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52 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2025 F E AT U R E C O LU M N I ST Q & A Jesse Vaughan: A Basketball and PCB Industry 'Fanatic' C o l u m n i st : Jesse Vaughan C o l u m n : Beyond the Board Ti m e w i t h I - C o n n e ct 0 07: O n e year Columnist Bio: J e s s e Va u g h a n i s a s e n i o r a c c o u n t m a n a g e r a t S u m m i t I nte rc o n n e ct . A t h i rd - g e n e ra t i o n P r i n t- e d C i rc u i t B o a rd ( P C B) te c h n o l o g i st , J e s s e b r i n g s a d e e p - ro ote d p a s s i o n a n d ex p e r t i s e i n P C B d e s i g n , fa b r i c a t i o n , a s s e m b l y a n d p ro g ra m m a n a g e m e n t . W i t h ye a rs of h a n d s- o n ex p e r i e n c e a c ro s s t h e e n - t i re P C B l i fe cyc l e, h e h a s wo r ke d c l o s e l y w i t h e n g i - n e e rs , m a n u fa ct u re rs , a n d s u p p l y c h a i n s to d e l i v- e r h i g h - q u a l i t y, re l i a b l e s o l u t i o n s . F ro m o p t i m i z i n g c o m p l ex b o a rd d e s i g n s to s t re a m l i n i n g p ro d u c t i o n p ro cesses, J e s s e exc e l s a t b r i d g i n g t h e g a p b et we e n i n n ova t i o n a n d m a n u fa ct u ra b i l i t y. C o m m i t te d to a d - va n c i n g P C B te c h n o l o g y, h e l eve ra g e s a l e g a cy of i n - d u st r y k n ow l e d g e a s a n a ct i ve m e m b e r fo r s eve ra l I P C c o m m i t te e s . S e l e ct c o l u m n s f ro m B eyo n d t h e B o a rd : • Early Engagement Means Faster Prototyping for Defense Programs • What Companies Need to Know Before Entering the MilAero PCB Market • Orbital High Ground—Why Space Superiority Is Slipping Away by M a rcy La Ro nt , I - C o n n e ct 0 07 J esse shares with us how family legacy, grit, and a love of innovation shaped his path from the court to the cleanroom. Jesse, I'd like to get to know you better. Where were you born and raised, and could you share a favorite childhood memory? I was born in Tampa, Florida. Our family lived in the Pinellas Park/Clearwater area for about two years before relocating to Northern Virginia, where my parents were originally from, specifically in the Fair- fax County region. I have many childhood memo- ries that I hold close, but if I had to pick one, it would be attending the 2000 NBA All-Star Game at the then-MCI Center with my dad. I have always been a huge basketball fan, and I got to see all my favorite players (AI, Kobe, Shaq, to name a few) showcase their talents on one court. A close second would be serving as the starting point guard for an undefeated basketball team, which also won the championship. Where did you attend school, and what did you study? I attended the ITT Technical Institute in Chantilly, Virginia, for a BS in Electrical Engineering Tech- nology. While at ITT, I also left my sales role with a manufacturer's rep group and took a manufacturing engineer role at Colonial Assembly and Design in Fredericksburg. We had just had a son, and it was a risk to take such a major pay cut at the time, but I was setting out to make a better future for my grow- ing family. My goal was to earn my degree while working daily in the field, thereby better integrating the theoretical concepts from classes with practical, hands-on knowledge, and advancing further in my field while studying, rather than waiting to obtain my degree before making advancements.