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Lewistown native recognized for defense technologies work

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Keith Zook, formerly of Lewistown, is honored for being INTUITIVE’s first technical fellow.

NAVARRE, Fla. — Growing up, Keith Zook admits he’s always had a keen curiosity about electronics, and how they work.

Eventually, that interest led the Lewistown native to play a key role in high-impact engineering projects and serve as a mentor to the next generation of engineers.

Now, in the span of a few months, Zook has not only been recognized as one of the first technical fellows at INTUITIVE Research and Technology Corp., a Huntsville, Ala.-based aerospace and defense company, but he was also awarded the National Defense Industrial Association Tennessee Valley Technology Award, a prestigious honor recognizing individuals who have significantly advanced defense technologies and contributed to the country’s security.

“I’ve always been interested in how things worked; it’s what led me into the engineering field,” said the 65-year-old Zook, who lives in Navarre, Fla., with his wife Terri (Goodling). She is also originally from Lewistown.

INTUITIVE has a satellite office in Niceville, which is about 45 minutes northeast of Navarre.

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Lewistown native Keith Zook has worked to support multiple government agencies for more than 40 years.

“At the time, electrical engineers were in high demand,” Zook said of his career path. “But within a few years, I gravitated toward higher system levels. I didn’t want to be buried in electrical circuits. That led me to a career in systems engineering then model-based systems engineering. I latched onto that.”

A 1978 graduate of Lewistown Area High School, Zook earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa., in 1982. A leader in advancing model-based systems engineering (MBSE) within INTUITIVE and across the defense industry, he also holds certifications as a project management professional (PMP), INCOSE certified systems engineering professional (CSEP) and open management group certified systems modeling professional (OCSMP) model user and model builder fundamental.

With more than 20 years of experience in model-based systems, Zook also has worked to support multiple government agencies for more than 40 years, including the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Missile Defense Agency and NASA. He was named as a fellow in November 2024 and honored at the company’s year-end business review in December 2024,

Zook accepted the NDIA Award at its annual dinner in April.

“I had been in Huntsville for 34 years, working in the defense community,” Zook explained. “Now, I’m doing it remotely down in Florida.”

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Lewistown native Keith Zook has worked to support multiple government agencies for more than 40 years.

Since joining INTUITIVE in 2018, Zook has been instrumental in shaping the company’s MBSE capabilities. With over two decades of MBSE expertise, he has played a pivotal role in building a strong customer base and growing the MBSE team.

His results-driven approach and leadership have made him a trusted expert on high-impact projects and a valued mentor to emerging engineers. Zook’s career spans various disciplines, including classical systems engineering, electrical design, test engineering and project and program management.

“It means a lot because it’s really recognition of my years of technical results and innovation,” said Zook of his work as a principal model-based systems engineer.

Back in the late 1990s, not much was known about the field of model-based systems engineering and digital engineering so Zook was considered a pioneer.

“Now, it’s standard and expected on every government contract,” Zook added. “But I was one of the early practitioners in the late 1990s. I’ve seen it go from nothing to becoming a way of life now and a way of engineering now.”

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Keith Zook, formerly of Lewistown, was honored by the NDIA for his defense work and contributing to the country’s security.

INTUITIVE is considered one of top companies in the industry, so Zook feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to join them seven years ago.

“When you’re told you’re one of the first two technical fellows at the company, it’s pretty meaningful,” Zook said.

While some of Zook’s work is classified, he revealed that he assists government defense offices primarily with Army aviation, which includes Apache and Blackhawk helicopters and unmanned aircraft.

“I help develop requirements for new capabilities, new aircrafts using model-based systems engineering to perform that,” he added.

Model-based systems are exactly what they sound like. He uses small-scale versions to anticipate outcomes for projects before they are sent to the manufacturer for production.

“If you could get your popsicle sticks and glue out and build your house, that’s what we do with systems engineering,” Zook quipped. “We predict what it’s (weapon systems) going to do before the government sends it to the prime contractor for building.”

He is certainly proud to be on the front end of this work, helping the government agencies define the capabilities of these defense projects.

And he’s now been recognized for his cutting edge work — twice.

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