STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss., January 3, 2023—Mississippi Enterprise for Technology (MSET) named Sara Doss its Director of Business Development.
In this role, Sara will focus on recruiting new Aerospace and Defense (A&D) companies to Mississippi while providing support and expansion assistance to the state’s existing A&D industry. Specifically, she will formalize an A&D consortium with the goal of securing lucrative defense contracts for Mississippi businesses.
“Mississippi’s best-kept secret is its robust aerospace and defense ecosystem and MSET has played an important role in that development,” said Sara. “I am excited at this opportunity to more closely work with an organization that has been an asset to me at the state-level and focus on further growth of this exciting industry.”
She joins MSET from Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) where she served as a project manager and the primary contact responsible for the aerospace and defense industry in Mississippi. She worked to help locate and expand nearly two dozen A&D-related projects spanning fifteen companies over her twelve years at MDA.
MSET President and CEO, Davis Pace, praised Doss’s appointment, saying, “I am thrilled to have Sara join our team. She is a proven economic developer with a deep understanding of Mississippi’s aerospace and defense industry. She has incredible experience working with nearly every defense contractor in our state and will lead our business development efforts to new heights.”
About Mississippi Enterprise for Technology (MSET):
Created as a public-private partnership between MDA, NASA, and Mississippi’s R-1 research institutions, MSET works with industry to leverage the federal assets at Stennis Space Center, the State, and region to establish sustained economic development.
MSET, a private, 501(c)(3) organization, operates the State’s Technology Transfer Office, through an agreement with the State of Mississippi, authorized by statute. Through its agreement with NASA, the State, and its other partners, MSET serves as a resource to the region as it develops its billion-dollar aerospace and defense ecosystem.
About Sara Doss:
Sara Doss spent 12 years at the Mississippi Development Authority, the state’s lead economic development agency focusing on global business investment and existing industry support for the state of Mississippi. In her most recent role at MDA, Sara served as the primary business development representative in Mississippi for aerospace and defense, one of the state’s most essential target markets. She was responsible for recruiting new aerospace companies to Mississippi and providing support and expansion assistance to the state’s existing aerospace industries.
Previously, Sara was in the Community Services Division where she was responsible for various federal and state funding programs administered by the agency.
Sara is a 2009 graduate of Mississippi State University where she received a degree in Management of Construction and Land Development in the College of Business. Sara has also received her Economic Development Finance Professional Certification (EDFP) from the National Development Council and serves on the Board of Directors for both Mississippi Economic Development Council and the Southern Economic Development Council.