Melissa Tomkiel is the President and General Counsel of Blade Air Mobility, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLDE) (“Blade”), a technology-powered, global air mobility platform committed to reducing travel friction by enabling cost-effective air transportation alternatives to some of the most congested ground routes in the U.S. and abroad. Today, Blade predominantly uses helicopters and amphibious aircraft for its passenger routes and is also one of the largest air medical transporters of human organs for transplant in the world. Blade’s asset-light model, coupled with its exclusive passenger terminal infrastructure, is designed to facilitate a seamless transition to Electric Vertical Aircraft, enabling lower cost air mobility to the public that is both quiet and emission-free.
Ms. Tomkiel began her career at Blade in 2015 as its President of Fixed Wing Operations and General Counsel. Prior to Blade, Ms. Tomkiel was President of LIMA NY Corp. d/b/a Fly The Whale, the only commuter air carrier operating amphibious seaplanes and rotorcraft in the Northeast United States. From 2006 to 2010, Ms. Tomkiel was a corporate attorney in the New York office of Pryor Cashman.
Ms. Tomkiel also sits on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Quiet Electric Aviation, whose mission is to accelerate the transition to quiet, zero-emission, electric aircraft through the preservation of existing aviation and urban air mobility infrastructure to enable safe and affordable aerial alternatives to ground transportation.
Ms. Tomkiel’s recent speaking engagements include the Advanced Air Mobility keynote panel at the 2021 National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, the Next-Generation Mobility panel at the 2021 Milken Institute Global Conference, the 2021 Annual Conference International Association of Transportation Regulators panel on Urban Air Mobility and NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility Ecosystem working group.
Ms. Tomkiel has extensive experience in a wide variety of business affairs and transactions, including compliance with Federal Aviation Association and Department of Transportation laws and regulations, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, cross-border joint ventures, aircraft and equipment leasing, purchasing and financing, public market transactions, government relations, and securities compliance.
Ms. Tomkiel earned her Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame.
Twitter: @melissatomkiel
