Craig Mahaney is the President and CEO of DronePort Network, a UAS infrastructure development startup based in Oklahoma City, OK.
He has more than 25 years of aerospace experience in the military, government, and private industry. As CEO, he is responsible for the overall strategy, oversight and execution of all DronePort Network projects and ventures. Craig also serves as the Executive Director of the UAS Cluster Initiative which strives to create an Oklahoma centric industry ecosystem made up of companies, thought leaders, investors, and public partnerships focused on making the state a world class destination for all things Unmanned Aviation and Advanced Air Mobility. He also leads the UAS Angel Network, an international network of angel investors and venture capital firms focused on investment in the UAS and Advanced Air Mobility industry.
Prior to the DronePort Network he served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor within the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Aviation Policy and Plans. In 2020 he was selected as a Georgetown University Capitol Hill Fellow where he served as a policy advisor and professional staff to Senator James Lankford (R-OK), subcommittee Chairman on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. During Craig’s sixteen years with the FAA, he held numerous operational and management positions focused on Air Traffic Control, Traffic Flow Management, UAS, and Strategic Planning.
Before joining the federal government, he spent five years in the U.S. Navy as an Air Traffic Control Specialist and completed multiple deployments to the Middle East. Craig is a certified private pilot, graduate of the FAA’s Aircraft Accident Investigation School and has a bachelor’s of science degree in aeronautics from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.