Mary Beth Long
AeroVironmentAbout Mary Beth Long
Mary Beth Long (age 61) has served as an independent director of AeroVironment since August 2023. She is a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (2007–2009), with 17 years of intelligence and defense-related government service, and is the principal of MB Long & Associates, PLLC, a law firm focused on defense sales, contracting, and compliance. She holds a magna cum laude B.A. from Penn State and a J.D. with honors from Washington and Lee School of Law .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Defense | Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs | 2007–2009 | First woman confirmed to a four-star equivalent by U.S. Senate; chaired NATO nuclear/missile defense High Level Group; senior roles across Asia and counter narco-terrorism |
| MB Long & Associates, PLLC | Principal (law firm) | Founded 2010 – present | Export compliance, defense contracting and compliance; active advisory across international defense markets |
| Askari Defense & Intelligence, LLC | Principal | Founded 2010 – until 2022 | International consultancy; policy expertise engagements |
| Metis Solutions, LLC | Founder/Leader | Pre-2016 – sold in 2016 | Built and sold government contracting firm to private equity |
| Global Alliance Advisors, Inc. | Consultant | 2017 – Nov 2021 | International advisory firm assignments |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Defense Holdings, Ltd. | Strategic Advisory Board Member | Current | Defense/security technology advisory |
| International Spy Museum | Board of Directors | Current | Governance role in nonprofit museum |
| Defense Intelligence Memorial Fund | Board of Directors | Current | Nonprofit board service |
| Council on Foreign Relations | Member; presided meetings | Current | Engagement on NATO, Ukraine, Afghanistan topics |
| Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCAT) | Director | Nov 2022 – Jul 2023 | Drone company; prior public board service |
Board Governance
- Independence: Independent director; board determined all directors other than CEO Wahid Nawabi are independent under Nasdaq and SEC rules .
- Committee assignments: Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance (NCG); Member, Cybersecurity (CS). Not a chair; NCG chaired by Stephen F. Page; Cybersecurity chaired by Cindy K. Lewis .
- Attendance: Board held 11 meetings in FY2025; each director attended at least 75% of board and committee meetings on which they served .
- Governance processes: Annual board and committee self-evaluations; charters publicly available; robust audit oversight including related-party transaction review .
| Committee | Role | Meetings (FY) |
|---|---|---|
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | Member | 6 (FY2024) |
| Cybersecurity | Member | 9 (FY2025) |
Fixed Compensation
| Component (FY2025) | Amount ($) |
|---|---|
| Annual Board Retainer | 60,000 |
| Committee Member Retainer Fees | 13,000 |
| Chair/Lead Independent Fees | — (none) |
| Total Cash Fees | 73,000 |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Component (FY2025) | Detail |
|---|---|
| Stock Awards (grant-date fair value) | 159,860 |
| Unvested Restricted Stock (as of 4/30/2025) | 1,926 shares |
| Options Outstanding (as of 4/30/2025) | None |
Notes
- Equity awards are time-based restricted stock; no director options outstanding; valuation per FASB ASC 718 .
- Post-vesting retention: Must hold 50% of net after-tax shares until ownership guideline met .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Listing | Role | Tenure | Interlock/Conflict Consideration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Cat Holdings, Inc. | NASDAQ: RCAT | Director | Nov 2022 – Jul 2023 | Adjacent drone industry; no current AVAV interlock disclosed |
| Liberty Defense Holdings, Ltd. | — | Strategic Advisory Board | Current | Defense/security technology; advisory role, no AVAV transaction disclosed |
- Current other public company boards: 0 for Ms. Long (per director summary) .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Defense policy and intelligence leadership with NATO HLG chair experience; deep export compliance and international business expertise via MB Long & Associates and advisory roles .
- Active in CFR; U.S. Chamber Defense & Aerospace Export Council; Cipher Brief Expert .
- Legal training (W&L Law, honors) and global exposure (Chinese language study in Taiwan) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric (as of Aug 7, 2025 unless noted) | Value |
|---|---|
| Beneficially Owned Shares | 3,043 |
| % of Shares Outstanding | Less than 1% |
| Ownership vs Director Guideline | 6.1x annual retainer (guideline: 5x; met) |
| Unvested Restricted Stock (as of 4/30/2025) | 1,926 shares |
| Anti-Hedging/Pledging Policy | Hedging and pledging prohibited; all director trades pre-cleared |
Director Stock Ownership Guidelines: Non-employee directors must reach 5x annual retainer within five years; Ms. Long at 6.1x as of April 30, 2025, exceeding requirement .
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Ms. Long’s defense/intelligence background is highly aligned with AVAV’s military-focused robotic systems, adding valuable cybersecurity and geopolitical risk oversight, reinforced by her Cybersecurity Committee service (9 meetings in FY2025) and NCG membership .
- Independence and attendance: Formally independent with at least 75% meeting attendance; supports investor confidence in oversight rigor .
- Alignment: Exceeds director ownership guideline (6.1x vs 5x), with strict anti-hedging/pledging policies and post-vesting retention—positive alignment signal .
- Compensation structure: Balanced cash ($73k) plus equity ($159.9k) with annual cap under the equity plan; no options or special awards; consistent with peer governance norms .
- Conflicts/related-party exposure: No reportable related-party transactions since May 1, 2024; Audit Committee reviews any such items. External advisory/firm affiliations present theoretical conflict vectors, but no AVAV-linked transactions disclosed—monitor ongoing engagements, especially in defense contracting arenas .
RED FLAGS
- None disclosed in related-party transactions, hedging/pledging, or attendance. Continue surveillance on external defense advisory roles for potential procurement or contracting overlaps with AVAV to preempt any perceived conflicts .