The Vertical Flight Society, the world’s leading non-profit dedicated to advancing vertical flight, is pleased to announce its Board of Directors for 2020-2021.

The following members were elected to the Board’s Executive Committee for the one-year term of July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021:

Chair: Edward Hoskin, VP Engineering, Pratt & Whitney Canada (previously the Board President)
President: Dan Schultz, President, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company (previously the Board Secretary/Treasurer)
Secretary/Treasurer: Tomasz Krysinski, Vice-President Research & Technology, Airbus Helicopters (new to the Board)*
In addition, Prof. Marilyn Smith of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) has been appointed to the Executive Committee as the VFS Technical Director for a two-year term. Prof. Smith was previously the Deputy Technical Director for Aeromechanics on the VFS Technical Council, as well as the immediate past Director of the U.S. Southern Region.

VFS members in half of its ten regions elected or re-elected regional directors and vice-presidents for the two-year term of July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022. (Those new to the Board are marked with an asterisk.)

Americas Region (Canada, Central America and South America)

Vice President: Chantal Boucher, Bell
Regional Director: Kenneth Swartz, Aeromedia Communications
U.S. Mideast Region (including the Philadelphia and Erie Chapters, and surrounding areas)

Vice President: Dr. Stanley Orr, The Boeing Company
Regional Director: William Sunick, Leonardo Helicopters (AgustaWestland Philadelphia Company)*
U.S. Southeast Region (including the Aberdeen, Federal City, Patuxent River, Hampton Roads and Cherry Point Chapters, and surrounding areas)

Vice President: Dr. Inderjit Chopra, University of Maryland
Regional Director: Dr. Rajneesh Singh, US Army Research Laboratory*
U.S. Southwest Region (including the Southwest Chapter and all surrounding areas)

Vice President: Layne Merritt, Elbit Systems of America*
Regional Director: Christos Bais, Bell*
U.S. Western Region (including the Los Angeles, San Francisco and Arizona Chapters, and all surrounding areas)

Vice President: Dr. Colin Theodore, NASA Ames Research Center
Regional Director: Scott Swinsick, The Boeing Company*
The following are currently appointed Directors of the Board:

VP Membership: Jon Tatro, consultant
VP Washington, DC: John Lindsay, Textron
Appointed Director: Robert LaBelle, XTI Aircraft Co.
Appointed Director: Thomas Laux, Northrop Grumman
Appointed Director: Harry Nahatis, GE Aviation
Non-voting advisors:

Civil Helicopter Operations: Gene Munson, The Boeing Company (Ret.)
Army Aviation: Randy Robinson, US Army
Vertical Flight Foundation: Edwin P. Birtwell, Birtwell Consulting Services
Other members of the Board of Directors, who will continue to serve until June 30, 2021, are as follows:

Asia-Australia Region (includes all members in Asia and Oceania)

Vice President: Prof. Sejong Oh, Pusan National University
Regional Director: Samgeeth Rajan, Bell
Europe-Africa Region (members in Europe and Africa)

Vice President: Luca Medici, Leonardo Helicopters* (elected this month by special election)
Regional Director: Arnaud Le Pape, ONERA
U.S. Midwest Region (members in Dayton and St Louis Chapters)

Vice President: Dr. Charlie Svoboda, The Boeing Company
Regional Director: Prof. David A. Peters, Washington University in St. Louis
U.S. Northeast Region (members in Stratford, Connecticut Valley and Empire State Chapters)

Vice President: Usman Asif, Sikorsky, A Lockheed Martin Company
Regional Director: Dr. Michael Ambrose, Sikorsky, A Lockheed Martin Company
U.S. Southern Region (members in Redstone, Atlanta, Jake Fortner and South Florida Chapters)

Vice President: Mark J. Jeude, U.S. Army
Regional Director: Prof. JVR Prasad, Georgia Tech* (appointed to fill the vacancy left by Prof. Marilyn Smith, who was selected as VFS Technical Director)