CDA Welcomes Michael Healander of Airspace Link to the Board of Directors
THE COMMERCIAL DRONE ALLIANCE WELCOMES AIRSPACE LINK’S MICHAEL HEALANDER TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 9, 2026 – The Commercial Drone Alliance (CDA), the leading nonprofit organization promoting American leadership in commercial drone technology, is pleased to announce that Michael Healander, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Airspace Link, has joined its Board of Directors. The CDA’s Board acts on behalf of the entire membership and helps shape the organization’s strategic direction.
Healander brings 25 years of leadership working with defense, government agencies at every level, and commercial aviation operators. At Airspace Link, he leads the company’s work to build digital infrastructure for safe, secure, and scalable drone operations. The Airspace Link platform brings small UAS operations, BVLOS flights, UTM, radar and drone detection, and counter-UAS into one common picture of the airspace. That shared view helps government, public safety, and industry coordinate across jurisdictions and respond to activity in the airspace in real time. Before Airspace Link, Healander co-founded Geometri, an indoor navigation and analytics platform used in many airline apps for gate-to-gate navigation and in big-box retail apps. Acuity Brands acquired Geometri, and he went on to hold leadership roles there. He is also an FAA-certified commercial drone pilot.
“It’s an exciting yet pivotal time for the commercial drone industry, and our Board of Directors plays a critical role in championing policies that will enable the safe, secure scaling of drone operations,” said Lisa Ellman, Chief Executive Officer of the Commercial Drone Alliance. “We are thrilled to welcome Michael. His deep experience building the digital infrastructure that connects operators, government, and public safety will be invaluable as we work across industry and government to chart the path forward for drone integration.”
“The same picture of the airspace that lets an operator fly safely is the one security teams need to tell authorized flights from potential threats. Safety and security have to be solved together, and the decisions being made right now on BVLOS and airspace security will shape this industry for the next decade,” said Michael Healander, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Airspace Link. “I joined the CDA board to help get those decisions right for every operator, from public safety agencies to drone delivery companies.”
Michael Healander joins the CDA’s Board of Directors: Eric Brock (Ondas), Ben Berlin (Zipline International, Inc.), Jenn Player (Skydio), Neta Gliksman (Percepto Robotics), Heath McLemore (Florida Power & Light), Margaret Nagle (Wing), Jeff Cole (Hidden Level), Jon Damush (uAvionix), James Grimsley (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), Grant Jordan (SkySafe), Craig Marcinkowski (NUAIR), James Slider (PDW), Jim O’Sullivan (DoorDash), Christopher Todd (Airborne Response), and William Wheeler (Southern Company).
About the Commercial Drone Alliance
The Commercial Drone Alliance (CDA) is a nonprofit organization led by key leaders in the commercial drone and drone security industries. The CDA unites a diverse group of stakeholders, including commercial drone end-users, manufacturers, service providers, advanced air mobility companies, and drone security firms. The CDA works with the federal government and industry to promote American global leadership in advanced aviation and enable the deployment of commercial drones at scale across the United States.
Learn more at www.commercialdronealliance.org.