AeroVironment Hires Milancy Harris as Vice President and Chief Security Officer
December 05, 2025
ARLINGTON, Va., December 5, 2025 – AeroVironment, Inc. (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV) today announced that Milancy Harris has joined the company as Vice President and Chief Security Officer (CSO). In this role, Harris will lead AV’s integrated, enterprise-wide security strategy—strengthening the company’s ability to protect its people, programs, technologies, and customers across a rapidly expanding mission portfolio.
“Milancy brings extraordinary experience, clear strategic vision, and deep integrity to our organization,” said Wahid Nawabi, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer at AV. “Her leadership will ensure AV operates with the highest standards of trust and resilience while empowering our teams to innovate boldly and deliver critical capabilities for those we serve.”
Harris joins AV following a distinguished career across the U.S. Government and the private sector. She most recently served as the Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (USD(I&S)), where she oversaw the Department’s intelligence, counterintelligence, security, and law enforcement missions after serving as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. Prior to those roles, she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Irregular Warfare and Counterterrorism, where she led policymaking related to irregular warfare, counterterrorism, and the use of special operations forces.
Harris began her career as an all-source analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency before serving in senior roles at the National Counterterrorism Center, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and National Security Council focused on intelligence analysis, counterterrorism operations, and national security policy. In the private sector, she was responsible for operationalizing Meta’s Oversight Board, serving as its first Chief of Staff, and helping stand up an independent global organization that set new standards for transparency, accountability, and institutional design.
“AV’s mission sits at the intersection of innovation, national security, and public trust,” said Harris. “I am honored to join a team that is delivering critical capabilities to our warfighters and government partners. Protecting AV’s people, programs, and technologies is essential to that mission, and I look forward to building a security organization that enables the company to grow, innovate, and serve with excellence.”