Michael A. Crosby
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Crosby formed Aria International Incorporated in July of 2008. Prior to Aria International, he was President of Commonwealth Consulting and the Lehman Group, a Washington, D.C., consulting and lobbying firm. As the CEO of Aria International he is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the company and overseeing all of the corporate functions and developing all business expansion. After his departure from active duty in 2003, Mr. Crosby immediately deployed back to Iraq in support of the US Marine Corps providing specialized communications and surveillance infrastructure at three airfields in western Iraq. He also led the expansion of their efforts to provide similar services to clients such as the Kuwait Ministry of Interior, India Ministry of Interior, and the United Arab Emirates Air Force. From 2000 to 2002 Mr. Crosby served as the Vice President of US Business Development at Advanced Technology Group; a UK based aerospace firm which specialized in the development of unique lighter-than-air aircraft designs and solutions.
From 1998 to 2000, Mr. Crosby was Director of Commercial Business Development at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California and was responsible for the planning and development of the Aerospace Sectors strategic plan. From 1997 to 1998 he served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Venga Aerospace Systems, Inc. (TSX- VAV) and led the company through a complete restructuring and IPO on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
In 2002, as a result of the events of 9/11, Mr. Crosby was recalled to active duty with the U.S. Navy and assigned to U.S. Central Command. He was the Deputy for Counter Proliferation and directed operations in support of “Operation Enduring Freedom” and “Operation Iraqi Freedom”. For his efforts Commander Crosby was awarded the “Joint Force Commendation Medal” for organizing and leading a team consisting of units from nine nations conducting counter proliferation operations in the Horn of Africa.
Mr. Crosby holds a Master of Science in Systems Management from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California and is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Science. He is a graduate of the Allied Air Forces Central Europe “Tactical Leadership Program” in Jever, Germany, as well as the US Navy Fighter Weapons School “TOPGUN” in San Diego, California. Mr. Crosby has logged over 2700 hours in multiple tactical jet aircraft, including, among others, the F-14, F/A-18, B-1B, Mirage 2000, Tornado GR1, Harrier, and the F-16N.
