Sean Connor

Business Development Lead

Sean grew up in Columbia Maryland, just outside of Washington D.C., where he lived for 31 years prior to moving to Carroll County, MD. Sean studied Economics at the University of Maryland, College Park between 2006-2010.

Sean is an experienced aviation professional with a special focus on drone integration, advanced flight deck technology, and business development. He began his career in the FAA UAS Integration Office in 2009 as drones were just beginning to take off throughout the U.S. As a member of the FAA UAS team until 2015, Sean worked to advance new policies for commercial operations and supported the safety risk management process for civil and government drone approvals.

He then moved to industry, working with drone manufacturer startups and leading UAS Traffic Management companies. Sean advised these startups on regulatory matters and helped drive the success of their early growth through customer UAS program standup and internal waiver requirements generation. He also directed policy efforts out of DC, engaging with the FAA, Congress, and unmanned aircraft associations to advance Part 107 Small UAS commercial operations, such as the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) for approvals in controlled airspace. Most recently, Sean managed an aviation consulting firm in the D.C. region, working with a variety of both manned and unmanned aviation clients, supporting new technology development, certification, and flight training projects.

Sean has been a certified FAA Part 107 UAS pilot since 2017. He also participated on the FAA’s Small UAS Rulemaking Committee for Operations Over People and worked closely with industry and regulators during the FAA’s roll out of the first Part 107 LAANC authorizations. His specialties include Business Development , Program Management, UAS/Drone Regulations, Safety Risk Management, Flight Test Instrumentation, and Head-Up Display Technology.

As Business Development Lead, Sean is responsible for the overall growth and business development strategy for MissionGO’s core UAS service sectors, including cargo delivery, utility inspections and training. Sean is currently working to continue building on MissionGO’s drone organ transport delivery services within the medical and organ procurement community, following the record-setting flights for the first transplantable organ in 2019 and longest organ delivery in 2020.

When he’s not at work, Sean can be found spending time with his wife, Stephanie, and son Brooks, getting together with their big families, cooking and eating tons of good Italian food. Sean is passionate about new technology and likes to try out the latest drone systems, VR platforms and simulator & gaming systems to keep up with the latest trends.