Meet Our Team

Aaron Davis

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Aaron founded MARS. Inc. in 2018, and prior to that he worked for ten years as a security and military contractor.  Aaron is also a former Marine Corps aviation specialist and served with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, MAG 39.  He has a BA in Intelligence Studies from American Military University, with emphasis on Special Operations Low Intensity Conflict.  As a contractor, he completed 1,000+ missions without loss of personnel, and is also a SME on asymmetric strategy and covert operations in denied areas.

Blair Bozek

Chief Operating Officer

Blair is a a retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with tactical fighter and strategic reconnaissance aircrew, instructor, evaluator, and threat & tactics expert experience, including 9 years with the SR-71/Blackbird program.  He managed acquisition, exploitation, test and evaluation of the HQ USAF Foreign Materiel Program (Aircraft) for 12 years in the Pentagon working for an industrial contractor.  He is experienced with adversary air, worldwide-ISR and airlift operations, and leading supersonic and hypersonic aerospace small business teams.  Blair has a BS in Aeronautical Engineering for the US Air Force Academy, and a Masters of Aeronautical Science from Embrey-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Onboarding

Chief Technology Officer

Bio Information is on the way soon.

Arnie Gunderson

Propulsion Systems Expert Advisor

Arnie worked 33 years for Pratt & Whitney in ever increasingly responsible positions, starting as a test engineer and completing as a Program Manager.  He worked extensively on the J58 Engine Program, and had key roles in F100-PW-220/229 Production and Support, Space Shuttle Alternate Turbo-pump, C-17 Flight Test, and Foreign Military Sales.   He is experienced in Overhaul and Repair operations, Flight Test, Complex Support Equipment including Test Stands, Integrated Logistic Support, and Program Management.  Following his retirement from P&W, he worked for Atec, Inc. in the Houston, TX area building, selling, and supporting innovative jet engine test stands.  Arnie went on to work for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Huntsville, AL as a Subject Matter Expert in Test Engineering of Target Missiles for the Missile Defense Agency. 

Chris Michalakis

Government Affairs & Business Development Advisor

A retired U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and former airline captain, Chris is currently a Senior Flight Ops Representative liaising with the aviation industry promoting flight safety and efficiency. His efforts are inspired by over 40 years of civilian and military operator experience. Before leaving the cockpit to collaborate on aviation industry initiatives, Chris was a Boeing 767 Line check pilot, Chairman on International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Regional Coordination Group, a research cohort with NASA Langley involved with multiple projects focusing on data link, Air Traffic Management Systems and emerging cockpit technologies. His USAF career path included 21 years in tactical aviation assignments flying the F-111F, F-16ADF and F-15C/D. He also serves one the Board of the Rotary Club of Jacksonville, Florida. Most recently Chris has been a technical advisor to several International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) working groups. He collaborates with global aviation organizations, state regulators, operators, air navigation service providers and industry monitoring agencies. Chris holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and is still an active pilot in general aviation.

Jon Rice

Business Operations, Corporate Development & Investors Affairs Advisor

Jon comes to us having retired from a distinguished 30+ year career with the U.S. Government where he served as a Senior National Security Executive focusing on the Middle East, Europe, the Western Hemisphere, and Africa.  On entering the private sector, Jon founded venture capital firm Intbox Ventures, LLC, through which he provides advisory services and support to startups as well as advances an investment portfolio focusing on companies that enhance global prosperity and security.  Jon has lived in many corners of the globe, hails from New England, earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and currently lives in and works from the Washington, DC area.

Jim Payne

Flight Testing & Evaluation Expert

Jim is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with tactical fighter and flight test experience. During his military service, Jim flew two tours in the f-4 Phantom, was an F-5E Aggressor pilot, was an USAF test pilot for the the F-16XL, taught at the USAF Test Pilot School, and was Deputy Commander for Operations at Edwards AFB.  After retiring from the military, Jim manager Global Hawk flight test at Edwards.  He has made first flight in the three aircraft.  Jim has a BS in General Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy, and a Masters of Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Scott Marshall

Flight Testing & Evaluation Expert

Scott is a retired US Air Force Command Pilot and served as a Senior DoD and USAF Acquisition Officer for 27 years.  He has an Air Transport Pilot FAA certificate with Boeing 707/720 heavy type ratings, and over 5300 flight hours.  Scott has extensive Flight Test and Department of Defense Systems Acquisition process experience to include development of major program Test & Evaluation Master Plans.  He worked for Booz Allen Hamilton for 8 years as a T&E consultant for multiple DoD aircraft, space, software, and wheeled vehicle programs.  He is currently a part-time flight instructor at the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, CA and has been working in that capacity for the past 8 years.

Rogers Smith

Flight Testing & Safety Expert

Coming from an extensive flight test and safety background, in addition to leveraging this background to MARS' benefit, Rogers is an international lecturer on the separate but related topics of Leadership and Safety in both the aerospace and medical worlds.  He is the author of over 30 technical papers and was co-creator of the Neal-Smith fighter control system design criterion. He has worked with various contractors as an Advisor for Flight Test and for Safety, as well as an active Test Pilot for development testing of the USAF Reaper UAV aircraft. He also served as Site Manager for a staff of 20 aircrew members. As a test pilot, engineer and technical leader, Rogers held positions with the National Research Council of Canada, NASA Langley Research Center, Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory/Calspan, and became a research test pilot at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. At Dryden, he participated in an array of test programs, involving the X-29, AFTI F-16 and F-111, X-31, F-15 ACTIVE, F-18 and SR-71 aircraft.  After a distinguished career at Dryden where he also served as Chief Pilot and Acting Director of Flight Operations, he retired in 2000 and pursued a career in consulting. He worked EADS in Germany as an advisor on Eurofighter flight control system development and then as a Vice President and Director of Flight Test at the EADS Military Aircraft Division.  He later worked at the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, CA as a Test Pilot Flight Instructor.   He is a Fellow and past President of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and a Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Rogers received a BAS in Engineering Physics and a MS in Aeronautical Engineering, both from the University of Toronto with Honors. He served as a fighter pilot with both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the United States Air National Guard, where he also held senior leadership positions.

Ted Field

Aerospace Ops & Maintenance Expert

Ted serves as Chief Executive Officer for Predictive Solutions, LLC, focused on aviation management and operations. He oversees all company operations, communicating between company executives and decision making that impact the company’s brand identity and financial health. He previously worked at Camber Corporation, currently Huntington Ingalls, from 2006 through 2019, where he performed many roles in the company concluding as the as Director of Business Development. He is a retired USAF Chief Master Sergeant where he served 21 years in the fighter aircraft community, retiring in 2006.  In this capacity he developed comprehensive maintenance experience to support virtually every fighter in the USAF inventory at the time.  He served in Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Subsequent to his USAF career Ted has developed extensive experience in UAS/UAV operations and management.  He has a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Science and his Master of Business Administration. 

Chris Koelzer

Aviation Ops Support Expert

Chris is a 28-year Marine Corps officer and F/A-18 pilot, deploying twice aboard a Navy carrier to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf, serving in Operations, Training, and Maintenance roles.  He next served as an F/A-18 instructor with VMFAT-101 at MCAS Miramar, then left active duty and joined Marine Reserve F/A-18 squadron VMFA-112 in Texas, while working at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company on the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter Program, developing tactical doctrine and conducting air combat simulation events.   Chris left Lockheed to work as a flight simulator consultant for L3 Communications, and fighter aviation consultant for several companies, prior to founding Lone Star Vipers LLC in 2007 in support of F-16 sustainment.   In addition to Lone Star Vipers, Chris co-founded Victory Aviation Company in 2016, providing FAA-approved training with Marchetti S-211 jets, as well as R&D in tactical air refueling and pilot-optional automation systems for single-engine turboprop aircraft. 

John Hutchinson

High-Speed Flight Operation Advisor & Lead Storyteller

John started flying with the Royal Air Force in 1955 and spent eight years in the service, flying the Avro Shackleton in Singapore and then as a Flying Instructor and Examiner on the Jet Provost. This was followed by three years in corporate aviation flying a variety of light single and twin engined aircraft. In 1966, he joined British Airways as a co-pilot on the Boeing 707 and then went on to the Boeing 747. He gained his command on the VC10 in 1976. He joined the Concorde fleet in 1977 where he spent the next 15 years until retirement. During that time he became a Concorde Route Check Captain and a British Airways pilot selector as well as working for BBC television as a Presenter of Airshow programmes.  Since his retirement in 1992, he has worked as a consultant to the United States High Speed Research Program. In December 2022 he was appointed as an advisor to MARS Engines to help with development of an effective power plant for future generation hypersonic vehicles. He is a Past Master of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots and is a Fellow of both the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Royal Institute of Navigation. He has flown over 70 different aircraft types and kept his hand in flying his Auster Aiglet until 2020.

Russell Brand

Advisor, Business Development

Darold Cummings

Advisor, Vehicle Design

Maxx Jackson

Advisor, Material Science

Sylvester Kaczmarek

Advisor, International & Domestic Opportunities

Tony Seabert

Advisor, Engineering

Ryan Micheletti

Advisor, Business Development & Operations