A Lunch & Learn from Two Dynamos at BETA Technologies

We recently had the pleasure of welcoming Rayan El-Kotob and Kelly Underwood from BETA Technologies to Habitat for Aviation for a special Lunch & Learn, and they were, in every sense of the word, dynamos. Our team always benefits from hearing from women who are doing real work in the world, and these two brought both brilliance and warmth to the table.

Rayan, a materials engineering graduate from Vancouver and, as she put it, a Lebanese import, shared the winding path of her work at BETA—from avionics to designing clever gadgets used to test parts, to the important business of, yes, breaking things. She helped our team understand that testing, iteration, and failure are an important part of the research and design process—good engineering . Her deep commitment to sustainability, process, and data came through so clearly, as did her humor and spark.

Kelly brought her own equally fascinating path into the conversation, sharing about her background in mechanical engineering, systems engineering, and her previous work with the FAA supporting aeronautical information systems. She spoke about her love of aviation, sustainable technologies, and continuous learning. Together, Kelly and Rayan gave our builders a wider view of the many roles that exist in aviation and aerospace—not only on the shop floor, but across systems, design, testing, and innovation. We are grateful to both of them for taking the time to share their stories and their work with our team. Lunch & Learns like this help our builders see-to-believe what is possible.