CDA Announces its 2024 Board Officers
WASHINGTON, D.C.– March 14, 2024– The Commercial Drone Alliance (CDA), an independent non-profit organization led by key members of the commercial drone industry, is pleased to announce its newly appointed officers for 2024. These respected leaders will drive the CDA’s mission forward and advocate for a policy and regulatory landscape that unleashes the potential of commercial uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS or drones) and advanced air mobility (AAM) industries for the benefit of the American public.
The CDA’s 2024 officers are:
- Chair Margaret Nagle, Head of Policy and Government Affairs of Wing
- Vice Chair Okeoma Moronu, Head of Aviation Regulatory and Legal Affairs of Zipline
- President Ken Stewart, President and CEO of NUAIR
- Vice President Neta Gliksman, Vice President Policy & Government Affairs of Percepto
- Treasurer James Grimsley, Executive Director for Advanced Technology Initiatives of Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
"2024 holds the promise of being a pivotal year for the commercial drone industry," remarked Ms. Nagle. "While we've seen progress, it's crucial that we keep pushing for a regulatory framework that enables the safe and secure integration of commercial drones into the National Airspace System. All communities should be able to enjoy the enhanced safety, security, sustainability, public health, and equity benefits that this technology brings, yet there's still work to be done to fully unlock its potential."
"We stand at a critical juncture – despite the United States leading in technology development, implementation is being hindered by outdated rules and regulations,” added Lisa Ellman, Executive Director of the CDA. “By combining safety and security with innovation, we can elevate the U.S.'s global leadership position in this new era of aviation. Our officers, directors, and entire membership are diligently advocating for policies that facilitate scaled commercial drone operations."
CDA’s Officers serve on the Board together with CDA’s other Directors: Brendan Groves (Skydio), Dean Allen Barefield (Southern Company), Jeff Cole (Hidden Level), Mary-Lou Smulders (Dedrone), Grant Jordan (SkySafe), Matt McCardle (Amazon Prime Air), Eric Schwartz (Florida Power & Light), David Shilliday (Honeywell), Eric Brock (Ondas), and Matt Beckwith (Guardian Agriculture).
About CDA’s 2024 Officers
Margaret Nagle, Wing: Margaret is the Head of Policy, Regulatory, and Community Affairs at Wing, where she leverages 20+ years of government and advocacy experience to advance new aviation use cases. Previously, Margaret was Head of Americas Policy at X, the Moonshot Factory, and Head of Americas Government Policy at Yahoo. Margaret also has extensive public sector experience, most recently serving as Assistant to the Vice President for Legislative Affairs. In that role, she led the Vice President’s legislative affairs office and served as his top liaison to Congress. As a senior White House Legislative Affairs aide, Margaret played a key role in crafting and implementing legislative strategies to advance Administration priorities.
Okeoma Moronu, Zipline: Okeoma is the Head of Global Aviation Regulatory Affairs at Zipline, a drone delivery company dedicated to building the first logistics system that serves all humans equally. Prior to joining Zipline, Okeoma served as Director of Corporate Finance & Asset Management at CHC Helicopter. She began her legal career in New York as an associate in the Global Securities Practice Group of Milbank Tweed LLP. Okeoma is also a member of Pipeline Angels, which is focused on changing the face of angel investing and venture capital.
Ken Stewart, NUAIR: Ken serves as President and CEO of NUAIR (Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance Inc.), overseeing the operations of the Center of Excellence for Advanced Air Mobility at the Syracuse International Airport. He is responsible for the vision and advancement of the 240 sq mile UAS BVLOS operational area, facilitating beyond visual line of sight testing, commercial operations, and the safe integration of UAS into the NAS as well as advancing AAM initiatives. Prior to joining NUAIR, Mr. Stewart served as the CEO of AiRXOS, a GE aviation company, where he led innovation, development, and commercialization of the Unmanned Traffic Management services platform. While at AiRXOS, Mr. Stewart also served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the CDA.
Neta Gliksman, Percepto: Neta is Vice President of Policy & Government Affairs at Percepto and works closely with regulatory bodies, such as the FAA and CASA in Australia, customers, and other drone solution providers to secure Percepto’s leadership and influence in drone regulation. Neta brings her vast corporate and military experience combined with comprehensive knowledge in global drone regulation to Percepto’s regulation team. She previously worked at various hi-tech companies and law firms, such as IBM and Shibolet & co
James Grimsley, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma: James is the Executive Director of Advanced Technology Initiatives for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. He was appointed to the Oklahoma Transportation Commission in May 2019 and currently serves as the Transportation Commissioner for Oklahoma District 2. James has also been appointed to the Oklahoma Advanced Mobility Program Advisory Council and the FAA’s Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). Previously, James founded several successful technology company startups and is a former Associate Vice President for Research at the University of Oklahoma – Norman Campus (OU). He was also the founding director of the OU Center for Applied Research and Development (CARD).
About the Commercial Drone Alliance
The Commercial Drone Alliance is an independent non-profit organization led by key leaders in the commercial drone and advanced air mobility industries. The CDA brings together commercial drone end-users, manufacturers, service providers, advanced air mobility companies, drone security companies, and vertical markets, including oil and gas, precision agriculture, construction, security, communications technology, infrastructure, newsgathering, and filmmaking. The CDA works with all levels of government to collaborate on policies for industry growth and seeks to educate the public on the safe and responsible use of commercial drones to achieve economic benefits and humanitarian gains.
Learn more at www.commercialdronealliance.org.
Media Contact:
Joel Richman
Escalate PR