
About the Alliance
The Aerospace Alliance was created in 2009 as a private partnership by Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi to establish the southeast region as a world-class aerospace and aviation corridor.
Since that time, the region has attracted some of the world’s most recognizable names in the industry. However, our region is more than just the titans of industry: we are home to businesses large and small representing the next generation of innovation in aviation, aerospace and space exploration.
To ensure that industry growth and job creation continues, the Alliance and its partners promote the region’s shared assets, elevate the talent pipeline and advance its position as an ideal location for excellence and discovery.
These efforts are guided by a board of directors consisting of the head of economic development from each state and three appointees.
Aerospace Alliance Board of Directors
Laura DiBella
Secretary of Commerce and President & CEO, Enterprise Florida, Chair of the Aerospace AllianceLaura Hipp
Deputy Executive Director, Mississippi Development AuthorityDon Pierson
Secretary of Commerce, Louisiana Economic DevelopmentGreg Canfield
Secretary of Commerce, Alabama Department of CommerceCrystal Stiles
Executive Director of Development for Distributed Technologies & Mobility, Florida Power & Light CompanyRobert (Bobby) Savoie, Ph.D.
Chief Science & Engineering Officer, Sev1Tech LLC, LouisianaRobert (Bob) Fudickar
Executive Director, National Center for Advanced Manufacturing (NCAM), LouisianaRick Byars
Senior External Affairs Manager, Florida Power & Light CompanyJohn R. Watret, Ph.D.
Chancellor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide Campus, FloridaHaley Fisackerly
President & CEO, Entergy Mississippi, LLCGeorge Freeland
Executive Director, Jackson County Economic Development Foundation, MississippiJeff Lynn, Sr.
President, Central Alabama Community College (CACC)Bob Smith
Assistant Director, Business Development, Alabama Department of CommerceKeith Kenne
Senior Director, Government Contracts, Airbus US Space & DefenseNeal Wade
Aerospace Alliance Past-Chair/Founding Member, University of AlabamaShawn Welcome
Senior Director of Business Development, Louisiana Economic DevelopmentNancy Blum-Heintz
Managing Director, Aerospace Alliance, VisionFirst AdvisorsMaria Crume
Consultant, VisionFirst Advisors