Marke F. 'Hoot' Gibson named new CEO of NUAIR Alliance

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Major General Marke F. “Hoot” Gibson (ret), who most recently served as Senior Advisor on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration to the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has been named the new CEO of the NUAIR Alliance.

As CEO, Gibson, who will begin working in his new role on Nov. 13, will lead NUAIR’s oversight of UAS testing being conducted in New York, Massachusetts and Michigan, as well as a $30 million investment by New York State to build a 50-mile UTM Corridor.

“My vision is to create an unsurpassed ‘innovation friendly’ environment for UAS research, testing and operation,” Gibson says.

“With all of our state economic and technical support, I think we are well positioned to become the most favored site for all aspects of UAS testing and operation. We already won a tough competition to become one of our nation’s seven test sites and we are now poised to take that capability to the next level. I can assure you, I wouldn’t have taken this position if I didn’t think we were ready.” 

An organizational partner of CenterState CEO, the NUAIR Alliance manages one of seven UAS test sites in the United States.

The NUAIR Alliance and CenterState CEO are “strategically aligned in their efforts to build public and private partnerships to advance leading edge UAS and UTM technologies, and create a hub for the industry that will attract investments and business development.”

Rob Simpson, president of CenterState CEO, says, “we are extremely excited to welcome someone with Hoot’s knowledge, experience and passion to the role of CEO of the NUAIR Alliance. His leadership will enable the collaborative advancement of NUAIR’s mission and the region will expand its engagement of businesses and experts to advance critical research and development of the sector across Central New York.” 

The UAS industry in Central New York is very active right now. Almost a year ago, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a $30 million investment to develop the 50-mile flight traffic management system between Syracuse and Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York as a part of the CNY Rising initiative.

The 50-mile corridor is expected to facilitate strategic investments that accelerate industry growth by supporting new and different uses of UAS in various industries such as public safety, transportation and logistics, and media and film development.

Howard Zemsky, president, CEO and commissioner of Empire State Development, comments, “New York state’s investment is helping to cement Central New York as a global hub for the rapidly growing UAS industry and we are pleased to welcome Major General Gibson.”