The Power of Honesty: How Beth Leads Dexa with Grit, Humility, and Heart
When you meet Beth, the founder and CEO of Dexa, one thing becomes immediately clear: she’s refreshingly honest. Honest about what she knows, what she doesn’t, where she’s strong, and where she’s still learning. In a world that often rewards bravado, Beth’s authenticity is her superpower. It’s the same trait that’s shaped her company and the culture around it — pragmatic, mission-driven, and unafraid of hard truths.
From Family Legacy to Founding Vision
Beth’s story begins in an unexpected place, her own family’s business. What started as a career in defense wireless communications evolved into something much bigger: a commercial drone company spun out from that family venture.
Her path to entrepreneurship wasn’t planned. Beth calls it “accidental engineering,” a winding journey that began when she was accidentally placed in a high school computer programming class instead of creative writing. That single scheduling twist set her on a path toward engineering, banking at Goldman Sachs, and later helping rebuild Cantor Fitzgerald after 9/11, an experience that taught her resilience and gave her a crash course in leadership under pressure.
Years later, Beth joined her family’s company, Telegrid, which built wireless mesh networks for defense clients. When she realized that the same technology could safely connect drones, she saw an opportunity to reimagine how goods move locally. She spun out a new venture — Drone Express (now Dexa) — to bring that idea to life.
Within a year, she signed a contract with Kroger (the nation’s largest grocer), a bold first customer serving over 100 million people within three miles of its stores. And to make it really real, she made a defining move: relocating her family from Manhattan to Ohio during the pandemic, building drones on her kitchen table.
Both of Beth’s parents still work at Dexa today and her mother still runs accounting, applying the same precision and thrift that kept the business bootstrapped and lean. Today, that spirit defines Dexa’s 25+ person team — disciplined, loyal, and operating more like an extended family than a startup.
Building Dexa: Precision, Purpose, and Persistence
Dexa has a simple but bold vision: revitalize local retail through drone delivery. By enabling fast, sustainable 15-minute deliveries, Dexa gives local stores the power to compete with e-commerce giants.
Unlike competitors chasing rural markets, Beth steered Dexa straight toward the hard stuff including urban environments like New York City, where traffic, density, and logistics complexity create real barriers to fast delivery. The choice was strategic: if you can make drones work in cities, you can make them work anywhere.
Under her leadership, Dexa has earned rare and rigorous credentials, including the FAA Part 135 certification (the same license required for airlines) after five relentless years of testing and over 45 parachute deployments in freezing winter conditions. Dexa is one of only four companies in the U.S. to hold this certification, and every drone is built in the U.S. The American flag was actually the first thing placed in their factory, a proud symbol of Dexa’s commitment to building the future right here at home.
So far, Dexa has raised $15 million and built trusted partnerships with major brands like Kroger, Papa John’s, and Wind Supply, all while maintaining cost discipline and focus. Beth’s mantra is clear: “Don’t do ten pilots. Do one that counts.”
Leadership Built on Honesty and Growth
Beth’s leadership is marked by two things: radical transparency and continuous evolution. She’s open about her transformation from hands-on engineer to strategic CEO, a shift that required her to confront imposter syndrome head-on.
She credits mentors and programs like Engage for helping her grow into that role, embracing both the human and executive sides of leadership. “I had to learn what presence meant,” she says. “Sometimes that meant upgrading from the family station wagon to something that said, ‘We’re building a real company here.’”
Through it all, Beth has remained grounded and human. “I’m not a leader on horseback,” she says. She works alongside her team in the hangar, fostering loyalty so strong that turnover is almost nonexistent. Her approach is direct but empathetic, driven by her belief that you have to lead by example and “never pretend.”
Breaking Barriers and Redefining Belonging
Beth is also acutely aware of what it means to be a woman in aviation and tech, where fewer than 3% of CEOs look like her. She’s been talked over, underestimated, and often the only woman in the room. Instead of shrinking, she speaks louder.
She’s made it a point to correct salary disparities on her team, advocate for women to know their worth, and dismantle self-doubt wherever she finds it. Her philosophy is simple: “Why not me?” Three words that have defined her career and her company.
The Long Game: Technology with Heart
Beth’s long-term vision for Dexa goes beyond drones. She envisions a world where drones don’t just deliver, they reconnect. Frequent, smaller deliveries will reduce waste, support local businesses, and make shopping personal again. “Technology should bring us back together,” she says, “not push us apart.”
It’s that kind of grounded conviction, equal parts intellect and empathy, that makes Beth’s story stand out. She’s not just building a company. She’s building something that reflects who she is: disciplined, authentic, and driven by purpose. The photo below shows the first trailer built to carry drones for their Kroger partnership, taken the day it was brought into the factory. “There was not a dry eye in the room,” Beth recalls.
Beth’s Founder Equation
We asked Beth to define her own equation for success — the mix of qualities that’s carried her through the highs and lows of building Dexa.
Her answer:
“Honesty + Resilience + people who challenge me to grow.”
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