By Jeff Hunter ’96

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Jed Hancock’s career was just starting to come into focus in 2002.

An electrical engineering student at Utah State University, Hancock was beginning his master’s degree when he embarked on an internship at Micron Technology in Boise.

The work there captivated him. At the time, camera phones were still a rarity, and Micron was one of the first American companies to develop the technology behind the incredibly convenient digital cameras we all now take for granted.

“Even though I was an intern, I was one of the first employees at Micron that was building cell phone cameras, at a time when there were no phones with cameras that you could just go easily buy,” Hancock says. “And building cell phone cameras developed my love of optics. I was really fascinated with how that camera system could work.”

Micron was impressed by Hancock’s ingenuity and work ethic, and the Idaho-based company offered Hancock a full-time job following his graduation from Utah State in 2004, something the young husband and father seemed destined to accept.

But one of his mentors at USU suggested he should aim even higher.

Doran Baker, a longtime engineering professor, is credited with being the founder of the Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) — a Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) owned by Utah State University — formed out of a merger between USU’s Electro-Dynamics Laboratories and the University of Utah’s Upper Air Research Laboratory.

SDL, which is based in North Logan but also has facilities in five other cities around the country, develops new capabilities such as sensors, small satellites, and data systems for DOD and NASA missions.

“Doran Baker was my major professor at USU and a wonderful influence in my life,” Hancock says. “I worked very hard both in the classroom and with internships, including a NASA Space Grant that funded my master’s degree and exposed me to space research for the first time. He mentored me through it all.”

A native of the rural community of West Weber, Utah, Hancock was planning to relocate to Boise in 2004 and work for Micron when he spotted something on his door. Baker had printed out a job posting for a calibration engineer at the Space Dynamics Laboratory — not so subtly suggesting Hancock should stick around Cache Valley.

“He said, ‘Jed, they’re looking for someone right here, and you’re one of our best. Would you apply?’” Hancock recalls. “And I was like, ‘Well, sure.’ So, I came down and interviewed, and SDL hired me.

“I had been working as a student — but only for a month or two in a completely different area — so I was very fortunate that the lab offered me employment as an electro-optical calibration engineer.”

And the Space Dynamics Laboratory is very fortunate that Baker, who passed away in May 2022 at the age of 90, had the foresight to see Hancock’s potential.

“If it wasn’t for USU and my outstanding professors like Dr. Baker, I wouldn’t have known anything about a career in space, space sciences, or defense in space,” proclaims Hancock, who, 17 years after his sudden career pivot, succeeded H. Scott Hinton as president of the Space Dynamics Laboratory on July 1, 2021.

“It was really my first exposure when I was at Utah State through my professor, Doran Baker.”

Labors of Love

Jed Hancock’s first exposure to hard work came from his parents, and it was far from the kind of work he’s been involved with for the past two decades. Marsha and Michael, who were married in 1970, raised their four children in West Weber, an unincorporated farming community west of Ogden.

“I was a good student in high school, and my parents always taught us the importance of education and to always give our very best,” Hancock says. “But I worked construction growing up, my dad owned a convenience store, and then there were many family farms in the area. I envisioned myself doing something like construction for a career.”

Hancock attended Weber High School in Pleasant View before Fremont High opened in Plain City, just in time for him to be a part of that school’s first graduating class in 1995. A standout centerfielder on the baseball team, Hancock also played football and placed at State in the javelin his senior year and planned to serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he turned 19.

Before leaving for a two-year mission to Venezuela, he took some classes at Weber State University while also working. After returning home, he completed an associate degree in applied science. However, Hancock wasn’t certain of the next steps to continue his education until having a chat with his father who revealed to his son he had hoped to study electrical engineering.

Inspired by this knowledge, Hancock looked into the possibility of completing that degree at Weber State, but the Ogden-based university didn’t offer what he wanted. Fortunately, his bosses at Setpoint Systems were both USU graduates.

“They influenced and inspired me,” Hancock says. “They were like, ‘Look, if you want to do engineering, you should aim for the best and go to Utah State.’ And then one of my best friends said, ‘Jed, why don’t you just follow your dreams and do engineering at USU?’”

The very next semester, which fell in the fall of 1999, Hancock enrolled in the engineering program at Utah State. And while school went well for him that first year in Logan, his personal life went even better — eventually, anyway.

While attending an Aggie football game against BYU in early October at USU’s Romney Stadium (now Maverik Stadium), Hancock suffered through a tough, 34–31 overtime loss to the Cougars. However, the disappointment was softened by his introduction to Natalie Williams, a member of the President’s Leadership Council (now known as the USU Ambassadors) from Kaysville.

He and the Davis High graduate had a great time at the game, but he didn’t ask Natalie on a date until the following March.

“We were at the Taggart Student Center just talking, and after I walked away, his friends were like, ‘Why haven’t you asked her out?’” Natalie says. “And he went, ‘Oh, I think I will.’

“I was so impressed by Jed’s kindness,” adds Natalie, who graduated from USU with a degree in exercise science while also completing the nursing program. “The way he treated people is what drew me to him from the very start.”

Jed and Natalie married in 2000, and the couple now has six children between the ages of 21 and 9 years old. Their oldest daughter returns home from her mission soon, which will leave the couple with three children enrolled at Utah State this fall — two of them pursuing degrees in engineering — while their father still teaches.

Hancock normally instructs one graduate-level class at USU each school year, even since becoming the president at SDL four years ago.

“Honestly, teaching is a labor of love for me, plus we have a strategic need in the field of optics that I teach,” Hancock explains. “I love being around the students. I’m always inspired by their energy and hard work.”

Natalie thinks being mentored by Baker when he was a USU student also has a lot to do with Jed’s desire to continue teaching as much as his schedule allows.

“He loves Utah State, and he especially loves the young adults and the opportunity to help them know and see what they can become,” Natalie says. “Growing up, he never thought he would go to graduate school, and work in the field of space research, but the belief and assistance from his professors and trusted colleagues at SDL have played a huge role in helping him see his potential. They all helped Jed realize he could become more than he thought he could.

“Engineering and space research is a really challenging field, Jed works hard to help others see their potential and find the drive to continue their learning and development.”

Gentle & Strong

Jed Hancock’s personality seems to be forged from his upbringing and the many great leaders that have influenced him.

Like the former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, Hancock appreciates the written word and is very well educated, but he loves the outdoors, particularly hunting, fishing, skiing and horseback riding.

The 47-year-old also subscribes to the philosophy made famous by Teddy Roosevelt in the early 1900s to speak softly and stand firm with moral conviction.

While he currently presides over close to 1,400 employees at SDL, Hancock aims to be approachable and kind. He is admittedly soft-spoken, but that doesn’t mean he’s not in charge.

“I would say Jed’s a gentle and strong leader, and you can be both at the same time,” says longtime SDL public relations director, Eric Warren. “People aren’t afraid to approach him and ask for help.

“Our leadership team just met this afternoon, and Jed’s instructions were, ‘I want a robust and healthy debate today on the subject we’re talking about.’ And so, we do have an atmosphere where we can disagree and explore those disagreements without any fear.”

Gail Bingham, SDL’s now-retired chief scientist, originally hired Hancock more than 20 years ago, because “I was always looking for bright people to fill positions, and he was a bright person.” And Bingham’s son, Curtis, who has worked the past seven years under Hancock as a program manager, says, “Jed’s always been somebody that you can respect. Someone who looks out for people. He’s not just interested in the processes, he’s interested in people.”

While he might be a people person, not surprisingly, Natalie says she thought her future husband was “kind of quiet” when she first met him at that football game. Over time, she came to realize that “he’s not really that quiet,” despite his soft-spoken nature.

“He doesn’t seek attention, he’s a great listener, and he’s impactful in what he says,” Natalie notes. “He has a really fun personality and a lot of energy, but it’s not in a flashy way.”

His gentle and strong nature certainly serves Hancock well outside of the workplace. After serving as a stake president in Wellsville for five years, he was named an Area Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2023, a position he dedicates a lot of his “free time” to on weekdays and weekends.

Finding a healthy balance between family, church, and work responsibilities would be a lot for anyone — especially when the work involves overseeing millions of dollars in NASA and Department of Defense contracts — but Hancock somehow makes it work.

“I don’t think his feet touch the ground too often,” Natalie says of her husband. “He keeps moving and works hard to give everyone his best.”

“I’ve never felt a conflict between my professional responsibilities and the opportunity to be an ecclesiastical leader,” Jed insists. “It stretches us at times, but I’ve never felt a conflict of purpose. I think we can be good citizens and have worthy causes in our lives while also excelling in our careers. It’s not an either-or, and I feel the same way about my family. … We must be flexible as leaders and focus on being present in the moment. It is a challenge you must be very conscious of; it doesn’t just happen.

“I don’t think my kids have ever felt neglected or thought that their dad doesn’t have time for them. But if you were to ask ‘How?’ I could only give you one word: Natalie. We’re best friends and partners in this together. And because of that, our family is able to be flexible and thrive when work has high demands. SDL is also amazing at working together to make sure our families are cared for in times of need.”

From Concept to Completion

Jed Hancock’s life has seemingly always been about finding solutions to problems, whether they’re big or small.

After graduating with a master’s in electrical engineering from USU, he eventually went on to complete a master’s and Ph.D. in optical science at the University of Arizona’s College of Optical Sciences. He did much of his Ph.D. with distance learning while working at SDL. He and his family did have to spend one year in Tucson in 2010–11 so he could finish his doctorate coursework and complete comprehensive and qualifying exams.

That led to the Hancocks driving down to Arizona in separate trucks with three kids, then returning to their former home just five days before Natalie gave birth to their fourth child.

“Jed went to school for the first 13 years of our marriage, including while he was working at SDL,” Natalie says. “We didn’t want to leave the house Jed and our family built. He worked so hard on it, so we rented it out and then came back to our home in Wellsville — a community we love.”

Hancock, who says “I never would have dreamt I would have gone to school for 13 years,” spent his first three years at SDL as an optical engineer, became the Civil Space Division director, and then held the title of Executive Director for Programs and Operations when he was named SDL president in 2021.

“We’ve seen so much growth,” Natalie says of her husband’s career at the Space Dynamics Laboratory. “The number of employees, students, and the impactful research they do that directly supports our nation is pretty incredible.

“SDL is made up of so many great people. We feel so blessed for Jed to have his career at SDL in such an inspiring environment.”

For his part, Hancock admits he never envisioned running such a highly regarded company that has been a part of some of NASA’s most daring achievements known to the public, as well as numerous national defense-related programs that almost no people know about. But he’s quick to credit the employees of SDL, as well as Utah State.

“The university is an awesome partner,” Hancock says. “The high tide rises all boats. Utah State University is uniquely known for its national contributions to space sciences and defense missions. That’s in large part because of the Space Dynamics Laboratory. The continued emphasis on aerospace research and the workforce development that occurs on campus is critical to our continued success.”