Science and Engineering, a San Diego based technology company that designs science-based human-machine interfaces for complex and high consequence systems including space, aerospace, autonomy, decision support and electrical grid management.

As a Naval officer Tait’s assignments included positions leading strategy, policy and innovation efforts, working directly for 3 and 4-star commanders in the Indo-Pacific region and Washington, D.C. He also held senior policy positions, with a focus in Indo-Asia, on the Joint Chiefs of Staff (J-5), Pacific Fleet staff and U.S. Seventh Fleet staff. At sea he served in Cruiser and Destroyer ships, commanding USS Mustin (DDG 89) and, most recently, USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000).

Tait holds masters degrees from Stanford University in international policy and the U.S. Naval War College in national security and strategic studies.