About Us

Daniel leads the Advanced Air Mobility portfolio at Tulsa Innovation Labs (TIL), a philanthropic economic development organization based in Tulsa, OK.

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In this role, Daniel oversees program development and strategic investments in research & development, testing infrastructure, and workforce development initiatives that build upon the Tulsa region’s competitive advantage in aerospace and AAM. Daniel has spearheaded the development of three projects for TIL as part of the TRAM Cluster, which was selected by the US Economic Development Administration as one of 21 winning applications from 529 initial applicants, resulting in ~$70M in funding to develop a world-class advanced mobility ecosystem in Tulsa. He established and serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for Skyway Range, Inc.

Richard retired from the U.S Air Force after more than 41 years of honorable service. His military career focused on maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft and support equipment.  

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Richard brings extensive experience in program management, logistics, and contract source selection. He also has formal training in the consultation of native tribes and has advised both military and tribal senior leaders. Richard has served as the state tribal liaison for the Oklahoma Department of the American Legion, a member of the Tinker Inter-Tribal Council, and a former member of the Osage Veterans Memorial Commission. Richard has served on the board of directors of Osage LLC since 2019. He holds a Bachelor of Technology from Rogers State University and a Master of Science in Aviation Administration from Southeast Oklahoma State University. Richard is an enrolled member of the Osage Nation.

Dr. Loyd Hook is associate professor of computer engineering at the University of Tulsa and the owner of “IO-Aero” an aviation autonomy software company.

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Loyd has worked for the past 17 years striving to achieve a vision for safer, more available, and more capable aircraft through increased autonomy. His current work focuses primarily on safety and emergency management systems and run-time assurance architectures. Loyd believes these systems hold the key to greater autonomy in aviation and subsequently will lead to a revolution in air transportation as the skies are opened up to the masses.  Loyd has M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Oklahoma in 2006 and 2011 respectively.

Patti L. Ripple is the Director for Aerospace and Defense with the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. In this capacity, she engages with and supports the key program needs of leadership for Tinker Air Force Base, local Federal Aviation Administration organizations, including the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, and other aerospace entities in the 10-county, central Oklahoma region.



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Patti retired as a civilian employee of the U.S. Air Force with over 33 years of service. Her experience included serving as a Political-Military Planner and Advisor for the Joint Staff and Office of the Secretary of Defense leadership. Prior to her assignment in the Pentagon, she was the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center Chief of Staff and Deputy to the Center Commander for Support, as well as the Director of the 76 th Maintenance Support Group and the Chief of the Process Improvement and Quality Assurance Division.

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In June 2010, Patti completed a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University. She also has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Central Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Oklahoma.

Craig Mahaney is the President and CEO of DronePort Network, a UAS infrastructure development startup based in Oklahoma City, OK.

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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.

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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.

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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.