Executive Director
Co-Founder

Yolanka Wulff, J.D.

Yolanka is an experienced Executive and Program Director with mission-driven organizations. With an excellent ability to create and execute on a strategic vision, solve problems creatively, mediate stakeholder differences collaboratively, and communicate effectively. She is a leader and a bridge builder with a passion for the human effort to make our world sustainable.

Expert:

Rex Alexander

With forty years’ experience in aviation, Rex is the founder and president of Five-Alpha LLC, a globally recognized aeronautical consultancy specialized in helicopter and vertical flight infrastructure development, safety, training, and education. Five-Alpha works closely with a wide variety of stakeholders to help them make more informed decisions and better understand this challenging segment of the transportation industry. Rex is a rotary and fixed wing pilot as well as an airframe and powerplant technician.

Selected Experience & Education:

• Vertical Flight Society’s Infrastructure Adviser

• Transportation Safety Institute Platform Instructor

• ASTM Vertiport Standards Developer

• NFPA-418 Standard for Heliports Committee Member

• US Helicopter Safety Team Infrastructure Working Group

• Past President of the National EMS Pilots Association

• Past President of the Indiana Assoc of Air Medical Services

• Parks College of Aviation, St. Louis University: BS Aviation Management, 1985

• US Army: Warrant Officer Course (1986), Aeroscout Aviators Course (1987), Aeroscout Instructors Course (1990)

Expert:

Alexandra Hall

Alex is an experienced and inspiring organizational leader, networker and problem solver with a deep understanding of business and aviation operations and innovation stakeholders (including community groups, local government). She is adept at understanding the role played by incentive mechanisms, assessing future landscapes and markets, and deriving best path analysis for change and/or implementation of new ideas and technologies.

Selected Experience & Education:

• Kitty Hawk Cora, Head of Product, Program Director Kitty Hawk Flyer, Head of Operations

• Uber Technologies Inc, Program Consultant, Uber Elevate

• Senior Director, Google Lunar XPRIZE

• Co-Founder and CEO - Airship Ventures (importing a Zeppelin airship and operating it across the US)

• School Board Member, Ioma Prieta Joint Union Elementary School District

• University of Leicester: BSc (Hons) Physics with Astrophysics, 1993

Expert:

Peter Shannon

Peter is an investor focused on advanced aerial mobility and its application toward positive impact for transportation across the economy. As an active participant in this community, Peter is defining a national vision for advanced aerial mobility and roadmap of recommendations through a committee appointed by the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Peter also serves as an appointee to NASA’s Aeronautics Research and Technology Roundtable and is an investor or adviser to companies and industry groups in the sector.

Selected Experience & Education:

• Investor in transportation and sustainability technologies:

  • Radius Capital, Managing Director

  • Firelake Capital, Managing Director

  • Atlas Venture, Principal

• Active Private Pilot with Instrument Rating since the age of 19

• University of Chicago Booth School of Business: MBA (HHons), 2005

• University of Virginia: BS Systems Engineering (w Distinction), 1997

Expert:

Parker Vascik

Since 2015, Parker has worked with MIT and NASA to evaluate the operational barriers that will impact the deployment of urban air mobility (UAM) and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in our cities. His Ph.D. dissertation introduces strategies to support manufacturers, operators, regulators, and municipal governments to develop ground infrastructure, air traffic control (ATC), and market estimates for UAM. Parker is engaged in developing technical and policy solutions to bring the benefits of complex systems to society in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

Selected Experience & Education:

• Author of over 15 technical publications

• Engineering experience with NASA, Rolls-Royce, and Dresser-Rand

• Expert nominated by the United States to ICAO CAEP Working Group 4

• Technical and strategy consulting for industry and government

• Georgia Institute of Technology: BS Aerospace Engineering

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MS Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2017

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MS Technology and Policy, 2017

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology: PhD Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2019

Darrell Swanson

Darrell established Swanson Aviation Consultancy to explore the infrastructure requirements of electric aircraft including fixed wing and eVTOL.  Darrell has established himself as a subject matter expert regarding electric aviation and how it will lead to a future of distributed aviation.  His research on electric propulsion describes a disruptive change in the regional aviation market were a new class of operator - electric Low Cost Carriers (eLCCs) will be able to operate on routes traditionally thought to be unviable and supplemented by eVTOL operations.  Darrell has over 20 years’ experience in airport masterplanning, capital planning, acquisition due diligence, aerodrome safeguarding as well as operating an airport in Africa.

 Selected Experience & Education: 

• Adviser to the Vertical Flight Society on Infrastructure

• Adviser to the ADS UAM Group UK on Infrastructure

• Sustainable Aviation Adviser to the British Aviation Group

• Airport acquisition capital investment advice on over 50 acquisitions

• Airport masterplanning of several greenfield airports

• MBA Cass Business School

• MSc Airport Planning & Design Loughborough University

• Dip Airport Management and Operation Georgian College

Adam Cohen

Adam Cohen is a mobility futures researcher with the Innovative Mobility Research group at the Transportation Sustainability Research Center of the University of California, Berkeley. Since joining the group in 2004, his research has focused on innovative urban mobility solutions, including urban air mobility, shared mobility, urban goods delivery, automation, smart cities, smartphone apps, and other emerging technologies. Cohen recently completed two exploratory studies of the opportunities and challenges of urban air mobility for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and a manufacturer. He has also co-authored numerous articles and reports in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. Adam is also a research associate of the Mineta Transportation Institute of San Jose State University and serves as an ambassador for the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP). Previously, Adam worked for the Information Technology and Telecommunications Laboratory (ITTL) at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). His academic background is in city and regional planning and international affairs.

Selected Experience & Education:

• Member: Transportation Research Board

• Research Associate, University of California, Berkeley

• MSc Georgia Institute of Technology in International Relations and Affairs

• MSc Georgia Institute of Technology in City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning

Expert:

Lourdes Maurice

Dr. Lourdes Q. Maurice is an independent consultant on global aviation policy, environmental and energy issues, and education. She has worked with Boom Supersonic; the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; IMS Expert Witness Services, the University of California; and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, among others. Prior she worker at the FAA as the Chief Scientific and Technical Adviser for the FAA’s Office of Environment and Energy. Among her responsibilities in this role, she established and oversaw the Partnership for Air Transportation and Noise Emissions Reduction (“PARTNER”) Center of Excellence (which later came to be known as the Aviation Sustainability Center of Excellence (“ASCENT”))—a center devoted to researching the environmental effects of aviation, including aviation noise. After serving in that position for several years, she became the Executive Director of the FAA’s Office of Environment and Energy in April of 2011.

Selected Experience and Education:

• Executive Director, FAA Office of Environment and Energy

• Chief Scientist for Environment, FAA Office of Environment and Energy

• Air Force Research Laboratory, Science, Technology, and Engineering

• Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College of the University of London

• MS Aerospace Engineering, University of Dayton

• BS Chemical Engineering, University of Dayton

Expert:

Darshan Divakaran

Darshan Divakaran is a technology evangelist, entrepreneur, aviator and keynote speaker with expertise in unmanned aviation, aviation development, flight operations, airborne safety, remote sensing, geospatial analysis and program management. He has been recognized by Interdrone and Commercial UAV News as one of the top commercial drone visionaries in the world. His areas of expertise in unmanned aviation also include Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM), Counter-UAS (CUAS) and Urban Air Mobility. Darshan is also the founder and president of Airavat LLC, a company that provides UAS program management and training support to commercial companies and government agencies in the United States and abroad. He has conducted extensive research and outreach on UAS applications and has educated federal, state and local government agencies in the United States and abroad on its benefits. He currently serves on boards and committees of national organizations like TRB, UAST, AUVSI, ASTM, APSA, ANSI, NFPA, ASPRS, NASA etc. that create safety standards and best practices for unmanned aviation for both commercial companies and government agencies.

Selected Experience and Education:

• Executive Aviation Consultant, Aerospace Arizona Association

• Executive Aviation Consultant/Program Engineer, Division of Aviation, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)

• Chief Pilot in Command and Flight Operations Manager, UAS Operations, NCDOT

• Public Safety UAS Coordinator, North Carolina State Emergency Operations Center

• FAA commercial pilot certificate with multi-engine rating; FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate

• Master of Geospatial Information Science and Technology, North Carolina State University

• B.S. in Professional Aeronautics, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University

Expert:

David Nelson

David A. Nelson is an acoustical consultant with over 40 years of experience in acoustics and noise control.  His work combines low-noise design methods with an understanding of human perception in pursuit of improved product acceptability.  Successful applications include consumer products, datacenter, medical, heating/cooling, on-orbit experimental hardware, and yes, a leafblower.  His customized seminars bring unique insights that help demystify noise-related issues for clients and equip them to navigate their noise emission challenges and incorporate low-noise design methods into their future designs.  David is also a lifelong musician (many styles) and an instrument-rated private pilot.  

Selected Experience and Education:

• Principal Consultant, Nelson Acoustics, since 1998

• MS Acoustics, The University of Texas at Austin

• BS Acoustics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Instrument-rated Private Pilot

Expert:

Basil Yap

Mr. Yap is a nationally-recognized leader, consultant and engineer with more than 15 years of professional experience in transportation. Mr. Yap started his career as a government employee working in the highway transportation sector and then transitioned to airport development. He helped start and lead North Carolina’s award-winning UAS program, both as a public servant and as an embedded consultant. In 2016, Mr. Yap helped establish the consulting firm Hovecon, LLC., which has supported multiple state DOTs, airports and other organizations in planning, integrating and operationalizing the use of unmanned and autonomous aircraft systems. Under his leadership, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has achieved an impressive list of UAS innovation “firsts,” including the launch of three routine UAS medical package delivery operations in the U.S., the first public eVTOL air taxi demonstration, the first coordinated statewide natural disaster UAS response and submitted the first state Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM0 concept to the FAA. Mr. Yap serves on a variety of committees and workgroups focused on educating state and local governments around UAS and UAM.

Selected experience and education:

• Consultant to multiple state DOTs, local governments and airports around UAS and UAM integration

• Program Manager for NC’s participation in the FAA UAS Integration Pilot Program

• Appointee: NASA’s Aeronautics Research and Technology Roundtable

• Member: Transportation Research Board Standing Committee – Aviation System Planning, New Users of Shared Airspace

• B.S. in civil engineering, North Carolina State University

Expert:

Dawn M. K. Zoldi

Dawn M.K. Zoldi (Colonel, United States Air Force Retired) is a licensed attorney, an U.S. Air Force veteran and the founder and Chief Executive Officer of P3 Tech Consulting, connecting people who have a passion for advanced tech platforms with the plans, programs, policies and information they need to succeed. 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 Air Force in July 1993. In her almost 25 years of active duty as a member of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps as a military attorney, she performed a myriad of duties at various command echelons in the continental U.S. and deployed forward. Upon 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 and an additional one on faculty as the Deputy Director of the Academy’s Center for Character and Leadership Development. She is an internationally recognized expert on unmanned aircraft systems and advanced air mobility law and policy and a recipient of the Woman to Watch in UAS (Leadership) Award 2019. Her endeavors in the drone law, regulatory and policy arena include roles as a consultant for multiple aerospace companies, legal columnist for Inside Unmanned Systems and Inside GNSS magazines, guest contributor to DroneLife.com, podcaster and conference planner for InterDrone as well as strategic partnerships and leadership roles in multiple aerospace, drone education, non-profit and media-related companies organizations.

Selected Experience and Education:

• J.D. Villanova University School of Law, Villanova, PA, 1992

• M.S. Military Strategic Studies, 2010, Air War College, Air University, Maxwell

• AFB, AL, Honors: Academic Distinction (3.92/4.0 GPA)

• M.A. History, 1989, University of Scranton, Scranton, PA

• B.A. History, 1989; Philosophy, 1989, University of Scranton, Scranton, PA Honors: Magna Cum Laude

• CEO & Founder, P3 Tech Consulting, 2019-Present - consults with multiple global aerospace companies

• Adjunct Faculty, Colorado-State University - Pueblo, Institute for Homeland Security Studies, Pueblo, 2020-Present

• Inside Unmanned Systems Magazine Law-Tech Connect™ Columnist, 2019-Present

• Inside GNSS Magazine Washington View Columnist, 2020-Present

• InterDrone Conference Planner, 2019-Present

• DRONERESPONDERS Legal & Policy Committee Chair

• Urban Low Altitude Transport Association Senior Advisor

• Women and Drones Corporate Member & Strategic Advisor

• Airavat Solutions Strategic Partner

• UAS Colorado Board Member

• NASA Transformational Vertical Flight Working Group #2, White Paper Regulation Co-Lead

expert:

Chris Sequeira

Chris has helped create and refine some of the most important environmental policies, guidance, and analysis tools in United States aviation. He has 11 years of experience leading and supporting national aviation environmental policy development, analysis, and stakeholder engagement as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Headquarters employee and consultant. Chris has also led noise reduction strategy analysis and communication for some of the largest aircraft noise studies in history, including the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) noise and land use compatibility planning (14 CFR Part 150) studies. As founder and Principal of CJSC, LLC, Chris’s mission is to radically elevate the authenticity of aviation community engagement to meet the challenges of environmental justice and climate change. His focus is on redesigning and refining business processes to help community feedback improve the design and implementation of aviation projects.

Selected Experience & Education:

• Provided environmental analysis and community engagement services to over two dozen airports, including 11 large-hub airports

• Program Co-Manager of the Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) development program: the FAA’s aircraft noise, fuel burn, and emissions analysis tool mandated nationwide for aviation regulatory environmental studies

• Co-Author and Technical Reviewer, AEDT National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Guidance

• Program Manager, FAA Air Traffic Organization (ATO) Airspace Modernization Community Involvement Program

• Program Co-Manager, FAA Aviation Emissions and Air Quality Handbook

• Co-Author and Technical Reviewer, FAA Order JO 7400.2L (“Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters”) Chapter 32 (“Environmental Matters”)

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology: BS Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2005

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MS Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2008

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MS Technology and Policy, 2008

expert:

Todd is a serial entrepreneur with a background in the technology, aviation, and automotive industries. He is passionate about the momentous technological changes occurring in transportation in cities, and advocates for open source technologies that both empowers cities and creates opportunities for the private sector. He identifies potential solutions to administering and managing public spaces including streets, sidewalks, and curbs, and challenges with operating drones and air-taxis within urban airspace. As a current public sector consultant, leader of a technology company helicopter pilot, and a manufacturer of aviation components, Todd is able to view the world through the lens of public and private entities, providing direction on transportation technology solutions that are equitable, open, pragmatic, and comprehensive.

Todd, as a consultant to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, was tasked to help write the OMF by-laws and help construct how the OMF balance the voices of cities as board members with the need for the technical voices to weigh in on how technical problems would be addressed through and between the working groups. As a member of the Technical Council, Todd will call upon his experience in both cities and the private sector to help the OMF solve the incredibly important problems.

UC Berkeley Transportation Sustainability Research Center

CIVATA Global