Mark L. Bathrick, the former Director of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Office of Aviation Services (OAS), is now the President of Bathrick Aviation Consulting. As Director, he oversaw the safety, compliance, and performance of over 2,000 contracted and government-owned crewed and uncrewed aircraft and pilots. Notably, he played a pivotal role in transforming aerial firefighting through significant modernization and technology innovation efforts. Mark spearheaded the testing and integration of innovative platforms such as the Very Large Air Tanker, the amphibious single-engine air tanker, NextGen air tankers, and drones for various applications, including aerial ignition, precision mapping, hotspot detection, and more as architect of DOI’s groundbreaking “Drones for Good” program in 2006. His contributions have been recognized through prestigious awards, including the 2017 Commercial Drone Alliance Industry Heroes Award, the 2018 selection by Commercial UAV News as a Top 7 Drone Visionary, and the 2022 DroneResponders.org Public Safety Drone Leadership Award. Before joining the DOI, Mark had a distinguished career as a Navy carrier-based TOPGUN-trained fighter pilot and test pilot school educated experimental test pilot, retiring as a Captain. His extensive aviation experience spans over 40 aircraft types, and he holds an FAA commercial instrument and multi-engine pilot rating. Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master of Business Administration from Boise State University.