Tom Ballenger, a U.S. Army veteran and former deputy director of science and technology at U.S. Special Operations Command, has been appointed vice president of the unmanned aerial systems group at Berry Aviation.
He will oversee the development of drone capabilities, including emerging threat replication, cargo services and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and manage the company’s UAS contracts, the Acorn Growth Companies’ portfolio business said Thursday.
Ballenger served as director of the aircraft systems integration branch at Army Special Operations Command and held roles at the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). While at SOCOM, he managed a portfolio of specialized technology programs.
“As Berry continues to expand into new and exciting areas of aviation like UAS and [electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle] we are certain that Tom’s values and management philosophy will be a huge advantage to the company and our clients,” said Stan Finch, president of Berry Aviation.
The San Marcos, Texas-headquartered company manages a broad range of specialized aviation offerings such as on-demand cargo, ISR, passenger operations, medical evacuation and casualty evacuation.
