What we do

The mission of the HBS Aerospace & Defense (A&D) Club is to help students make critical contributions to the space, commercial aviation, and defense industries.

How we do it

Our club accomplishes our mission in two ways: by fostering a community for students interested in A&D at HBS and by helping those students get placed in competitive roles at top-tier A&D companies.

A few of the things we do include:

  • Hosting regular happy hours for HBS students and those at other local programs to help students grow their A&D networks.
  • Bringing prospective A&D employers to campus to introduce them to HBS talent and provide recruiting touchpoints for students.

  • Establish mentorship and learning opportunities for students with successful HBS alumni in A&D


HBS/MIT Technology and National Security Conference

Our marquee event is the HBS/MIT Technology and National Security Conference, which we host each spring in partnership with MIT Sloan’s Security and Technology Club. This conference is a premier defense tech event that features esteemed speakers like sitting US Senators, senior Department of Defense and Allied officials, and CEOs of defense prime contractors and startups, as well as representatives of investors, think tanks, and academic institutions.

Opportunities for employees

For companies interested in sharing employment opportunities, visiting campus, or engaging with the club, please reach out to aero@studentclubs.hbs.edu.

Connect with us

Co-Presidents

Sara Ballantyne: sballantyne@mba2025.hbs.edu

Sara is an MS/MBA: Engineering Sciences dual degree candidate interested in the future of the aviation and space industries, from manufacturing to sustainability to novel technology development. She previously worked at Blue Origin as a propulsion engineer leading rocket engine testing to support their lunar lander program.

Ben Buchheim-Jurisson: bbuchheimjurisson@mba2025.hbs.edu

Ben is a JD/MBA candidate with interests in defense tech, space, and industrials. Prior to school, Ben served in the US Air Force and worked at Meta, and after graduation Ben will join Snowpoint Ventures, a dual-use focused fund, as a senior associate.

Clif Luber: cluber@mba2025.hbs.edu

      Clif is an MBA candidate at HBS and served in the U.S. Navy as a Supply and Logistics Officer. He also worked previously at Anduril Industries and has interned at Defense Innovation Unit and Revolution VC.

      Treasurer

      Daniel Ackeret: dackeret@mba2025.hbs.edu

        Daniel is an MBA candidate interested in advanced manufacturing, space and defense tech. Before HBS, Daniel worked in Corporate Development and Strategy at RTX’s Pratt & Whitney business unit.