John A. Stewart - Founder, Executive Director John is an ASNT Level III RT, UT, and PT, NAS 410 Level III RT, UT, PT, VT and MT NDT engineer. The AATA was founded when John decided to dedicate himself full-time to helping economically disadvantaged and veterans struggling with poor job prospects secure fulfilling careers in his field. Stewart, who over the course of his twenty-year career in NDT has trained technicians for companies such as SpaceX, Goodrich Aerospace, and Northrop Grumman, believed that by addressing inadequate STEM opportunities, one could empower youth and returning military veterans to fill the shortage of NDT professionals in many of California’s booming industries. John is a United States Navy Veteran and served as a Navy "Seabee" attached to Amphibious Construction Battalion 2.