Mina Harriman is the Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at the U.S. National Drone Association™ (USNDA), where she leads initiatives that bridge government, industry, and academia to advance drone technology and tactics in support of national security objectives. With a distinguished career spanning diplomacy, civil-military operations, and the application of emerging technologies, Mina brings a unique blend of policy expertise and innovative thinking to her role.
Previously, Mina served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. In this capacity, she was instrumental in developing strategies that integrated geospatial intelligence, predictive analytics, and emerging technologies to address complex global challenges. Her work emphasized the importance of data-driven approaches and cross-sector collaboration.
Mina’s commitment to leveraging data analytics and emerging technology for humanitarian impact began with her leadership as CEO of Linking the World, an international nonprofit operating in complex civil-military environments. There, she led initiatives that harnessed technologies—including drones—to deliver aid and operate in conflict zones, demonstrating the life-saving potential of unmanned systems in crisis response.
Early in the evolution of drone policy, Mina partnered with Akin Gump to help secure the very first Section 333 exemption from the FAA, enabling a 501(c)(3) to legally operate drones in U.S. airspace before formal regulations existed. This experience gave her rare, firsthand insight into the complexities of drone integration—expertise that continues to inform her work today.
From navigating early regulatory hurdles to helping shape what is now the FAA’s Part 107 framework, Mina has witnessed the drone industry’s transformation from regulatory experiment to national security imperative. At USNDA, she draws on this experience to build mission-aligned partnerships and champion responsible innovation across defense, emergency response, and homeland security applications.
Mina has been featured in publications including CNN, Fortune, Foreign Policy Journal, Forbes, Defense One, and The Hill. She has addressed audiences at the Global Oval at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, as well as the United Nations, and served as a Fellow at the Center for the Study of Civil-Military Operations at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
She has also served as a Civil-Military UN-CMCoord Advisor, contributing to the development of the Common Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination Standards, and as a member of the United Nations Expert Panel on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Humanitarian Response.