Senior Technical Fellow, Configuration Development; Chief Engineer, Phantom Works – Rotary Wing Aircraft, Defense Space & Security; The Boeing Company

Dan Newman is a Senior Technical Fellow of The Boeing Company in aircraft configuration design and development. He serves as the Chief Engineer for vertical lift aircraft research and development, and supports Commercial Airplane Product Development. He previously served as a Program Manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), as the Technical Director of the AHS International vertical flight technical society, and as an Adjunct Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his Masters in Aerospace Engineering from the Rotorcraft Center of Excellence at the University of Maryland, and his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University.

Global Aerospace is a leading provider of aircraft insurance and risk management solutions for the aviation and aerospace industries. Global Aerospace will provide all Phase II and Phase III Teams within their insurance jurisdiction with a $1,000,000 Aircraft Liability insurance for just $1,500.

Founder and Principal, buGiAero

Ashish is founder and principal of buGiAero — committed to supporting the advancement of new and innovative concepts in fixed-wing, rotorcraft, and distributed propulsion air vehicles. He holds degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland in College Park.

Ashish has worked in academia, industry and the DoD. In academia, he has mentored design-build-fly teams to design, build, test and demonstrate novel technological concepts such as scaled an electric-Advancing Blade Concept incorporating variable CG as a means of control, an amorphous, reconfigurable, flexible flying surface incorporating structural deformation for control and impregnated structural damping, and surface effect aircraft design.

At the DoD, he developed and managed a strong portfolio in vertical flight concepts, both for mission applications and as technology demonstrations. He was also instrumental in the streamlining and execution of flight test planning, authorization and execution, and developing best practices.

In industry, Ashish has worked on a number of aircraft systems, most notably on the design of rotor systems and blade design that are currently flying on a number of aircraft, including the S-76D and CH-53K. His most notable contributions were to the development of the X2 high speed helicopter.

In his current role, he provides technical, advisory, collaborative and mentoring services in support of the development and testing of aircraft systems and designs, and has worked with large and mid-sized corporations, educational institutions, small start-ups and government.

The modern CAD system offers advanced modeling tools and design data management in a secure cloud workspace that is accessible on any device and never loses data. Onshape will be providing its Professional Level CAD software and technical support to all registered GoFly Teams. When additional help is needed, all Teams have access to Onshape technical support, online classes and tutorials.

President and CEO, Flight Safety Foundation

Jon Beatty is president and CEO of Flight Safety Foundation, an international, independent non-profit founded in 1947 to advance aviation safety. Prior to joining the Foundation in April 2014, Jon served as president and CEO of International Aero Engines (IAE), a division of United Technologies from 2007 – 2009 and again from 2012 – 2013, and was senior vice president, airline customers, at Pratt & Whitney Senior from 2010 to 2012. In addition, he has held management and executive positions at Pratt & Whitney, BF Goodrich and Allied Signal. He started his career as a quality engineer at Sikorsky Aircraft.

TotalSim US’s Computational Fluid Dynamics allows users to simulate test conditions and run robust analyses on build designs, all through cutting edge CFD technologies. All GoFly Teams will have access to TotalSim US’s CFD software, as well as access to simulation tokens.

Manager of Advanced Programs, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works (retired)

Dr. Paul Bevilaqua has spent much of his career developing Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft. He joined Lockheed Martin as Chief Aeronautical Scientist and became Chief Engineer of the Skunk Works, where he played a leading role in creating the Joint Strike Fighter. He invented the dual cycle propulsion system that made it possible to build a stealthy supersonic VSTOL Strike Fighter, and suggested that conventional and Naval variants of this aircraft could be developed to create a common, affordable aircraft for all three services. He subsequently led the engineering team that demonstrated the feasibility of building this aircraft. The propulsion team received the Collier Trophy for this accomplishment. Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, he was Manager of Advanced Programs at Rockwell International’s Navy aircraft plant, where he led the design of VSTOL interceptor and transport aircraft. He began his career as an Air Force officer at Wright Patterson AFB, where he developed a lift system for an Air Force VSTOL Search and Rescue Aircraft. He received degrees in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and Purdue University, as well as an honorary degree from Cranfield University in the UK. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He received a USAF Scientific Achievement Award, both the AIAA and SAE Aircraft Design Awards, both the AIAA and AHS VSTOL Awards, and the Lockheed Martin AeroStar and Nova Awards.

BRS will provide free Ballistic Recovery Systems Safety consultations to all Phase II Teams on designing the Team’s safety mechanism. BRS CEO and GoFly Master Boris Popov will also personally provide the consultation for each Team. All Phase III Teams will be provided with a Safety System Assessment Report at no charge and will have the opportunity to purchase a BRS system at a 20% discount.

Brand Experience Consultant, DemoMode Marketing

Mark Bezos is the Founder of DemoMode Marketing, a branding and customer experience consultancy. For 10 years, Bezos worked at Robin Hood, the leading poverty-fighting charity in New York City, where he served most recently as Senior Vice President for Development, Communications and Events. Bezos joined Robin Hood following the sale of Bezos Nathanson Marketing Group, his advertising agency, excited to have found a way to use his powers of persuasion for good. In addition to his work in philanthropy, Bezos is the Captain of a Volunteer Fire Company. He is continuously amazed and motivated by the everyday acts of heroism — big and small — that surround him.

Cases By Source designs and manufactures protective packaging to protect some of the world’s finest and valuable instruments and equipment. All Teams that make it to Phase III will be supplied with a free Cases by Source custom case and custom foam insert in order to help you transport your Personal Flying Devices to the Final Fly Off. The design process begins in Phase II when each Team is supplied with a free custom case rendering and will have the ability to work directly with Cases By Source designers on their custom cases.

Senior Technical Fellow, Boeing

Dr. Bolukbasi is an internationally recognized expert in aircraft crash safety and impact dynamics. His technical knowledge spans multiple disciplines including structures and materials, dynamics, biomechanics, test and evaluation, subsystem design and integration, information technology, and computational methods. He was a program manager and principal investigator for over 20 IR&D, CR&D, and IAD projects. He was also instrumental in technology transition from R&D activities into Boeing products and is an accomplished author, presenting over 20 technical papers at industry conferences and been published in several industry journals.

He was one of the founding engineers of Simula, Inc., a small technology company specializing in aircraft structural crashworthiness and ballistic armor. He has been recognized for many accolades, including the AHS Jensen Award (2011) “Boeing Active Crash Protection System Development”, and served as the Technical Chairman of the 62nd AHS Forum, and currently serves as an Advisory Board Member of ASU Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dept.

Fibre Glast Developments specializes in the distribution of carbon fiber, fiberglass, Kevlar, resins, vacuum bagging materials, pumps and equipment, additives, gel coats and other supplies necessary to create lightweight, durable aircraft. Fibre Glast will be providing a 20% discount on all products sold on their websites for all registered and participating GoFly Teams.

Vice President of Global Innovation & Policy, General Aviation Manufacturers Association

Greg Bowles is the Vice President of Global Innovation & Policy for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) where he is responsible for the identification of key technological opportunities to evolve the global safety, efficiency and success of aviation. Greg leads the GAMA Electric Propulsion & Innovation Committee (EPIC) which represents the world’s leading aviation mobility development companies along with traditional aviation manufacturers as this community strives to enable new kinds of public transportation through the air. Greg also currently leads the worldwide design standards committee which is chartered to develop globally acceptable means of compliance for general aviation aircraft.

Prior to joining GAMA, Bowles worked as a certification engineer at Keystone (now Sikorsky) Helicopter, and was a design engineer at Cessna Aircraft Company (now Textron Aviation). Bowles holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Webster University. He is an active instrument rated general aviation pilot.

RockWest Composites sells carbon fiber tubes, plates, rods, shapes, connectors, and a whole host of composite material needs that will be essential in the build phase for our competitors. Rock West will provide a 15% discount on all goods sold on the Rock West websites to all registered and participating GoFly Teams.

Lockheed Martin Senior Fellow

Peter Buck is a Lockheed Martin Senior Fellow. He has worked at the Advanced Development Programs (ADP), also known as the Skunk Works® since 1981. In this capacity he has worked as a senior engineer, project lead and chief engineer on many development projects ranging from very low speed to very high speed flight systems. In addition to his Lockheed Martin duties, Buck co-designed the Sonex, Waiex and Xenos Light Sport kit aircraft of which there are more than 600 flying examples worldwide, earning him the 2003 August Raspet Award presented by the Experimental Aircraft Association for Outstanding Contribution to the Advancement of Light Aircraft. In 2010 Buck developed an all-electric powered version of the Waiex aircraft. Pete is an active member of ASTM serving on both the F37 Light Sport Aircraft Committee and the F44 General Aviation Aircraft and was awarded the American Society for Testing & Materials (ASTM) Standards Excellence Award in 2012 for his efforts in the development of Electric Propulsion Standards. Buck is an active licensed pilot and FAA certified mechanic. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from California State University-Northridge.

Firgelli Automations is a global provider for TV Lifts, Linear Actuators and many other products to support a huge range of industries and applications. The Top 10 Phase I Teams who continue onto Phase II will be provided with one free Firgelli Automations actuator at no cost or charge to the Teams. In addition, all Phase II Teams will receive 30% off the regular price of all items on the Firgelli website for so long as such Team is registered and participating in the GoFly Prize.

Regents’ Professor, Arizona State University; Ira A. Fulton Chair, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Director of Adaptive Intelligent Materials & Systems (AIMS) Center

Dr. Aditi Chattopadhyay received a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur, followed by MS and PhD degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her current research areas include multifunctional materials, multiscale modeling, structural health monitoring and damage prognosis, and multiaxial fatigue. She has been the Principal Investigator on numerous grants and collaborated with defense and government laboratories on significant technical transitions. Her research activities span from fundamental concept development to applied projects with immediate benefits to the industry. She has published over 170 journal papers and over 380 other publications (conference papers, book chapters, and NASA Technical Memorandum). Her research has led to several academic, research, best paper, and NASA Tech Brief awards. She is the recipient of several academic, research and best paper awards. She received the Georgia Institute of Technology Council of Outstanding Young Engineer Award (1995) and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) (2013). She is the recipient of the Faculty Achievement Award – Excellence in Research, Arizona State University (2000). Chattopadhyay is a Fellow of American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA) and a Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

GoFly provides free access to Master Lectures and Q&A with the luminaries of aerospace design, engineering, finance, law, and marketing. Teams have the opportunity to engage in discussions with the masters of aviation and business in global webinars. Through the Master Lectures, Teams can learn from DARPA chiefs, NASA gurus, Boeing Senior Technical Fellows, and the VCs who are helping to shape the future. The full list of Masters and their bios can be found here.

Distinguished University Professor and Alfred Gessow Professor, Aerospace Engineering; Director of the Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center at the University of Maryland

Dr. Inderjit Chopra received his Sc.D. (Aero & Astro) from MIT in 1977 and joined NASA Ames/Stanford University Joint Institute of Aeronautics & Acoustics before joining the University Maryland as a faculty member in 1981. He has worked on various fundamental problems related to aeromechanics of helicopters including aeroelastic stability, active vibration control, composite blades, rotor head health monitoring, aeroelastic optimization, smart structures, micro air vehicles, and comprehensive aeromechanics analyses. He has been the principal investigator of six major research programs, served as associate editor major journals like the International Journal of Micro Air Vehicle (2013-cont.), and been a part of the advisory board of five journals. Chopra earned a number of prestigious awards, including the 2012 AHS Igor Sikorsky International Trophy and 2016 ASME Spirit of St. Louis Aviation Medal. He has been a member of the Army Science Board (1997-2002), NASA (NRC) Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (2007-12) and NASA (NRC) Research and Technology Roundtable Board (2011-15). He is a Fellow of AIAA, a Fellow of AHS, a Fellow of ASME, a Fellow of Aero Society of India, and an Honorary Fellow of AHS.

All active Teams have access to the GoFly Mentor program, which matches innovators directly with Mentors in areas such as technology, design, fundraising, or marketing. Participating teams can request to be paired with a mentor through this form.

Patrick Collins graduated from Loughborough University with a BSc in Aeronautical Engineering and Design in 1979. He has been a chartered engineer for the past 30 years and was elected a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 2005.

After university, Pat worked in the Helicopter industry initially at Westland Helicopters in Yeovil before moving to Atlas Aircraft in South Africa. He returned to the UK in 1990 and worked in motorsport producing composite components for a series of racing cars produced by Tom Walkinshaw Racing, amongst them the Le Mans winning Jaguar XJR-12. He joined the UK MOD in 1994 working in the Defence Research Agency (a forerunner of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) at Farnborough. He spent much of the following 15 years working in the general area of Air Defence weapon lethality and the associated topic of air target vulnerability. In the early 2000s he led a number of NATO STO activities relating to vulnerability assessment across multiple domains, chairing a conference on the topic in Montreal in late 2008.

In 2011 he was seconded to Defence Equipment & Support (the UK MOD’s procurement agency) supporting the Director of the Helicopters Operating Centre with advice on a wide range of Science & Technology related topics. He joined DE&S full time in 2016 as the Technology lead for Helicopters. During this time he established a NATO STO group to look at Future Rotorcraft Requirements in the period from 2035. He currently co-chairs an STO Specialist Team relating to Future Rotorcraft Technologies, representing STO on the Next Generation Rotorcraft Capabilities Team of Experts and the customer organisations on the NATO Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG) Study Group that supports it.

GoFly will provide active Phase II Teams with introductions to and mentoring from experts in venture capital and fundraising. GoFly will provide free programming on developing your funding deck, creating a list of active aerospace financers, taking that first pitch meeting, the funding process, and traditional deal terms.

Curator, Vertical Flight, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Instruments & Avionics, Aeronautics Department, Smithsonian Institution

Roger Connor received his BA from Virginia Tech and holds a MA in Museum Studies from The George Washington University, a MA in American History from George Mason University, and is currently a PhD student in American History at George Mason University. At the Smithsonian, Connor curates a number of collections, including vertical flight, Army ground force aviation aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems, ground effect vehicles, aircraft instruments and avionics, bombsights and gun sights, air navigation, and air traffic control. Connor is an experienced fixed wing commercial pilot with over 4,000 hours of flight time, including over 3,000 hours in dual instruction given. He has held flight instructor certificates in the United States and United Kingdom, holds a seaplane rating, and served as a designated private pilot examiner for the UK CAA. He was awarded Associate Fellow status by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for his work in support of the American Helicopter Society’s history endeavors. He co-authored In the Cockpit II: Inside History-Making Aircraft of World War II and is currently writing a book on Virginia Aviation.

GoFly Teams wishing to raise funds through a Kickstarter campaign can access free Mentoring from Kickstarter Technology Leads. All GoFly Teams will be featured on a GoFly Kickstarter Curated Page.

Co-Founder and Partner, Lemnos

Jeremy Conrad is the CEO of a new robotics company focused on the future of automation. Previously he was a founding partner at Lemnos, an early stage hardware focused venture fund. Prior to Lemnos Mr. Conrad was an active duty United States Air Force officer working on the Airborne Laser Program. Mr. Conrad received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Since 1939, AOPA has protected the freedom to fly by promoting an environment that gives people of all ages the opportunity to enjoy aviation and all it has to offer. AOPA is providing all Phase II Teams a free 6-month Flight Training membership. AOPA will provide Phase 1 winners with an additional 6-month members, and all Phase II and Phase III winners with a 1-Year Intro Membership.

Program Director for Rotorcraft at ONERA ONERA (National Research Center for Aeronautics and Aerospace)

Blanche Demaret is an aeronautical engineer and Program Director for Rotocraft at ONERA. From 1977 to 2004 she served as Delegation Generale for l’Armement (DGA), part of the French Ministry of
Defense. She has had several positions managing and contracting for rotorcraft R&T industry, research centers, and specialized universities. She is in charge of the management of studies encompassing all the scientific disciplines of helicopter domain, such as aerodynamic and dynamic flight mechanics. She has a degree from the EPF Engineer School in Paris, France.

EAA embodies The Spirit of Aviation through the world’s most engaged community of aviation enthusiasts. All GoFly Teams will receive discounted membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association.

CEO, Iridium Satellite

Matt Desch is CEO of Iridium, operating the world’s largest low earth satellite system providing global communications for aircraft, ships, governments and militaries all over the world. An early pioneer in the wireless industry, he was previously CEO of Telcordia (now part of Ericsson), President of Nortel Networks, and started his career at AT&T Bell Labs. An avid pilot, he also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and AOPA Foundation. He’s also a member of the US President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Council (NSTAC).

The Flight Safety Foundation is an international non-profit organization chartered to provide impartial, independent, expert safety guidance and resources for the aviation and aerospace industry. The Flight Safety Foundation will be providing an 85% discount for membership any registered and participating competitor and discounts its Global Aviation Safety Conferences and Seminars.

CTO, Co-founder, Terrafugia

Carl received his BS, MS and Ph.D. from the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) shortly after receiving the prestigious Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for Innovation in 2006. Carl was also recognized by the Aero/Astro Department at MIT as one of sixteen exceptional graduates under the age of 35. In addition, Carl has received “40 Under 40” awards from the Boston Business Journal and Aviation Week & Space Technology Magazine. Carl has spoken internationally and is generally regarded as the leader of the emerging modern flying car industry. He has been a private pilot since the age of seventeen.

The Vertical Flight Society is providing free membership to one individual on each Phase II team, plus online access to the world’s only VTOL technical journal. Teams can expand this to 15 members and gain access to more than 11,000 PDF technical documents by registering as VFS Small Business Corporate Members at 60% off. Originally founded as the American Helicopter Society in 1943, VFS is the world’s only VTOL technical society.

BDS-PW, Advanced Vertical Lift/, Technical Fellow – Vehicle Management Systems, Boeing

Fernando Dones’ expertise in the Flight Controls was developed over a 35 year career making technical leadership contributions on programs such as Advanced Digital/Optical Control System (ADOCS), V-22, CH-47, TX, Phantom Swift, Bell-Boeing 609, Rotorcraft Aircrew Systems Concepts Airborne Laboratory (RASCAL), and Adaptive Vehicle Management System. His contributions to these programs include systems architectures, innovative safety monitors, redundancy management algorithms, FCS actuator servo loop approaches with safety monitors, and software architectures optimized for system safety and handling quality performance. His broad practical experience complemented by deep technical understanding and ability to explain complex concepts make him a highly sought technical advisor and a celebrated mentor.

Voltaplex provides lithium-ion cells for industries ranging from space to consumer electronics, and has assisted those competing in Hyperloop, DARPA, and Formula E challenges, among others. Voltaplex guarantees authenticity and performance of its products and can provide additional factory services like cell matching and testing for teams lacking equipment.

As a GoFly In-Kind sponsor, Voltaplex is providing all Phase II Teams with maximum pricing discounts and minimum order quantities on all cells and packs. In addition, Voltaplex is supplying free consultations to Phase II teams for cell selection and sourcing, preliminary battery pack design, and other lithium-ion challenges that may arise.

President, International Vehicle Research, Inc.

Johnny Doo is the President of International Vehicle Research, Inc., focusing on innovative manned and unmanned flight vehicle technology and product development while supporting global rescue and disaster relief initiatives. Also, he leads the NASA coordinated Transformative Vertical Flight – Public Services working group, teaming with 50 industry & institution expert & executive members to develop the roadmap for search & rescue, disaster relief, police & firefighting, medical transport and military eVTOL applications. He has over 30 years of experience in managing and developing aviation products from high performance piston aircraft, personal and business jets to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering. He is also the co-author of the book “WIG Craft and Ekranoplan – Ground Effect Craft Technology.”

Aviation Week Network is the largest multimedia information and services provider for the global aviation, aerospace, and defense industries, serving 1.7 million professionals around the world. Industry professionals rely on Aviation Week Network to help them understand the market, make decisions, predict trends, and connect with people and business opportunities. Customers include the world’s leading aerospace manufacturers and suppliers, airlines, airports, business aviation operators, militaries, governments and other organizations that serve this worldwide marketplace. Aviation Week Network’s portfolio delivers award-winning journalism, data, intelligence and analytical resources, world-class tradeshows and conferences, and results-driven marketing services and advertising.  Aviation Week Network is part of Informa Markets, a division of Informa PLC.

Partner and Executive Vice President, GRA, Incorporated

Richard Golaszewski is Partner and Executive Vice President of GRA Incorporated. He has also conducted a number of assessments of technology development programs and written on the economics of aeronautical research and technology investments for NASA and other organizations. He was a member for the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board of the National Academies for six years, and was named a Lifetime National Associate of the National Academy of Sciences in 2003 for his significant pro bono involvement in its aerospace and air transportation activities. Golaszewski received a B.S. in Accounting (magna cum laude) from LaSalle College and an M.P.A. in Public Sector Management and Finance from the Wharton Graduate School, University of Pennsylvania. He was a military officer and helicopter pilot from 1967 to 1972.

GoFly is thrilled to announce that Sue and Jim Gardner have partnered with GoFly to engage with all active Phase III Teams who may need support navigating the FAA aircraft and airman pathways. Both are recently retired after an illustrious 30 year career with the FAA.

Jim’s role as a senior executive in Flight Standards with experience navigating both GA airman and aircraft certification, and Sue’s role as the FAA National Aviation Events Specialist, and FAA team member supporting development of pathways for sUAS and unique aircraft (e.g Jetman, flyboards), and Program Lead for the Sport Pilot and LSA rulemaking give them the tools and strong relationships within the FAA to help all our active Phase III teams identify and navigate their way through the FAA certification pathways in an efficient manner. On behalf of GoFly, they will work directly with all active Phase III Teams in a one-on-one capacity to help each team define your FAA certification pathway and then provide an additional 5 hours support for each team as you process the required FAA paperwork for both your aircraft/vehicle and the pilot/operator.

Avrum’s career at Pratt & Whitney spans 34 years in the fields of engineering, airworthiness, quality and sustainability. He has worked on nearly all of the 14 product families designed and manufactured by P&W’s Canadian division, from design, development and certification through production, service and overhaul. He has also worked on cost engineering, process certification and technology development.

Avrum Goldman has both bachelor and master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University in Montreal, with certificates for Six Sigma Green Belt, Certified Quality Engineer and Sustainable Development.

Avrum is passionate about mentoring and sharing knowledge, delivering over 30 hours of seminars to employees and students every year. As both of his parents were teachers, the passion for learning and sharing comes naturally.

Founder, CyPhy Works

Helen Greiner is Founder of CyPhy Works, a company that builds flying robots for military and industrial applications. In 1990, she co-founded iRobot Corporation [NASDAQ: IRBT] and served as President and Chairman until 2008.  iRobot Corporation is the most successful mobile robot company in the world with more than 15 million  Roomba ™ vacuuming robots delivered to date.  Recently Endeavor Robotics was spun out of iRobot to focus on the military market with the PackBot ™ and SUGV ™ tactical mobile robots. Ms. Greiner received a BS Mechanical Engineering and an MS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science both from MIT and honorary Phds from both WPI and Clarkson.  She has been honored as a demo god, best leader, pioneer, global leader of tomorrow, young global leader, entrepreneur of the year, innovator of the next century, national academy member, presidential advisor, and good housekeeper!

Investor, Bessemer Venture Partners

Tess is an in Bessemer Venture Partners’ Silicon Valley office. She is focused on frontier tech, specifically commercial space, cyber security, and drones. She currently serves as board observer for Iris Automation, Rocket Lab, Spire, Auth0, Endgame, Distil Networks, Team8, Virtru, Claroty, CyberGRX, and Illusive Networks.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan (go blue!) and a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics engineering from Stanford (go trees!). She was a mission manager at SpaceX where she worked with the government on integrating their payloads with the Falcon9 rocket. She also worked at Fictiv, a startup using 3D printing and CNC machining to democratize access to manufacturing.

Executive Director, AHS International

As Executive Director of The Vertical Flight Society, Mike Hirschberg is responsible for the execution of the strategic direction set by the VFS Board of Directors. He was previously a principal aerospace engineer with CENTRA Technology, Inc., providing technical and program management support for over 10 years to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Office of Naval Research (ONR) on advanced aircraft and rotorcraft concepts. Hirschberg is an internationally-known lecturer, and is the author/co-author of more than 100 publications on helicopter, V/STOL and advanced aircraft developments, including three books. He holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Virginia and a M.E. Mechanical Engineering from Catholic University of America. He completed a Master of Business Administration at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University and is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS).

Founder, Hoberman Law Group; Co-Founder, Mojiva Inc.

Lori S. Hoberman is a well-known force in the in the New York City venture community. As a lawyer and mentor, she advises entrepreneurs and their investors on how to build successful businesses and strategically guides them through the emerging, later stages and exits of their companies.  Lori works with clients in a range of industries, including software, mobile, biotechnology, AI, fintech, insurtech, fashion, e-commerce, consumer products and advertising.  She also counsels angel and institutional investors in their investments and in the formation of investment funds.

Lori was a co-founder of mobile advertising company, Mojiva Inc., and is an angel investor. She is a frequent speaker and media resource on entrepreneurialism. She is a Mentor to 37 Angels, serves as an Advisor to the Queens College Tech Incubator and formerly chaired the NYC Chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum.  After years of running the venture practices in several New York City law firms, Lori launched The Hoberman Law Group in the fall of 2014.  As the Huffington Post headlined, “A New York Lawyer Popular with Entrepreneurs Becomes one Herself.”

Senior Technical Fellow at Boeing

Dr. Emily Howard is a Senior Technical Fellow within Mission Assurance in Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and currently leads applications of sociotechnical analysis in complex systems, ensuring effective interaction among hardware, software, people, tools and processes. Howard specializes in human information processing, perception and cognition. She has worked across the company on projects for both Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. Howard is also Chair of the Boeing Technical Fellowship and responsible for identifying and developing opportunities to grow and strengthen the Fellowship program. Howard earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Franklin & Marshall University, and a master’s and PhD in cognitive psychology, both from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Senior Vice President, Engineering, Pratt & Whitney

Geoff Hunt is senior vice president of Engineering at Pratt & Whitney. He leads Pratt & Whitney’s global Engineering team, with a focus on delivering customer requirements, developing technical leadership and advancing technology development programs that will support the next generation of commercial and military engines.

Hunt’s 34-year career in the aerospace industry has included leading roles in the development of landmark products, primarily in the area of large commercial aircraft. He was most recently vice president, Engineering & Technology, for UTC Aerospace Systems. In this position, Hunt led product development programs to ensure UTC Aerospace Systems continued to offer differentiating technologies to meet customer needs, as well as ensuring flawless Engineering program execution by leading the implementation of best practice processes, tools and resources across the enterprise.

Hunt began his career as an engineer at Rolls-Royce, where he spent 13 years working on large commercial engine development programs before joining United Technologies. His past 20 years of experience include roles of increasing responsibility in Engineering and program management at both Pratt & Whitney and UTC Aerospace Systems, where he provided leadership across a large range of products and platforms, including product development, system integration and program execution for the 787 Dreamliner.

Hunt holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Sheffield University, England, and an MBA from Boston University. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Chief Technology Officer, The Boeing Company; Senior Vice President, Boeing Engineering, Test & Technology

Dr. Greg Hyslop is the chief technology officer of The Boeing Company and senior vice president of Boeing Engineering, Test & Technology. Hyslop oversees the development and implementation of the enterprise technology investment strategy, and his portfolio of responsibilities includes the companywide Boeing Engineering function; Boeing Research & Technology (BR&T), the company’s advanced central research and development organization; Boeing Test & Evaluation (BT&E), the team that verifies and validates Boeing’s commercial and defense products; and the Intellectual Property Management organization, which works to protect and strategically leverage the company’s intellectual property. In his role leading the Engineering function, which includes more than 50,000 engineers around the world, Hyslop partners with the Engineering leaders for Boeing business units to ensure One Boeing solutions that support programs across the enterprise. He also plays a key role in decisions that affect the technical integrity of Boeing products, services and processes.

Commander of the US Army Redstone Test Center

Colonel John W. Jones serves as the commander of the US Army Redstone Test Center, where he directs a 1,300 person workforce of military, Army civilians and contractors conducting developmental testing on a portfolio of rockets and missiles, with 28 years of service as an Army aviator. He has actively conducted experimental flight test for 8 years. In 1990 he was commissioned from the US Military Academy with a BS in Computer Science. He also has a MA from Webster University in Procurement and Acquisition Management, and a MS from Air War College in Strategic Studies.

Colonel Jones’ has received a number of awards and badges including, the Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, The Army Meritorious Service Medal (with two oak leaf clusters), Army Commendation Medal (with three oak leaf clusters), Army Achievement Medal (with oak leaf cluster) and Overseas Service Medal (four awards). He is also a Master Aviator qualified in the CH-47D/F, TH-6, UH-1H, C-12C/D, and UH-60A/L/M, and UH-72A.

Tech Fellow for Air Vehicle Design (Retired), Sikorsky Aircraft

Bruce Kay was responsible for changing the paradigm that helicopter airframes had to be metal. He conducted requisite R&D and then become Chief Engineer for the world’s first composite airframe helicopter, the Sikorsky S-75 (ACAP). Subsequently, he was appointed Chief of Design for the Comanche helicopter, and managed several IPTs. Following first flight, he returned to research and managed Sikorsky’s advanced airframe R&D. This included pioneering applications for advanced design concepts, analysis, producibility, and software simulation tools. He retired as a Sikorsky Tech Fellow for Air Vehicle design. The AHS also awarded him Fellow status.

After retirement, he consulted for Sikorsky on CH-53K technology insertion, consulted for DARPA (composites), ONR (Mantec), and aerostructure suppliers. He is currently co-authoring a book on the Comanche helicopter development. Mr. Kay received numerous recognition awards from AHS, the Army, and NASA. He has presented over 34 technical papers and holds 6 patents.

Senior Lecturer, Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science

Dr. Kothmann is a Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. He received the 2012 Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence. He is an avid user of laboratory and interactive teaching spaces.

Before coming to Penn, Dr. Kothmann worked in the Flying Qualities group at Boeing Rotorcraft in Philadelphia. He designed control laws for the RAH-66 Comanche, V-22 Osprey, and CH-47 Chinook. He has been a regular invited lecturer at the US Navy Test Pilot School for more than a decade and earned his PhD from Princeton University.

Nemirovsky Family Dean, Penn Engineering, Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Computer and Information Science, and Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Vijay Kumar’s group works on creating autonomous ground and aerial robots, designing bio-inspired algorithms for collective behaviors, and on robot swarms. Kumar is a fellow of ASME and IEEE and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He received his Bachelor of Technology degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 1987. He has been on the Faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics with a secondary appointment in the Department of Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania since 1987. Kumar has held many administrative positions in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, including director of the GRASP Laboratory, chair of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, and the position of the Deputy Dean. Additionally, he served as the assistant director of robotics and cyber physical systems at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

President and CEO of Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation

John Langford is the President and CEO of Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation, which he founded in 1989. Aurora uses autonomy and robotics to develop advanced aircraft and was acquired by The Boeing Company in 2017. Dr. Langford is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and serves as President of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). He received his Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautics (1979), Masters in Aeronautics & Astronautics (1984), Masters in Defense Policy (1983), and Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Public Policy (1987) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Director, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Office, FAA

Earl Lawrence is the Executive Director of the UAS Integration Office and is responsible for the facilitation of all regulations, policies, and procedures required to support FAA’s UAS integration efforts. He also represents the FAA on the Senior Steering Group of the UAS Executive Committee, focusing on coordination and alignment of efforts among key federal government agencies. He previously served as the Manager of the FAA’s Small Airplane Directorate and was the designated executive focal for unmanned aircraft systems within the Aircraft Certification Service. He received the 2003 Robert J. Painter Memorial Award from the Standards Engineering Society for his standards work for Light Sport Aircraft. Lawrence holds a commercial multi-engine pilot certificate as well as an airframe and powerplant mechanic certificate with an Inspection Authorization. He is a graduate of Northrop University in Los Angeles.

Associate Technical Fellow, Crew Systems & Human Factors, The Boeing Company

Kristin Little is an Associate Technical Fellow with The Boeing Company with expertise in Human Systems Integration design, development and testing. Ms. Little specializes in crew interfaces and the area of Controls and Displays Design, and is the Crew Systems Lead for Boeing’s AH-6 helicopter. Ms. Little provides human factors consultation and technical support to Boeing Defense and Space Programs such as the Apache, Starliner, B-52 Aircraft Modernization, Tankers, and other proprietary programs. Kristin is a member of Boeing’s Lighting and Display Optics Community of Excellence Steering Committee, and SAE’s G45 Human Systems Integration Technical Committee.  She is one of the authors of the SAE Standard AS6909 “Human Systems Integration.” Previously, she has been Human Factors and MANPRINT Lead for the Future Combat System/Brigade Combat Team Modernization’s Lead System Integrator and was the Controls and Displays Technical Lead within the Crew Systems team for the Apache Longbow helicopter glass cockpit upgrade from the original A-model Apache through the Multi-Year II program phases. Ms. Little has received awards for her work on these projects including Boeing Military Aircraft Vertical Lift Division Engineering Excellence Team Award, McDonnell Aircraft and Missile Systems Quality Achievement Award, McDonnell Douglas Teammate of Distinction Award, and has been recognized as an Apache Longbow Honorary Test Pilot. In addition to these Boeing awards, she received an AH-6i Excellence Award from the US Army customer, and the US Army identified the Apache Longbow controls and displays as an “Enhancing Characteristic.” Ms. Little is a Boeing Inventor with a patent in Vertical Navigation Information Presentation on a Digital Moving Map and has more than 60 publications.  She is a member of the American Helicopter Society, International (AHS) Technical Council as Deputy Director Systems Integration, has served as Crew Stations and Human Factors Technical Committee and Forum Technical Session Chairs, and is the President of AHS’s Arizona Chapter.  Ms. Little graduated Cum Laude from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Bioengineering.

Vice President and General Counsel, Pratt & Whitney

Raja Maharajh is Pratt & Whitney’s vice president and general counsel, responsible for leading Pratt & Whitney’s Legal Services team with overall responsibility for the company’s legal matters, as well as contracts, corporate ethics, government compliance and government security. Raja brings more than 20 years of legal and engineering experience to this role. He has held a number of positions of increasing responsibility since joining the UTC Legal department in 2004. Prior to being named to his current position in November 2016, Raja was the vice president and counsel for Pratt & Whitney’s large commercial engines business.

Prior to joining UTC, Raja was an associate at Bazerman & Drangel in New York and held positions in engineering at Madame Alexander Doll Company in New York City and Maidenform, Inc. in New Jersey. Raja holds a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and received his Juris Doctor degree from Seton Hall University.

Partner, PJT Partners

Jim Murray is a Partner at PJT Partners, having joined the firm in August of 2014. Over the past two decades, Murray has established durable relationships with senior executives at wireless carriers, mobile device manufacturers, satellite communications ventures, aerospace and automotive primes, remote sensing providers, media conglomerates, and major Internet companies in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Murray has built a broad network of contacts in the venture capital community that fuels ongoing technology and business model innovation in these industries. Murray consults frequently with regulators and lobbyists in Washington who influence the evolution of mobile technology. Murray has led advisory teams on public and private company mergers, leveraged buyouts, special committee assignments, and corporate restructurings. Over the course of his career, he has accumulated extensive public and private capital markets experience, helping clients raise over $150Bn in investment grade and non-investment grade bank debt, bond, and equity capital. Murray has advised on the successful IPOs of numerous TMT companies on the NYSE, NASDAQ, and LSE. Murray spent 14 years at Morgan Stanley in New York and Chicago, where as a Managing Director he was responsible for coordinating the firm’s relationships globally with the satellite and wireless industries. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Murray spent 5 years at Monitor Company, a strategy consulting firm. Based in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Boston, Murray focused on corporate strategy, competitive intelligence, supply chain optimization, brand marketing, and point-of-sale activation for consumer goods companies. Murray also worked closely with global telecom firms on market entry alternatives, with an emphasis on the then-emerging economics of wireless technologies and spectrum auction strategy. Murray received an AB in Government, magna cum laude, from Harvard College and studied International Relations and Economics at the London School of Economics.

Senior Research Scientist,  Technical Lead for Acoustics for the NASA Advanced Air Transport Technology Project of the Advanced Air Vehicles Program, NASA Langley Research Center

Dr. Douglas Nark serves as the NASA Langley Technical Lead for Acoustics for the NASA Advanced Air Transport Technology Project of the Advanced Air Vehicles Program. Dr. Nark also leads the development, distribution, and in-house utilization of the ducted fan noise propagation and radiation code CDUCT-LaRC. He is an Associate Fellow of the AIAA and currently serves as a member of the AIAA Aeroacoustics Technical Committee. He is inventor/co-inventor on four patents and author/co-author of over 45 journal and conference publications. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and his Doctorate degree in Mechanical Engineering (Concentration: Aeroacoustics) and Master’s degree in Aeroacoustics from The George Washington University.

Chief Engineer for Boeing, NeXt Cargo Air Vehicle Program

David Neely has been with The Boeing Company 14 years. He is currently the Chief Engineer for Boeing NeXt Cargo Air Vehicle Program.  Prior to that role he was a Senior Manager in Phantom Works for the Integration of Advanced Operations and Quality. He was the IPT manager for 777x rudder/elevator prior to that assignment. David also served as the F-15 IPT wing manager supporting new development, production, flight test, fatigue test and fleet sustainment. David was a TLE for the external MRB support team prior to moving into management. He has also served as an F-15 Singapore Plane Captain, subsystems support in F-15 center install, an MRB engineer and structural analyst. He has a BS in Mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri- Rolla and a MBA from Washington University.

Flying Qualities Manager & Associate Technical Fellow at Boeing Vertical Lift

Joe Nickerson is a Flying Qualities Manager and Associate Technical Fellow at Boeing Vertical Lift in Philadelphia with experience in handing qualities, wind tunnel testing, and aeronautical engineering. Joe attended the University of Notre Dame and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has worked on a number of rotorcraft including the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor, and the Comanche and Chinook helicopters.

IP Lawyer and Co-Founder Partner of Occhiuti & Rohlicek LLP

Frank is a highly accomplished intellectual property lawyer, with a specialized focus on building robust patent portfolios for global high-tech companies. In the field of aerospace, Frank has helped companies and universities build portfolios relating to aerospace technology including aircraft fuselage manufacture and drone flight. Prior to founding Occhiuti & Rohlicek LLP, Frank was a principal at Fish & Richardson P.C., a global intellectual property law firm, where he developed and managed the patent holdings for a diverse range of companies and technologies and counseled clients on complex patent and trade secret issues. Prior to joining Fish & Richardson P.C., Frank worked at Raytheon Company in their patent department. Prior to his law career, Frank worked for more than a decade as an electrical engineer in the defense electronics industry, focusing primarily in designing and developing sophisticated high frequency communications aboard large-scale defense systems. He holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University. He has lectured internationally on patent portfolio building. He is a longstanding member of IEEE and a member of Northeastern University’s Industrial Advisory Committee.

Technical Fellow, Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation

Bob is currently a Technical Fellow at Aurora Flight Sciences, a subsidiary of Boeing. He mainly works on the design of non-traditional aircraft, including sub-scale and full scale prototyping. He has been working on VTOL aircraft professionally for 20 years, but has also worked on Mars aircraft, solar aircraft, submersible aircraft and even a few conventional aircrafts.

Prior to his present job, he was a Senior Engineer at zee.aero (now called KittyHawk and Cora), working on a manned electric VTOL aircraft. Prior to that he was Chief Aircraft Designer for Aurora Flight Sciences. He has also worked as a designer on the Lockheed F-117 and as a consultant. He was a principal designer on the MIT Chrysalis, Light Eagle and Daedalus human powered aircraft.

He first got interested in ducted fan propulsion for model aircraft over 50 years ago. His first attempt was remarkably unsuccessful. Things have gotten a lot better since then!

Bob has a Bachelors degree in Aeronautical Engineering from MIT and a Masters degree, also in Aero, from Stanford. He currently holds 21 patents. He is a veteran of the US Coast Guard and an Associate Fellow in the AIAA.

Dean, Clark School of Engineering; Professor of Aerospace Engineering

Dr. Darryll J. Pines currently serves as the Nariman Farvardin Professor of Engineering and Dean of the A. James Clark School of Engineering. In addition, Pines served as the 2015 chair of the National Academy of Engineering-NAE Frontiers in Engineering Education-FOEE Symposium which recognizes faculty from around the United States for their innovations in engineering education. At $141 million, the school’s research expenditures are at a record high, and the school was ranked as high as 11th worldwide in 2011 by the Academic Ranking of World Universities, which focuses on research citations, and as high as 17th in the US News and World Report Graduate Rankings. He is the co-author of over 70 journal articles, three edited book volumes, eight book chapters, and 150 conference papers. Pines also is the holder of seven co-authored patents with his students and collaborators.

Global Social Media Manager at Pratt & Whitney

Christina Polaski is the Global Social Media Manager at Pratt & Whitney where she leads the company’s global social media and audience engagement strategy across LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in support of key business objectives, including product positioning, recruiting and growing brand awareness and affinity. Prior to joining Pratt & Whitney, Christina led social media at B2B technology companies Carbonite and Progress Software. Christina is the recipient of a PR Daily Award for Best Event Marketing and a Gold Bell Ringer Award for Best Product/Service Launch. She holds a M.S. in Public Relations from Boston University and a B.A. in Communication from Western New England University.

Founder, BRS Aerospace Inc.

Boris Popov founded BRS in 1981, and is currently the Director / Senior Vice President of Sales. He was born in Munich, Germany, and immigrated to the United States in 1949 through Ellis Island. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor’s in Economics and a minor in Aeronautical Engineering in IT. He holds rating as a Private Pilot and FAA Ground instructor and in Sailplanes, Hang-Gliding, and Floatplanes. He has received many awards over the past years, including the 1986 Lycoming Aviation Safety Award, the 2005 Aviation Week & Space Technology Laureate Award, the 2010 Sperry Award, the 2015 Flieger Magazine Award, and the 2017 NALL Award. He has also been inducted into the 2000 EAA Ultralight Hall of Fame, the 2005 Space Hall of Fame, and the 2016 Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame.

General Partner and COO, RRE Ventures

Will Porteous works with media and hardware companies primarily. He is a Director of BuzzFeed, Paperless Post, Spaceflight, and Spire. He is a former Director of Whiptail Technologies (acquired by CSCO), Frictionless Commerce (acquired by SAP), Skyhook Wireless (acquired by Liberty Media), Tacit Network (acquired by PKTR), and Xobni (acquired by Yahoo!). Porteous is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia Business School and the Chairman of the Dockery Farms Foundation, which he founded. Before entering the venture capital industry, Porteous held senior management positions with SupplyWorks and NetMarket, the e-commerce pioneer now owned by Cendant Corp. Porteous holds an MBA from Harvard University, an MSC from the London School of Economics, and a BA with Honors from Stanford University, where he served as Captain of Varsity Crew.

President, Conceptual Research Corporation

Dr. Daniel P. Raymer is President of the design and consulting company, Conceptual Research Corporation. An AIAA Fellow and recipient of the prestigious AIAA Aircraft Design Award, he is recognized world-wide as an expert in Aerospace Vehicle Design and Configuration Layout, Computer-aided Design Methodologies and Design Education. His career includes positions as Director-Advanced Design with Lockheed, Director-Future Missions at the Aerojet Propulsion Research Institute, and Project Manager-Engineering at Rockwell North American Aviation. During his 10 years at Rockwell, he conceived and did the layout design of Rockwell’s entries in what became the F-22, B-2, and T-45 programs, and was Head of Air Vehicle Design for the X-31. Raymer is the author of the world’s best-selling book on aircraft design, and teaches aircraft advanced design methods around the world. He received B.S. and M.S. engineering degrees in Astronautics and Aeronautics from Purdue, an MBA from the University of Southern California, and a Doctorate of Engineering (Ph.D.) from the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology (KTH).

Senior Researcher for Aeroacoustics, NASA Langley Research Center

Dr. Stephen Rizzi leads NASA’s Perception-Influenced Design effort to develop revolutionary tools and methods for low noise design of transformative air vehicles.  He and his team support several NASA and industry projects, including the NASA Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions, Transformational Tools and Technologies, and the Environmentally Responsible Aviation projects.  He is recipient of the 2015 NASA Exceptional Service Medal for “sustained and exceptional contributions to the acoustics discipline.”  He is an Associate Fellow of the AIAA and currently serves as Vice-Chair of the AIAA Aeroacoustics Technical Committee and as a member of the Transformational Flight Integration Committee.  He is author/co-author of over 130 journal and conference publications.  He received his BS in Aerospace Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and his MS and Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University.