Anna has emerged as one of the world experts in innovative aviation policy, particularly in the urban air mobility (UAM) and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL), often referred to as "flying car" space. Her participation in numerous regulatory and policy activities, along with strong relationships within the industry, the FAA, and EASA make Anna well positioned to be a leader in the effort to find safe, flexible, and right-sized certification approaches for the new personal aviation industry. While her exposure to the space began with Terrafugia, her involvement has expanded to consulting clients that span the UAM space, from electric propulsion, to autonomy, and of course to airframe certification. Additionally, she is an accomplished speaker.

Co-Founder, Terrafugia Inc.

Terrafugia is an MIT spin-off company dedicated to becoming the leader of the emerging flying car industry.  Its first product, the Transition® street-legal airplane, is nearing production.  Two successful prototypes have been tested, one of which Anna has had the opportunity to fly herself.

Serving as Chief Operating Officer and acting CFO from the incorporation of the company in 2006 until 2014, Anna was involved in all facets of the business, spanning traditional operations to marketing and sales, to certification and regulatory work, to finance and corporate governance, to human resources, to participation in design reviews and oversight of the testing program.  Before stepping back to focus on certification and regulatory consulting for the company while pursuing other public policy interests, Anna was directly or indirectly responsible for a majority of the company's two dozen employees.  Working with Terrafugia provided the opportunity for international speaking engagements, recognition, and invaluable experience in the entrepreneurial, managerial, regulatory, and aviation spaces.  Anna remains involved on a limited consulting basis, focused on regulatory relations and certification activities.

Co-Founder and Director, Industry & Strategy, Community Air Mobility Initiative (CAMI)

As technology and the Civil Aviation Authority-level regulatory landscape develops, the need for local advocacy and community and public education in support of urban air mobility (UAM) is becoming more acute. While other organizations provide federal-level advocacy, the success of the industry will hinge on air mobility being embraced by local communities, cities, states, and the general public. The Community Air Mobility Initiative (CAMI) is the link to the local level, providing education and resources to the public, decision makers, and the media. As a founder and Director, Industry & Strategy (originally Co Executive Director with Yolanka Wulff), Anna is working to support communities as they embrace the 3rd dimension as part of the future of transportation. Since 2019.

Regulatory Lead, Xwing Inc.

Xwing is a leader in the unmanned cargo aircraft space, initially developing a system to enable on demand commercial cargo feeder operations with a retrofitted Cessna Grand Caravan. Anna works closely with the company and technical leadership team to determine certification strategy, requirements, and standards engagement. She is responsible for FAA engagement at both the local and headquarters level including flight test, regulatory relief requests, and systems certification. Since 2019.

Policy Advisor

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of unmanned systems and robotics, represents corporations and professionals from more than 60 countries involved in industry, government and academia. As a Policy Advisor, Anna works closely with the AUVSI team and membership to advance the unmanned and autonomous aviation industry. Working closely with the Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) report and AUVSI membership she will be looking to realize practical progress for the industry. Another area of focus is that of defining a certification pathway for autonomous aircraft. Since 2022.

Selected Speaking Engagements, Recognition, and Publications

Anna has spoken and lectured on innovation and her experience with Terrafugia at world-class institutions and venues, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Olin College of Engineering, University of California Berkeley, and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. She has also been a keynote speaker with the U.S. Special Forces and led strategic sessions within the defense and aviation industry.

• AUVSI XPONENTIAL, Autonomy in Aviation (ASTM AC377) Panel, Chicago, IL, May 2019

• SXSW, “Building an Autonomous Tomorrow” Panel, Austin, TX, March 2019

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce Aviation Summit, “VTOL Aircraft: Re-imagining the Skies”, Washington, D.C. March 2019

• Expert Witness, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, “Urban Air Mobility: Are Flying Cars Ready to Take Off?”, Washington, D.C., July 2018

• Speaker on two panels, AIAA Aviation 2018, Atlanta, GA, June 2018 (see below for Forum 360 footage)

• Featured Speaker, Uber Elevate Summit, Los Angeles, CA, May 2018 (see above)

• TED Global Speaker, Edinburgh, Scotland, July 2011 (see below)

• Keynote Speaker, Special Operations Forces (SOF) Innovation Foundry, October 2017, Tampa, FL

• Keynote Speaker, Women in Aviation International 21st Annual Conference, February 2010, Orlando, FL

• “A ‘Flying Car’ Perspective on Small Aircraft Crash Safety”, 7th Triennial International Aircraft Fire and Cabin Safety Research Conference, Crash Dynamics Session, Philadelphia, PA, December 2-5, 2013

• Massachusetts STEM Summit Keynote Address, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA, November 13, 2013

• Envision National Youth Leadership Forum: Engineering and Technology, Keynote Speaker, 2015 - 2018

• Inspirational speaker at the Empowering Girls For Life inaugural event, Chicago, IL, August 2018

Anna has been recognized for her contributions to the aviation and entrepreneurial landscape and is often selected as an example of what women are accomplishing in STEM and entrepreneurship. Selected awards include:

• ASTM International F37 Committee on Light Sport Aircraft Award of Appreciation for “Technical Contributions in the Development of ASTM F37 Standards for Light Sport Aircraft, Especially for her Dedication to the Development of F2930 Standard Guide for Compliance with Light Sport Aircraft Standards”, October 2012

• Engineers Week – New England “New England Achievement Award”, February 2012

• Massachusetts’ Governor’s STEM Advisory Council inaugural “WOW Campaign” representative, May 2011

• Boston Globe “Top 15 Innovators” Award, October 2010

• Mass High Tech “Women to Watch” Award, May 2009

• MIT 100k Business Plan Competition, Runner Up with Terrafugia business plan, May 2006

Prior publications include:

• “Autonomy Design and Operations in Aviation: Terminology and Requirements Framework”, ASTM TR1-EB, 2019

• “Developmental Pillars for Increased Autonomy for Aircraft Systems”, ASTM TR2-EB, 2020

• “Regulatory Barriers to Autonomy in Aviation”, ASTM TR3-EB, 2022 (anticipated)

• “Unsettled Issues Regarding the Certification of Electric Aircraft”, SAE Edge Report, EPR2021007, 2021

• “Unsettled Topics in the General Aviation Autonomy Landscape”, SAE Edge Report, EPR2022004, 2022

• "Standards-Based Rules Enable Innovation While Maintaining Safety", Aviation Week and Space Technology, August 17, 2018 (online | PDF)

• "A Good Problem to Have", Aviation for Women Magazine, May/June 2013

• “An airplane in your garage?”, op-ed piece written for CNN.com, January 29, 2012

• "WASP Awarded the Congressional Gold Medal", Aviation for Women Magazine, May/June 2010

• “An Integrated Vision-Based System for Spacecraft Attitude and Topology Determination for Formation Flight Missions”, 18th Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites, August 2004, SC04-IV-04

• “Fluid Packaging of Microengines and Mircrorockets Devices for High Pressure and High Temperature Operation”, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems (JMEMS), March 2004

To request Anna as a speaker for your event or class, please click here.

Policy and Regulatory Work

Whether drafting technical standards and regulatory language, compiling the relevant research on a topic to support a policy recommendation, or navigating the political process with meetings, letters of support, and public engagement, Anna is an effective communicator in the policy space.  Her attention to detail and ability to build rapport both within the organizations involved and with the public and media make her particularly effective in working within an existing structure to achieve unanticipated results.

• Federal Aviation Administration: Two successful petitions for exemptions from sections of the Code of Federal Regulations as applicable to the Terrafugia Transition® street-legal airplane.

• Drafted petitions and supporting documentation, met with legislative and FAA contacts, managed docket process. Successful petition for commercial sUAS (small unmanned aircraft system, aka drone) operation.

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Successful four-part petition for exemption from sections of the Code of Federal Regulations as applicable to the Terrafugia Transition® street-legal airplane.

• Federal Aviation Administration: CFR Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC): Industry participant, presenter, regulatory text author.
  The FAA Part 23 Reorganization ARC has the goal of creating a certification environment which will result in airplanes which operate twice as safely as the existing fleet and can be certified at half the expense as those being certified today. Participation will shape the future of the aviation industry.

• ASTM General Aviation Committees (F37, F44, F38, F39): Industry consensus standards body responsible for generation and maintenance of technical standards used for the design, manufacture, and operation of General Aviation airplanes, including Light Sport Aircraft such as the Terrafugia Transition® street-legal airplane. Leadership positions in F37 (Light Sport Aircraft) and F44 (General Aviation Aircraft) Committees, including F44 Vice Chair 2018-present, technical lead and author of multiple standards, voting industry member. Member of the cross-functional Autonomy Steering Group for ASTM, AC377.

• General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA): Leading industry organization for governmental and policy issues. Chair of the eVTOL Strategy Committee, elected 2018.

• European Aviation Safety Administration (EASA): Anna has been invited to participate in multiple industry feedback and review sessions for the special condition that is being developed for VTOL aircraft, SC-VTOL, most recently in February 2019 in Cologne, Germany.

• Environmental Protection Agency: Successful effort for clarification of Clean Air Act that effectively classifies roadable aircraft as aircraft for emissions purposes.

• Massachusetts State House: Policy and Legislative Consultant for Rep. Claire Cronin
  Policy briefs, supporting documentation authoring, and legislative content generation across a wide variety of topics relevant to the commonwealth and Rep. Cronin's constituents.

Other Professional Involvement

• GE Aviation, Lynn, MA: 2005 - 2007: Engineer with the Controls Center of Excellence. Key contributor to a dynamic fuel simulation modeling tool (based in Simulink); presented at program-level design reviews to critical decision makers.

• Boeing Phantom Works, St. Louis, MO: 2004: Engineer with the Advanced Combat Aircraft and Explorations group. Feasibility studies and classified program development. Secret Clearance obtained.

• Washington University in St. Louis Earth and Planetary Remote Sensing Laboratory, St. Louis, MO: 1997-2000: Educational Outreach and mission control support for one of Steve Fossett's around-the-world balloon attempts, Viking Mars Lander data processing, Mars rover testing in collaboration with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the Mojave Desert in preparation for the Spirit and Opportunity Mars Rover missions.

Education

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA:

  • SB in Aerospace Engineering, Minor in Material Science, awarded June 2004

  • SM in Aerospace Engineering, focus on structural dynamics, awarded June 2006

  • MIT Professional Education, Cambridge, MA: Modern Manufacturing (2.30s), June 2012

• University of Massachusetts Boston, McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies: Graduate Certificate in Gender Leadership and Public Policy, awarded July 2015.

• Strozzi Institute, Petaluma, CA: Leadership in Action, Sessions 1 & 2, August 2012 (L1) and February 2013 (L2)

• Private Pilot, Single Engine Land

Memberships and Other Interests

• Women in Aviation, International: Director, 2011-2017; Treasurer, 2015-2016; Vice Chair, 2016-2017

• FIRST Robotics Competition District Judge, 2011-2015

• Women in Aviation, International (WAI), Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Experimental Aircraft Assoc. (EAA), Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), American Society for Quality (ASQ), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, Sigma Gamma Tau Aerospace Engineering Honor Society

• USTA and CMITA League Tennis

• Gardening, Cooking, Textile Crafts, Writing