John Slaughter has an extensive background in aviation, both crewed and uncrewed. Before joining the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland in 2022, he was a Senior Program Analyst and Vice President for Business Development at AVIAN, LLC, an aviation and aerospace consulting firm based in Lexington Park, MD, where he also managed a commercial UAS services division of the company.
Prior to that, Slaughter had a nearly 30-year career flying helicopters as a U.S. Naval Aviator and serving in various ground assignments, including tours as Commanding Officer of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron One (VX-1) and Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 15 (HS-15); as Integrated Product Team lead for the MH-60S helicopter acquisition program; and as Military Director for Systems Engineering at the Naval Air Systems Command. He holds a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of California at Berkeley, and a master’s degree in Systems Management from the University of Denver.
John resides in Solomons, Maryland with his wife, Ann. They enjoy boating and crabs with visiting friends and relatives, especially their three daughters and their families.