Anna leading the ASTM F44 Committee on General Aviation Aircraft in Austria, flying the Transition roadable aircraft near Terrafugia's headquarters in New England, and outdoors near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area
Anna is an industry-recognized leader in advanced air mobility (AAM), including regional and urban air mobility (R/UAM), eVTOL, and autonomy. She is an expert in policy, certification, and government relations, as well as start-up company operations and generally solving complex problems in unique ways while inspiring innovation within a sustainable framework. Much of the innovation in regulatory work today is happening at the intersection of airworthiness and operations: Anna is particularly comfortable in this complex space. In addition to her policy and consulting work, Anna is a sought-after speaker.
She began her career in the aerospace industry early, participating in Mars rover prototype testing and two around-the-world balloon attempts with Steve Fossett while in high school and receiving both her BS and MS in aerospace engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Co-founding Terrafugia in 2006, Anna served as Chief Operating Officer and acting CFO there until 2014 when she stepped back to focus on her consulting and policy interests.
Anna is now active in creating the policy and regulatory landscape for advanced air mobility (AAM) including autonomous and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Recent roles include being the Co-Founder and Director, Industry & Strategy of the Community Air Mobility Initiative (CAMI) and a Senior Policy Advisor focused on unmanned aircraft and autonomy for AUVSI. She has leadership roles in both the ASTM international industry consensus standards committees for aviation, including ASTM AC377 Autonomy Design and Operations in Aviation, and was the founding chair of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) EVTOL committee. Anna also spent five years at Xwing Inc as Director of Regulatory Affairs charting the certification and operational approval pathway for an autonomous uncrewed cargo aircraft.
Since 2014 Anna has also maintained a successful independent consulting practice, AMD Consulting, and is always interested in finding the next challenge.
In July 2018, Anna testified on the urban air mobility (UAM) industry for the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. Her speaking experience includes the 2019 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Aviation Summit, TED Global, Good Morning America, South by Southwest (SXSW), Uber’s Elevate Conference, the Vertical Flight Society EVTOL Symposium, and the Air Force Agility Prime 2020 Kickoff Event, as well as lectures at MIT, Embry Riddle, and UC Berkeley. She was named one of the Boston area's top 15 Innovators by the Boston Globe, was one of the 10 women selected for the 6th annual Mass High Tech Women to Watch Award, and has been recognized by Engineers Week New England with their annual Achievement Award. Anna also served on the Board of Directors of Women in Aviation International (WAI). She has also been published at outlets such as Aviation Week & Space Technology, Ms. Magazine, and CNN.com and has a private pilot license. She is also a member of her local school board and airport commission.
If you would like to get in touch with Anna, you can do so here.
More professional information, including footage of selected speaking activities, is available here.
All photos on the site are Anna's, unless otherwise noted. All creative writing is real, if not necessarily strictly true. Blog entries are Anna's personal opinion and hers alone. Please, no reproduction without permission and citation.
