American Drone Leadership Summit
Drone Dominance and Airspace Sovereignty One Year Later
Friday, July 31, 2026
8:00 AM - 7:30 PM (EDT)
One year later, let's hear from our government and industry partners and see how far our industry has come since the signing of the White House Executive Orders on Drone Dominance and Airspace Sovereignty. Join us for a full day of important content, learn from industry experts on where we are today, and network with your industry peers. You won't want to miss this important anniversary event!
Registration Categories
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CDA Members and Government Attendees Quantities limited per membership level |
FREE |
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Non-Members Interested in joining? Contact membership@commercialdronealliance.org |
$250 |
Questions? Contact membership@commercialdronealliance.org
Agenda
| July 31 | |
| 8:00 AM - 8:45 AM |
Breakfast and Registration
Breakfast sponsored by Flock Safety Registration sponsored by Merlin *Visit the Technology Displays from our Sponsors* |
| 8:45 AM - 8:50 AM |
Welcome
Lisa Ellman, CEO, Commercial Drone Alliance; Partner, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader LLP |
| 8:50 AM - 9:05 AM |
Keynote: Drone Dominance Updates
Dr. Ethan Klein, Office of Science and Technology Policy, the White House Lisa Ellman, CEO, Commercial Drone Alliance |
| 9:10 AM - 9:45 AM |
Keynote: Winning the Drone Race: From Strategy to Execution
Dor Abuhasira, CEO, Percepto Keller Cliffton, CEO, Zipline Michael Healander, CEO, Airspace Link Adam Woodworth, CEO, Wing Moderator: Lisa Ellman, CEO, Commercial Drone Alliance |
| 9:50 AM - 10:05 AM |
Keynote: The Innovation Race
Pete Meachum, Chief of Staff, Department of Transportation Lisa Ellman, CEO, Commercial Drone Alliance |
| 10:10 AM - 10:25 AM |
Keynote: The Security Race
Justin Napolitano, Chief Security Officer, Department of Homeland Security Pedro Allende, Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security Lisa Ellman, CEO, Commercial Drone Alliance |
| 10:25 AM - 10:45 AM |
Networking Break
Sponsored by Ondas *Visit the Technology Displays from our Sponsors* |
| 10:45 AM - 11:20 AM |
Breakout Panel: Capitalizing on Drone Dominance: Financing the Drone Race
Joshua Carter, Associate Administrator for Office of Investment and Innovation, Small Business Administration Eric Brock, CEO, Ondas James Shanahan, Senior Managing Director, Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) Matt Cronin, Senior National Security Advisor, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Moderator: David Winter, Partner, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader LLP |
| 10:45 AM - 11:20 AM |
Breakout Panel: At Long Last: Getting Ready for Part 108
Charlton Evans, Founder and CEO, End State Solutions Neta Gliksman, VP of Policy and Government Affairs, Percepto Jenn Player, VP, Global Aviation Regulatory, Skydio Heath McLemore, Senior Manager of Smart Grid and Innovation, Florida Power and Light Moderator: Matt Clark, Counsel, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader LLP |
| 11:25 AM - 12:05 PM |
Breakout Panel: The Low Altitude Enabler: Part 146
Tyler Dicks, VP of Product, Airspace Link Amit Ganjoo, CEO, ANRA Technologies Reinaldo Negron, Head of UTM, Wing Peter Sachs, Head of UTM and Airspace Integration, DoorDash Moderator: Liz Forro, Policy Director, Commercial Drone Alliance |
| 11:25 AM - 11:30 AM |
Breakout Panel Introduction to Rebuilding the Supply Chain
Aris Kourkoumelis, Assistant Secretary for Trade and Economic Security, Department of Homeland Security |
| 11:30 AM - 12:05 PM |
Breakout Panel: Rebuilding America's Drone Supply Chain
Ryan Braun, COO, uAvionix James Grimsley, Executive Director of Advanced Technology Initiatives, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Jim O’Sullivan, Head of Drone Strategy, DoorDash David Michelson, Thesis Leader for Drones, Re:Build Manufacturing Moderator: Liz Cannon, Partner, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader LLP |
| 12:05 PM - 1:30 PM |
Keynote Luncheon
Keynote: Defending the Homeland Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President, Executive Office of the President; Senior Director for Counterterrorism, White House National Security Council Lisa Ellman, CEO, Commercial Drone Alliance Luncheon sponsored by DoorDash |
| 12:05 PM - 1:30 PM |
Presentation of Industry Awards
American Drone Innovation Team Champion American Drone Security Team Champion American Drone Innovation Individual Champion American Drone Security Individual Champion |
| 1:30 PM - 1:50 PM |
Keynote: Airspace Modernization
Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau, Federal Aviation Administration Liz Forro, Policy Director, Commercial Drone Alliance |
| 1:55 PM - 2:30 PM |
Keynote: World Cup Brief Out
Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director, White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026 Michelle Nordman, Director of Operations, White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026 Moderator: Senator Norm Coleman, Senior Counsel, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader LLP |
| 2:35 PM - 2:55 PM |
Keynote: FCC Updates: Building American Drone Dominance
Chairman Brendan Carr, Federal Communications Commission Moderator: Katy Milner, Policy Advisor, Commercial Drone Alliance; Partner, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader LLP |
| 3:00 PM - 3:20 PM |
Keynote: Reindustrializing for Drone Dominance
James Litinsky, CEO, M.P. Materials Moderator: Lisa Ellman, CEO, Commercial Drone Alliance |
| 3:20 PM - 3:50 PM |
Networking Break
Sponsored by Ondas *Visit the Technology Displays from our Sponsors* |
| 3:50 PM - 4:05 PM |
Breakout Panel: AI in the Airspace
Mark Brunner, Chief Revenue Officer at Merlin Labs Moderator: Arjun Garg, Partner, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader LLP |
| 3:50 PM - 4:05 PM |
Breakout Panel: Promoting American Interests Abroad
Hiro Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Advocacy Center for Global Markets, International Trade Administration Moderator: Ajay Kuntamukkala, Partner, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader LLP |
| 4:10 PM - 4:45 PM |
Breakout Panel: Airspace Sovereignty and C-UAS Updates
COL Scott McLellan, Military Deputy, Joint Inter-Agency Task Force 401 Steve Willoughby, Acting Executive Director, Department of Homeland Security, Program Executive Office for UAS and C-UAS Matt Whitehead, Director for Emerging and Catastrophic Threats, Counterterrorism, White House National Security Council Mike Torphy, Federal Bureau of Investigation Moderator: Lisa Ellman, CEO, Commercial Drone Alliance |
| 4:10 PM - 4:45 PM |
Breakout Panel: The Low Altitude Economy in Action
Dominic Mathew, Policy and Partnerships Manager, Coalition for Reimagined Mobility (ReMo) Ben Berlin, Aviation Regulatory Counsel, Zipline Will Wheeler, Principal of UAS, Southern Company Craig Marcinkowski, CEO, NUAIR Moderator: Laura Jennings Ochoa, Counsel, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader LLP |
| 4:50 PM - 5:25 PM |
Breakout Panel: The Changing Landscape of Airspace Awareness
Grant Jordan, CEO, SkySafe Jeff Cole, CEO, Hidden Level Chief Cathy Lanier, Chief Security Officer, NFL Brett Feddersen, VP Strategy and Government Affairs, D-FEND Solutions Moderator: Charles Werner, Director, DRONERESPONDERS |
| 4:50 PM - 5:25 PM |
Breakout Panel: Built in America: The Role of Small Business in Drone Dominance
Will Dawson, President, Agricultural Drone Initiative Josh Olds, President and CEO, Unmanned Safety Institute (USI) Nils Thorjussen, Executive Chairman, Verge Aero Moderator: Gretchen West, COO, Commercial Drone Alliance |
| 5:25 PM - 5:45 PM |
Keynote: Keeping Up with a Changing NAS: A Conversation with FAA Policy Leaders
Jessica Jones, Executive Director, Office of Advanced Aviation Technologies, Federal Aviation Administration Caitlin Locke, Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, Federal Aviation Administration Frank McIntosh, Chief Operating Officer, Air Traffic Organization, Federal Aviation Administration Moderator: Liz Forro, Policy Director, Commercial Drone Alliance |
| 5:50 PM - 6:00 PM |
Closing Remarks
Lisa Ellman, CEO, Commercial Drone Alliance |
| 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM |
Reception
Sponsored by Wing |
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