Mark Porter

Presentation: Managing Government Projects at the UMD UAS Test Site

Abstract: The University of Maryland Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Test Site is a leading research and operations facility, led by experts in military and civilian aviation, engineering, and project management. My portfolio at the UAS Test Site includes government projects, primarily supporting the Navy at Pax River and Panama City FL. I will cover the highlights of my projects for the past few years, including TigerShark flight operations, establishing communications relays, and supporting multi-domain swarming efforts. I will also cover some of the unique challenges we’ve faced with getting these programs off the ground. Finally, I will review the future trends in unmanned systems projects at the Test Site, and survey some upcoming collaborations with other key players in the field.

PMI Talent Triangle: Strategic and Business Management

Biography: Mark Porter is an experienced project manager with over 15 years of experience supporting the Census Bureau and the Department of State. He has successfully managed dozens of projects in the areas of logistics, nonproliferation, international grants, and government operations. Mark’s specialties include budgeting, scheduling, contract support, and proposal development.

Mark graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1998 with a B.S. in Physics. He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), and holds the ITIL V3 Foundation and Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certifications.