Summit Recap
The 2025 LIFT Summit, hosted by DART at the Monterey Conference Center from March 26–28, brought together leaders in advanced air mobility, workforce development, and public policy to chart California’s future in next-gen aviation.
From Demos to Dialogue
Day one featured exclusive flight demos and facility tours from companies like Joby, Archer, and Guardian Ag — offered to government and nonprofit attendees. The following days included keynotes, workshops, and panels on workforce pipelines, infrastructure, and policy, with a strong focus on inclusive job creation through DART’s “Jobs First for AAM” initiative.
The event blended innovation, strategy, and collaboration — setting the stage for California to lead in advanced air mobility.
2025 Speakers
Abigail Smith
COO, AX Enterprize
Clifford Cruz
Co-Founder & CEO, Skyway
Dr. Carl Dietrich
Founder/CEO/CTO, Jump Aero
Dr. David Merrill
Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, Elroy Air
Eric Allison
Chief Product Officer, Joby Aviation
Henry Brinck
Founder & President, Clear Sky Airlines
James Dorris
Co-Founder & CEO, Odys Aviation
Robert Rose
Co-Founder & CEO, Reliable Robotics
Chris Lopez
Chair, Monterey County Board of Supervisors
David Dunning
Director Global Innovation & Policy, GAMA
Matthew Friedman
Chief, Office of Aviation Planning, CalTrans
Richard A. Gephardt
President & CEO, Gephardt Government Affairs
Tarek Tabshouri
Chief, Division of Aeronautics, CalTrans
Adam Cohen
UC Berkeley
Alan Jon Van Nevel
Associate Provost, Naval Postgraduate School
Rodrigo Nieto
Research Professor, Naval Postgraduate School
Andrew Carter
CEO, ResilienX
Anwar Elgonemy
Hotel & Special Projects Director, SFO
Becca Fenwick
Director, CITRIS Initiative, UC Santa Cruz
Bruce Stenslie
President & CEO, Ventura Economic Development
Cody Cleverly
Workforce Development Lead, Joby Aviation
David Oord
Senior Policy Manager, Wisk
Dean Donovan
Managing Director, Diamond Stream Partners
Dr. Kristin Schauble
Director Systems Engineering, ANELLO Photonics
Dr. Peter Webley
Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Edgar G. Waggoner
Senior Principal, Crown Consulting
Elizabeth Posey
Senior Program Officer, Irvine Foundation
Ernest Huffman
Aviation Planning Manager, North Texas COG
George Kivork
Head, State & Local Policy, Joby Aviation
Ingar Grev
Director, DoD Business Development, Motion & Flow Control
Jaqueline Cruz
VP Advancement, Hartnell College
James Grimsley
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
James Parrish
Business Director, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Josh Metz
Executive Director, DART
Lt. Gen. Andrew A. Croft
USAF (Retired)
Marek Gootman
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings
Maria Elena Manzo
Mujeres en Accion
Martha Danly
Head of Marketing, Pivotal
Matt Beatty
Founder, Advanced Aviation Alignment
Matt Nelson
Airport Manager, Salinas Municipal Airport
Melissa James
President & CEO, Reach Central Coast
Rob Heilman
Director Engineering, GBL Systems (Retired USDOT/DoD)
Rob O'Keefe
President & CEO, See Monterey
Stephen Zoepf
Co-Founder, Stealth Startup
Steve Ellis
Learning & Development Advisor, USAF (Retired)
Tahra Goraya
President & CEO, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership
Thomas Swoyer
Grandsky Development Corp.
Tony C. Williams
Senior Advisor, NavalX Central Coast Tech Bridge
Walter Stockwell
VP Software Engineering, Anello Photonics
2025 Sponsors & Partners
