Co-Founder & Chief Technology Advisor
As Chief Technology Adviser Don Woodbury leads the scientific and technological initiatives within the Skyworks organization and drives the maturation and realization of gyronautics technology globally.
Don has over 30 years of experience within the government science and technology community. He has served in senior-level positions as the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Strategic Technology Office, as a Program Manager in DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office, and as the Technical Director of the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA). He has led the investment of billions of dollars in science and technology programs that have enabled new capabilities in the air, ground, maritime, space, and cyber domains.
While at DARPA, he spearheaded efforts to demonstrate the transformative nature of gyrodyne capabilities to create an aircraft that blends the speed, range, and efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft with the runway independence of rotary wing aircraft to reach top speeds of over 400 mph and an operating range of over 1,000 nautical miles.
Woodbury is also the University of Maryland’s Director of Innovation and Partnerships, where he is focused on enhancing innovation, fostering the development of big ideas, developing new models of partnerships with government and industry, and experimenting with approaches to enhancing entrepreneurship on campus and within the region.
Woodbury holds a MS in Technical Management from The John Hopkins University and a MS in Physical Chemistry and BS in Chemistry from Clarkson University.