Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Marke “Hoot” Gibson stands in the lobby of Nuair in Syracuse in July 2018.
The CEO of Central New York’s drone industry alliance has quietly left the state-subsidized organization. Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Marke F. “Hoot” Gibson, the former top adviser to the Federal Aviation Administration on drones, departed the Nuair Alliance March 28. No public announcement was made about his departure or the reason for it.
Gibson declined to comment when reached by syracuse.com on Friday. Mike Hertzendorf, who was the organization’s chief of staff, is serving as its interim CEO.
Eleanor Hanna, a spokesperson for CenterState CEO, which provides administrative support services to the alliance, confirmed Gibson is no longer with Nuair. But when asked why he left and whether his departure was voluntarily, she responded to both questions by saying only, “He left in March.”
Robert Simpson, CenterState CEO’s president and the president of Nuair’s board of directors, declined to comment on Gibson’s departure.
Former Saab Sensis president Marc Viggiano, a member of Nuair’s board, also declined to discuss Gibson’s departure.
“That’s not really something I can comment on, from an agreement, legal perspective,” he said.
Headquartered in downtown Syracuse, Nuair (Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research) was formed in 2013 as a nonprofit coalition of private and public entities and academic institutions. Its purpose is to create and manage a 50-mile air corridor between Syracuse and Griffiss International Airport in Rome where unmanned aerial vehicles and systems can be tested and certified without the need for chase planes.
The alliance is an organizational partner of CenterState, the Syracuse area’s chamber of commerce and main economic development organization.
The state of New York has pledged $30 million toward the 50-mile corridor, which will require a sophisticated network of sensors, radars and communications.
Empire State Development, New York’s economic development arm, gave the alliance $3.04 million in 2017 and $2.57 million in 2018, according to the alliance’s federal tax returns. James Fayle, Empire State Development’s Central New York director, sits on Nuair’s board.
In a statement through spokesman Adam Kilduff, ESD said Nuair “has been an important partner in ESD’s work to build the UAS industry in Central New York and the Mohawk Valley. We look forward to continuing our work with the organization and its next CEO.”
Gibson was appointed as Nuair’s first permanent CEO in 2017, stepping into the role on Nov. 13 of that year. He was paid $47,115 for his partial year of work in 2017 and $244,815 in 2018.
Gibson retired from the Air Force as a major general in 2011 after 33 years of service that included numerous senior command and staff positions. Prior to joining Nuair, he served as senior adviser to the FAA on the integration of drones into the national airspace, a role that made him well known within the drone industry.
Photo: Stan Linhorst | syracuse.com
Source: syracuse.com