The 2025 LIFT Summit

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.

Day one featured exclusive flight demos and facility tours from companies like Joby, Archer, and Guardian Ag—offered to government and nonprofit attendees under NDA. 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.

Speakers Included:

  • Abigail Smith

    COO

    AX ENTERPRIZE

  • Adam Cohen

    University of California, Berkeley

  • Alan Jon Van Nevel

    Associate Provost

    Naval Postgraduate School

  • Andrew Carter

    CEO

    ResilienX

  • Anwar Elgonemy

    Hotel & Special Projects Director

    San Francisco International Airport

  • Becca Fenwick

    Director, CITRIS Initiative for Drone Education and Research, DUCC

    CITRIS, UC Santa Cruz

  • Bruce Stenslie

    President & CEO

    Ventura Economic Development Collaborative

  • Chris Lopez

    Chair

    Monterey County Board of Supervisors

  • Clifford Cruz

    Co-Founder & CEO

    Skyway

  • Cody Cleverly

    Workforce Development Lead

    Joby Aviation

  • David Dunning

    Director, Global Innovation & Policy

    General Aviation Manufacturers Association

  • David Oord

    Senior Policy Manager

    Wisk

  • Dean Donovan

    Managing Director and Co-Founder

    Diamond Stream Partners

  • Dr. Carl Dietrich

    Founder/CEO/CTO

    Jump Aero

  • Dr. David Merrill

    Co-Founder and Executive Chairman

    Elroy Air

  • Dr. Kristin Schauble

    Director of Systems Engineering

    ANELLO Photonics

  • Dr. Peter Webley

    Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI), Geophysical Institute, UAF

  • Edgar G. Waggoner

    Senior Principal

    Crown Consulting

  • Elizabeth Posey

    Senior Program Officer

    The Irvine Foundation

  • Eric Allison

    Chief Product Officer

    Joby Aviation

  • Ernest Huffman

    Aviation Planning and Education Program Manager

    North Texas Council of Governments

  • George Kivork

    Head of State and Local Policy

    Joby Aviation

  • Henry Brinck

    Founder & President

    Clear Sky Airlines

  • Ingar Grev

    Director - Department of Defense Business Development

    Motion and Flow Control Products, Inc.

  • James Dorris

    Co-Founder and CEO

    Odys Aviation

  • James Grimsley

    Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

  • James Parrish

    Business Director

    University of Alaska Fairbanks

  • Jaqueline Cruz

    Vice President of Advancement

    Hartnell College

  • Josh Metz

    Executive Director

    DART

  • Lt. Gen. Andrew A. Croft

    Military Deputy Commander, United States Southern Command, Doral, Florida

    United States Air Force (Retired)

  • Marek Gootman

    Nonresident Senior Fellow

    Brookings

  • Maria Elena Manzo

    Mujeres en Acción

  • Martha Danly

    Head of Marketing

    Pivotal

  • Matt Beatty

    Founder

    Advanced Aviation Alignment (A3)

  • Matt Nelson

    Airport Manager

    Salinas Municipal Airport

  • Matthew Friedman

    Chief of the Office of Aviation Planning

    CalTrans Division of Aeronautics

  • Melissa James

    President & CEO

    Reach Central Coast

  • Richard A. Gephardt

    President and CEO

    Gephardt Government Affairs

  • Rob Heilman

    Director, Engineering and Product Development

    GBL Systems Corporation (Retired USDOT, DoD)

  • Rob O’Keefe

    President & CEO

    See Monterey

  • Robert Rose

    Co-Founder and CEO

    Reliable Robotics

  • Rodrigo Nieto

    Research Professor

    National Security Affairs Department | Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School

  • Stephen Zoepf

    Co-Founder

    Stealth Startup

  • Steve Ellis

    Learning & Development Advisor, Air Education and Training Command (Retired USAF)

  • Tahra Goraya

    President & CEO

    Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP)

  • Tarek Tabshouri

    Chief - Division of Aeronautics

    CalTrans Division of Aeronautics

  • Thomas Swoyer

    Grandsky Development Corp.

  • Tony C. Williams

    Senior Advisor

    NavalX Central Coast Tech Bridge

  • Walter Stockwell

    VP, Software Engineering

    Anello Photonics

Sponsors & Partners: