The Board of Directors of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) announced that Michael Robbins is the association’s new President and CEO.
“Michael has proven himself as an effective advocate and leader in the industry, and with his extensive experience in government, military, and industry, was the unanimous Board choice to be AUVSI’s President and CEO,” said William Irby, Chair of the Board of Directors and President of AgEagle Aerial Systems. “He has invested years in building strong relationships with AUVSI’s members, government stakeholders, and within the broader uncrewed systems community. On behalf of the Board, I look forward to working with Michael to advance AUVSI’s strategic goals and enhance our industry’s long-term reputation, trustworthiness, and value proposition.”
Robbins joined AUVSI in 2020 and previously served as Chief Advocacy Officer, where he led all advocacy, communications, and cybersecurity initiatives. He is currently also an Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Prior to joining AUVSI, Robbins co-founded a business consulting firm, Intrepid, where AUVSI was a client, and served as its Chief Operating Officer. Before starting Intrepid, he was Managing Director of Government and Public Affairs at the Air Line Pilot Association, International (ALPA). Robbins also spent a decade on Capitol Hill in the office of the late U.S. Congressman John Dingell (Michigan), where he served as the Chief of Staff.
“This is a critical time for the uncrewed systems and autonomy industry, in both the commercial and defense sectors, and we know that AUVSI must be the tip of the spear for our growing membership,” said Robbins. “Across our strategic pillars of advocacy, education, and fostering connections, the driving mission behind everything we do at AUVSI is problem-solving. I am energized by the opportunity to lead this growing organization and fantastic team to advance initiatives that solve our community’s challenges, shape the industry’s future, and deliver results for our members.”
Michael recently served as co-chair of the Federal Aviation Administration’s UAS Detection and Mitigation Aviation Rulemaking Committee and presently sits on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Aerospace Supply Chain Resiliency Task Force and the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council sUAS Security Working Group. He is a member of The MITRE Corporation’s Aviation Advisory Committee and the Advisory Committee for the National Advanced Mobility Consortium.
