VFS Workshop on eVTOL Infrastructure

There are limited number of sponsorships available. Go to the registration page to apply for a sponsorship and register. 

• Gold Sponsorship (5 max/1 remaining): $2,500 — includes logos/signage, flyer, three complimentary registrations and a 20-minute speaking slot. (Subject to approval and availability.)
• Silver Sponsorship (5 max): $1,500 — includes logos/signage, flyer, one complimentary registration and a 10-minute speaking slot. (Subject to approval and availability.)

Will Morey is President and CEO of Morey’s Piers, a family owned business started in 1969 and recognized as a premier regional entertainment destination located in Wildwood, NJ.

Will and his brother, Jack, were recipients of the 2009 NJ Family Business of the Year award selected by The Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurship at Farleigh Dickinson University. Also, in 2009, they received the prestigious New Jersey BIZ Hall of Fame Family of the Year award which honors individuals who have devoted their time and energy to improving and revitalizing business in New Jersey.

He participates in the leadership of the amusement industry through the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). He has served as the Government Relations Committee Chairman, the Audit Committee Chairman, Chairman of the IAAPA Governance Committee, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Executive Committee. In 2013, he served as Chairman of the Board for the global association.

Elected to the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders (County Commissioner) in 2011, Will oversees the Department of Planning, Economic Development, Engineering and Public Infrastructure and is liaison to the County’s Open Space, Farmland Preservation and Planning Boards. Will was reelected to the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors in January 2018.

Will supports many charitable and community initiatives and has served on the Board of Education for both Wildwood and Wildwood Crest, the Boardwalk Special Improvement District and the Atlantic Cape Community College (ACCC) Foundation Board where he completed a role as County Chair for the Capital and Scholarship Campaign. He is also a past Founding Board Member and Trustee of Cape Volunteers in Medicine. Beginning in 2015, Will is the Chair of the Cape May County Coast Guard Community Foundation.

Will is a graduate of Auburn University where he received his B.S. in Business Administration with emphasis in Finance. He is a licensed, commercial rated pilot and Certified Flight Instructor. He resides in Wildwood Crest with his wife of 35 years, Janice. They have two sons, Will B. and Kyle.

Cliff Johnson is a research engineer, program manager, and technical expert for the Aviation Research Division at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, NJ. He leads several research and development activities that seek to improve aviation safety, primarily focused on rotorcraft, unmanned aircraft, and vertical lift (i.e. eVOTL). Mr. Johnson is qualified on the ScanEagle unmanned aircraft systems platform and has supported several unmanned aircraft and rotorcraft simulations and live flight tests as a test director, pilot, and flight test engineer. These activities have included working with entities such as the FAA, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Defense, and various industry partners. He joined the FAA after earning a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Rowan University. He is a private pilot (fixed-wing) who is also pursuing instrument, commercial, and helicopter add-on ratings. In his spare time, Cliff enjoys outdoor activities (hunting, fishing, etc.), playing guitar, attending motorsports races (NASCAR, Indycar, Formula 1), and other sporting events; as he is a diehard Philadelphia sports fan (Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, Sixers).

Mr. Robert Bassey is an electrical engineer with the FAA Airport Engineering Division. Robert oversees the development of several airport and heliports standards, focusing on enhancing airport safety and capacity as well as in the research and design of varied innovative airfield systems. Prior to jpoining the Airport Engineering Division, Robert worked with the FAA Airport Technology Research and Development Team at the William J. Hughes Technical Center for several years. He studied engineering at Syracuse University and came to the FAA after graduation. Over the years, Robert has authored numerous technical reports and memos detailing the findings of these research efforts. Results of these research activities have led to the introduction of state of the art improvements into the National Airspace System.

Jonathan Torres is a General Engineer and Project Manager for the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Technology R/D Branch where he oversees research efforts for the Airport Safety Section. Jonathan has been part of the FAA for three and a half years and his areas of research include Vertiport Design Standards, Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting, Airport Safety and Surveillance Sensors, and Wildlife Hazard Mitigation. Before joining the FAA, Jonathan worked for almost six years as a Senior Mechanical Engineer for CSRA working on various airport-related research projects for the FAA. Jonathan graduated with a Bachelor and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Rutgers University.

Rex is a 40-year veteran of aviation and is the co-founder and president of Five-Alpha (5α) LLC, a globally recognized aeronautical consultancy specialized in helicopter and vertical flight infrastructure development, safety, training, and education. He currently serves as Infrastructure Advisor to the Vertical Flight Society, is Co-chair of the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team’s (USHST) Infrastructure Working Group and is a committee member on the National Fire Protection (NFPA) 418, Standard for Heliports. He is past president of the National EMS Pilots Associating (NEMSPA) and past president of the Indiana Association of Air Medical Services (INAAMS). Rex is an alumnus of Parks College of Aviation at St. Louis University and is a former U.S. Army Warrant Officer and ‘Aeroscout’ Helicopter Instructor Pilot having served both on active duty and in the Indiana Army National Guard.

Dr. Douglas O. Stanley has served as President and Executive Director of the National Institute of Aerospace since July 2012. In that position, he is responsible for all aspects of operations of a $30M/year major research, education, and outreach institute. Under his leadership, NIA has become a leader in Smart Airport concepts and technologies through the establishment of the Smart Airport and Aviation Partnership. NIA has also become a leader in Urban and Regional Air Mobility systems analysis and CONOPS development, as well as noise analysis and abatement. He is Chair of the AIAA Transformational Flight Committee which sponsors workshops, forums, and conference sessions on Urban and Regional Air Mobility.

Dr. Stanley previously served on the faculty of Georgia Tech and as a Program Manager at Orbital Sciences Corporation. He also led a variety of programs and studies at NASA HQ and NASA Langley Research Center. He is an internationally recognized expert with over 30 years of experience leading the systems engineering and analysis of advanced aerospace systems and technology development in government, industry, and academia.

Dr. Stanley received the highest honor that NASA confers on a non-government employee, the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, for his exceptional leadership of the Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS). He has also been selected as the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Hampton Roads Section Engineer of the Year, AIAA Region 1 Engineer of the Year, and Engineer of the Year for the Peninsula Engineering Society. He has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and conference papers.

Jon is the Acting Manager for the Outreach and Partnerships of the Federal Aviation Administration’s William J. Hughes Technical Center (WJHTC).

The Technical Center’s workforce directly influences aviation’s future through: Core Work, Technology Advancements, Partnerships, and Outreach efforts. In his role, Mr. Schleifer brings awareness of the work accomplished at the Tech Center by communicating its capabilities and showcasing its work. Additionally, he builds and sustains effective and productive global relationships with industry, academia, and other government agencies.

In his previous assignment, Mr. Schleifer served as the Chief of Staff for the Technical Center. His responsibilities included providing strategic guidance and executive support to the Director and Deputy Director. In this role, he improved business processes that spanned wide-ranging strategic initiatives aimed at growing the Center’s influence, capabilities and capacity to innovate and advance new aviation and air traffic management technologies. Prior to that, he led the Atlantic City Field Office for Flight Inspection Services after serving as Pilot in Command. As Pilot in Command, he amassed over 5,500 flight hours and was instrumental in commissioning and maintaining the National Airspace System.

Throughout his career with the FAA, Mr. Schleifer was also a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He retired in September 2015. His last assignment was as the Officer in Charge of the Staff Training Program Division in Quantico, VA. He directed a staff of fifty (50) Marines that deployed globally to facilitate large scale Exercises. The unit specialized in the Marine Corps Planning Process and regularly facilitated and emulated a Higher or Adjacent Headquarters Command. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of his duties.

Mr. Schleifer holds a Bachelor's degree from Evangel University. Additionally, he attended the U.S. Air Force Air War College, the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College and attended the Federal Executive Institute Leadership for a Democratic Society Program and other course work from OPM.

During his personal time, he is the Chairman of the Board for IHS Deliveries. A not-for-profit entity that disseminates donations from U.S. benefactors to missionaries in South Africa and Burma. He is an avid weightlifter, reader and moviegoer.

Jon is married to the former Ana Palacios of Laredo, TX. They currently reside in Mays Landing, NJ.

Paul Sichko was named Vice President of Operations at Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport in June of 2016. His areas of responsibility at DFW include the Airport Operations Center, airfield operations, common-use gate and ramp management, and Corporate Aviation terminal services.

Sichko is chair of the DFW Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Work Group. The work group is comprised of key airport partners and stakeholders who in partnership with the FAA, developed procedures to operate UAS at the fourth busiest airport in the world by number of aircraft operations. The DFW Airport Board was one of the first airport operators in the United States to be granted an FAA Certificate of Authorization (COA) to operate sUAS in Class B airspace. Flights have been flown in support of law enforcement activities, airport construction, facility inspections, and commercial video production.

DFW was one of the first United States airports to demonstrate UAS detection equipment. In recognition of the airport’s leadership in detection and threat assessment, the Department of Homeland Security Directorate of Science and Technology selected DFW to study mitigation measures to respond to unauthorized UAS activity.

Sichko began his aviation career as an air traffic controller with the Federal Aviation Administration. Upon graduating from the FAA Academy, he was assigned to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Tower/TRACON. Sichko has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Aviation Administration from Augustana University, Sioux Falls, SD, where he also earned a single-engine land aircraft rating.

Originally from Ontario Canada, Brian is a Design and Development professional with nearly 20 years experience in national program rollout for a variety of companies and industries. Brian has spent time with Tesla Motors, VF Corporation, and most recently prior to joining Uber, Brian was a Director of Development for the Western United States at Wework, leading teams of Architects, Engineers, Designers, and Project Managers. Brian is now working alongside the incredibly talented and highly experienced team at Uber Elevate, working to create solutions for Skyport Infrastructure and Urban Air Mobility.

Nick Borer is the Advanced Concepts Group Lead within the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch at NASA’s Langley Research Center. He is the technical lead for the “What’s Next in Regional Mobility” and “What’s Next in Airworthiness Certification” efforts under the NASA Aeronautics Inter-Center Systems Analysis Team. In addition, he is the Performance and Sizing team lead for NASA’s X-57 “Maxwell” distributed electric propulsion flight demonstrator, and is NASA’s official representative to the Flight subcommittee of ASTM International’s Committee F44 on General Aviation. Previously, he was Principal Investigator of NASA’s Fostering Ultra-Efficient, Low-Emitting Aviation Power (FUELEAP) project, which investigated hybrid-electric fuel cell architectures for aviation. Prior to NASA, Nick was a Senior Member of the Technical Staff at Draper Laboratory, where he led research into integrated analysis, tradespace exploration, and fault-tolerant design for complex systems. Nick has a Ph.D. and M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech, and a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Syracuse University. He is an active pilot and flight instructor with commercial single-engine landplane, multiengine landplane, and single-engine seaplane privileges.

Arturo is co-owner and managing director of “Airport Intelligence S.L.”, an aviation consultancy firm specialized in airport management, data analytics and operational intelligence. Currently, he supports the company AvPORTS as its Senior Strategic Advisor. A vocational aviation enthusiast, Arturo has been professionally involved in the aviation and aerospace sectors for more than 20 years, combining airport operations, engineering, ground handling and civil aviation authority management experience. Arturo previously worked with Aena Aeropuertos, an airport planning consultancy firm, the ground handling company Acciona Airport Services, the Spanish civil aviation authority, and ACI World, where he led and directed the ACI Airport Service Quality (ASQ) team during the transition to the new services in 2015. Over the last four years, as an airport management consultant for Munich Airport International, he led and directed consultancy services on airport operations, infrastructure, management and service quality at different locations around the world. He holds a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Airport Design and Management, and has the ACI-ICAO International Airport Professional (IAP) and Aviation Security Professional Management (AVSEC-PM) accreditations.

CDR Hewlett, USN (ret) has over 25 years of experience in aviation operations, safety, modernization, system optimization for next-generation aviation systems, and Advance Aerial Mobility systems. He led a large team to integrate and test new aviation system designs for the purposes of implementing engineering designs, enhancing safety to ensure optimal system performance and user acceptance of new aviation technologies. As such, he was a senior executive advisor and consultant - trusted to develop critical advice on policy, strategy and risk for UAS integration. Following retirement, Mr. Hewlett has led the development and implementation of Drone Services Teams in two of the Big Four consulting firms.

Ms. Starr Ginn leads the planning, development and execution of the Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign (AAM NC) series, which will consist of flight testing novel eVTOL vehicle and airspace management technologies in the context of increasingly complex safety scenarios. To scale these operations the NC will be evaluating automation between vehicle operations and airspace service providers. The NC will involve a broad range of industry, government and community both domestic and international. Starr has 24 years of conducting one of a kind flight research.

David is a Research/Flight Test Engineer for the FAA’s Aircraft Certification Service, supporting standards development, certification, and international validations across all aircraft product lines. He is deeply involved in a variety of flight research projects designed to support regulatory policy development for new and novel aircraft technologies, and is leading up the initial NASA Advanced Air Mobility flight test planning efforts.

An aerospace engineer, experimental airplane builder, and instrument-rated pilot, David started his career in 1990 at Edwards AFB where he worked as an Air Force civilian performance and flying qualities engineer and test conductor for the X-31 Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability demonstrator at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center (now Armstrong). At the completion of the X-31 program, David transferred to NASA after a short stint as a B-2 Flight Test Engineer. As a NASA Operations Engineer, David worked all phases of Research projects as a Flight Test Engineer, Test Conductor and Flight Crew member on the F-18 Systems Research Aircraft and the DC-8 Airborne Laboratory.

In 2003, with David’s two children approaching school age, he escaped the Mojave desert and relocated to the Pacific Northwest where he worked as a Certification Flight Test Engineer for the FAA’s Seattle Aircraft Certification Office. In Seattle, he supported many domestic and international fixed-wing and special-class aircraft certification projects, and was a primary contributor to the FAA’s “Lessons Learned from Aircraft Accidents” online library. Always intrigued by new and novel technology, David transferred to Kansas City in October of 2016 in order to be actively involved in facilitating the emergence of Small Aircraft technologies.

Now in the 3rd trimester of his civil service career, David is happily out of his comfort zone, climbing a steep learning curve on the technical nuances of electric-powered, vertical flight. He enthusiastically supports the emergence of an urban, on-demand, air taxi market that maintains an operational safety record which will serve to sustain this new mode of commuter transportation.

John Bradley is an Air Traffic Control Specialist supporting the Enterprise Services Test and Evaluation Division at the William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, NJ. He worked as a controller at Atlantic City Control Tower for 26 years with the last 4 years as Air Traffic Manager of the facility.

Brian Smith joined Gannett Fleming/GeoDecisions in 2000 and has more than 22 years of GIS and Spatial IT experience. For the past 20 years, Brian has worked with a variety of customers and partners to solve complex business challenges using spatial information as the cornerstone of the solution. Brian’s experience has spanned over multiple business areas including water and real time data integration. Over the last two years, Brian has co-led initiatives at Gannett Fleming/GeoDecisions to explore and solve common challenges using reality capture, BIM modeling, GIS and AR/VR. Along with a team of industry innovators, Gannett Fleming/GeoDecisions has developed innovative approaches to solving 4th industrial revolution challenges applying GIS, spatial techniques, reality capture and AR/VR along with BIM models to illustrate and report on existing conditions, future conditions, data feeds and data sharing.

Tom Harris has been an integral part of the development and success of AllianceTexas. With more than 30 years of tenure with Hillwood, Harris has touched every aspect of the business. Harris began his career with Hillwood in 1990 at the Fort Worth Alliance Airport, the world’s first industrial airport. Harris worked to establish and grow the airport’s fixed base operation and airport management companies into world class operations.

In 2000, Harris moved to direct the operations and administration for the real estate business at the AllianceTexas development, which included: property and land management, aerospace and aviation business development, community relations, office administration, security, special events and owners’ association activities. In his role as Senior Vice President of Operations, Harris was also responsible for launching and overseeing Hillwood’s latest success, Alliance Landscape Company; an initiative to provide more efficient and economical high-quality landscape and irrigation solutions to AllianceTexas customers. He continues to oversee that business today.

In 2012, Harris rejoined the Fort Worth Alliance Airport as President of Alliance Air & Aviation Services. In this role, Harris is responsible for the management and oversight of Alliance Airport and leads the Alliance Aviation Services team, the fixed base operation at Alliance Airport.

Harris also oversees the production of the Fort Worth Alliance Air Show. This air show is recognized as one of the best civilian produced shows in the country. Harris and his wife Ellen are also the co-founders of the Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises funds for depression research efforts, advocates on behalf of families who have lost loved ones to suicide and facilitates suicide prevention programs for children and adults throughout North Texas.

Before joining Hillwood, Harris served as manager of operations and maintenance for the City of Austin Aviation Department. Early in his career, he worked at airports in Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin in various management positions for LSG/SkyChefs airline catering activities for several major airlines.

Mr. Michael Dyment is the Managing Partner of NEXA Advisors, an aerospace investment banking and corporate finance advisory firm. A highly experienced transportation, aerospace and defense industry consultant and trusted financial advisor to top management, he has decades of industrial and transportation research, corporate finance and infrastructure investment familiarity. Aerospace clients have included Airbus, Thales, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and NASA to name a few. NEXA Advisors has undertaken Urban Air Mobility business intelligence and finance programs for eVTOL vehicle and service providers and directly for NASA. In support of its institutional investment clients, NEXA recently completed a ground-breaking business intelligence study, Urban Air Mobility—Economics and Global Markets, which provides market intelligence, supply chain analysis and 20-year economic forecasts for 75 of the world’s largest metropolitan areas. In response to the overwhelming success of the study, NEXA also established UAM Geomatics, LLC, providing global geo-coded big data analytics to accelerate city-by-city UAM development and investment.

Prior to NEXA, Mr. Dyment was Senior Managing Director with PricewaterhouseCoopers, responsible for key aerospace and defense industry clients. He served in the business consulting unit of Arthur Andersen LLP, where he was the global managing partner of its Aviation Industry Practice. He holds a Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B.Sc.Eng. in Geomatics Engineering from the University of New Brunswick.

Kevin is a Carrier Combat Veteran and professional Test Pilot with over 24 years of flying, leadership, and hands-on experience throughout all aspects of military and civilian aviation, Test and Evaluation and Program Management. Kevin has a B.S. and M.S. Aerospace Engineering. He served operationally as an F/A-18 Air Combat Tactics Instructor where he deployed multiple times in support of OEF and OIF. He is a graduate of Naval Test Pilot and has accumulated over 2000 flight hours in more than 40 different aircraft to include the F35. He has extensive experience in all Flight Test disciplines to include Flying Qualities, Performance, Noise and Vibe, Flutter, Loads, Carrier Suitability, Mission Systems, Advanced Flight Controls/Control Law Development, Unmanned Air Systems, Mission Systems and Weapons. During his military career Kevin commanded VX-23 (Navy Strike Test) and completed his career as the F35 Operational Test Director. In addition to earning military test pilot certifications, Kevin continues to fly regularly and has achieved certifications as an ATP, CFI, CFII, MEI, Tailwheel Instructor and Upset and Recovery and Prevention Instructor. Kevin founded Elevate Test Solutions (ETS) in 2018. ETS is elite team of operators, testers, engineers, and scientists, with collective experiences spanning all aspects of program management, air-vehicle and subsystem development and civil aviation. ETS’s services span the RDT&E lifecycle with an eye on sustainment.

Danielle founded hydrogen fuel cell eVTOL company, Happy Takeoff (HTO) in 2019 after working for several years at Spirit Aerosystems in various engineering roles including Urban Air Mobility focal. Before Spirit, she founded an audio and video production company where she served as the CTO for 10 years. Danielle studied aerospace and mechanical engineering at Oklahoma State University and Wichita State University where she obtained her B.S. in mechanical engineering. Danielle is passionate about gender equality and underrepresented groups in engineering.

Rachel is trained as a biologist and chemist. She cofounded Happy Takeoff during her last years of medical school. She holds a B.S. in biology from Wichita State University and is completing a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Kansas. She is passionate about gender and race equality and environmental conservation.

Dawn M.K. Zoldi* is a licensed attorney, an U.S. Air Force veteran and the founder and CEO of P3 Tech Consulting, connecting people and their advanced tech platforms with full spectrum policy-relevant information. Ms. Zoldi was admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1992 and commissioned through direct appointment in the United States Air Force in July 1993. In her almost 25 years of active duty as a member of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Ms. Zoldi ultimately attained the rank of Colonel and performed a myriad of duties at various command echelons in the continental U.S. and deployed forward. Upon her retirement from active duty in 2018, she spent two years with the Office of the Air Force General Counsel as the Business Matters Attorney for the U.S. Air Force Academy. Ms. Zoldi is currently the Deputy Director of the USAFA's Center for Character and Leadership Development. She is an internationally recognized expert on unmanned aircraft system law and policy, and a recipient of the Woman to Watch in UAS (Leadership) Award 2019. Her recent business endeavors in the drone policy arena include roles as a legal columnist for Inside Unmanned Systems magazine; regular contributor to Commercial UAV News and InterDrone Newsletter; Adjunct Conference Planner for InterDrone 2020 & Member of InterDrone Advisory Board; Senior Advisor to the Urban Low Altitude Transport Association; strategic consultant to Women & Drones' Women to Watch in UAS Global Awards 2020 initiative; strategic partner to Airavat Solutions and Legal/Policy Committee Chair to DRONERESPONDERS.

*Ms. Zoldi is appearing in her private capacity. As such, the views and opinions expressed during her presentation do not reflect those of the DOD, do not constitute endorsement of any organization mentioned and are not intended to influence the action of federal agencies or their employees.

Ryan Naru is a Regulatory Affairs Specialist at Uber Elevate, where he is responsible for regulatory interpretation and strategic advocacy on topics including to eVTOL airworthiness, UAM infrastructure design, operational requirements and flight crew licensure. Ryan studied aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech and economics at Binghamton University.

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