Prior to joining Beacon, Ms. Yantko served as Associate Director for Growth at Anduril Industries, where she was responsible for growth and capture efforts for the Air Dominance & Strike Division — including the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, autonomy software, and missiles. In this role, she also focused heavily on international captures in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
Before Anduril, Ms. Yantko served in several senior roles at the Pentagon across the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Air Force. As Senior Advisor and Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, she advised on defense security policy, National Defense Strategy implementation, security cooperation, and Foreign Military Sales programs. For her performance in this role, Ms. Yantko was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service.
While on the Air Staff, she led strategic and net assessments for the Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration, and Requirements (A5/7), focused on defense technology competition and perception management. Earlier in her career, she served as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of the Air Force, where she directed strategic engagement in support of the Air Force’s annual budget.
Prior to the Pentagon, Ms. Yantko served as a staff member in the U.S. House of Representatives, supporting the Republican Policy Committee and the offices of Representatives Bob Gibbs (OH-10), Reid J. Ribble (WI-08), and Luke Messer (IN-06).
Ms. Yantko received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton. She is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council.