Dana Kirchmar is the Vice President, Customer Support Operations of SmartSky Networks, LLC, responsible for systems integration, product assurance and Customer Operations operational readiness operations management.
Ms. Kirchmar has 35 years’ experience in the aerospace/aviation and telecom industries in both domestic and global companies, from entrepreneurial start-ups to Fortune 100 corporations. Before joining SmartSky in April 2019, Ms. Kirchmar was the Vice President and General Manager of Ulterius Aviation, responsible for product vision, investor management, corporate development, cashflow, team building and brand management in the creation of a new aviation vertical (in-air connectivity) for the startup wireless technology company, previously focused primarily on the enterprise market. Prior to Ulterius Aviation, she served as Senior Director, Customer Operations at Gogo Business Aviation, performing as the senior technical expert for the customer operations team and as the primary technical leadership interface for the largest OEMs, dealers, and aircraft owners/operators. During her 9+ year tenure, she originated the Sales Engineer and Solutions Architect roles within the company and provided overall leadership to the customer operations team, ranked number 1 in customer support for cabin avionics in the Product Support Survey conducted by Aviation International News (AIN) an unprecedented 6 years in a row. Prior to Gogo Business Aviation, Ms. Kirchmar held leadership roles at Aviation Technology Group as Director of Systems Engineering, Honeywell as Technical Manager of Cessna Citation Applications Engineering and Lockheed Martin Astronautics Group as Senior Flight Products Engineer, highlighted by participating as a key systems representative in mission control during the first classified Department of Defense Space Shuttle launch.
Ms. Kirchmar holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Colorado State University. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, noted as one of the top 10 aviation and space museums in the U.S and top 20 globally, as well as the Board of Directors of the Captain Jeppesen Foundation, the primary focus of which is providing scholarships to aspiring aviators. Additionally, Ms. Kirchmar serves on the Colorado State University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Industry Advisory Board and is active in supporting multiple organizations facilitating the progress of girls and women in STEM/STEAM education and careers.
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