Brad is the grandson of iconic American Hotelier Conrad Hilton, one of the greatest American entrepreneurs in history. As the former director of Hilton Hotels Information Technology Group, Brad helped spearhead an increase in corporate solicitations from $700 million to $1.2 billion in a single year at Hilton. After leaving Hilton Hotels, Hilton has been involved in seeding capital for many companies. Several of the companies have experienced explosive growth and are moving to become publicly traded.



Prior becoming the CEO of GAINS, Hilton was a founding partner and the President of eCorridor, a successful Information Technology company located in Phoenix, Arizona. This company successfully weathered the economic downturns brought on by 9/11 as well as the recession of 2008. This first of its kind, statewide integrated solution ties city, state and county agencies together to streamline the arrest, booking and disposition processes; having saved millions in tax payer dollars.



J. Bradley Hilton has a wealth of technical, marketing, management, and executive experience to assist companies to rapidly grow and achieve their desired goals. Hilton is a technical visionary; he is always looking at what future events will be coming down the pike and to benefit from emerging markets. Brad is also a noted philanthropist through his involvement in the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Generations in Giving initiative.

brad.hilton@worldskyrace.com

Paul Bartick has joined The World Air League as the executive producer of the documentary film about the World Sky Race and the Save Earth Expedition (SEE).

Paul Bartick is a member of the Explorer’s Club and a master storyteller. As president of BL² Media, he brings together his expertise and wide network in TV and film to inspire the next generation to dive headfirst into the world of STEM. Paul has developed acclaimed shows for Sesame Workshop, ABC, Nickelodeon, PBS, and Disney Channel. His latest film, Superhuman Body, narrated by Matthew McConaughey, premiered in IMAX theaters worldwide in 2024. Upcoming projects include an animated series with Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, IMAX films on brain healing and climate change, and a PBS documentary exploring the transformative impact of AI in healthcare, showcasing how it is revolutionizing medical science and improving millions of lives. Paul's dedication to personal and professional growth is reflected in his involvement with the World Sky Race. His growth mindset took root at UC Berkeley, where frequent visits to the Esalen Institute helped shape his outlook, blending Western psychology with Eastern philosophy. Paul’s lifelong journey of self-discovery continues, powered by his passion – and a healthy dose of therapy.

Member of the Explorers Club

paul.bartick@worldskyrace.com

Bob R. Fowler, Chief Executive Officer of Aerovehicles Inc. (AVI)

Bob Fowler has 44 years of experience in aviation starting with the US Air Force in 1978. Bob was the Class President and Honor Graduate of the USAF Command and Leadership Academy. In 20 years of active and reserve duty he was decorated 18 times including the National Defense Service Medal and the Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal two times each.

As a civilian pilot Bob holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate for both lighter-than-air and fixed-winged aircraft. During his civilian aviation career, he advanced to Chief Pilot for both lighter-than-air and fixed wing companies then to Executive Vice President of Pacific Skyway/Casino Airlines until 2002 when he co-founded AeroVehicles Inc. Bob was appointed CEO of Aerovehicles Inc. in 2009. Since then, he has successfully expanded the company and its products. AVI is now the parent company of Aerovehicles Argentina (Sucursal Extranjera), AVI Airship Australia (Aerostats and Airships), Aerovehicles Canada (ISR Systems), Aerovehicles Paraguay S.A. (Aircraft Production) and has representation in England, France, Italy, and Senegal.

In 2019 the World Air League selected Bob as their Director of Safety, Training and Logistics for the World Sky Race. He currently resides in San Luis, Argentina where he manages AVI’s offices and projects.

Current Aerovehicles Inc. projects include:

Electric engine conversions for AVI’s MALE drones and airships. Project partner Parque Tecnológico Itaipu (PTI) Paraguay.

Securing FAA and/or DiNAC approval to build a full scale prototype of AVI’s AV-10 heavy lift airship.

Aerial mapping of the Amazon region of Paraguay for environmental studies and monitoring.

Assist in developing a transport system for Green Hydrogen with PTI Development of hydrogen engines for fixed wing aircraft and airships

bob.fowler@worldskyrace.com

Fiona Harte has combined a 25-year legal career with multinational business and international legal practices. She worked with DAC Beachcroft, Bevan Britten, and was a partner at Slater & Gordon. Fiona worked as In-House Counsel with Compass PLC, served as Group Legal and Commercial Director for Bramble Group and General Counsel Ikon Science Group, a geoscience company in the oil sector. Her specializations include technology, international procurement, infrastructure, and environment projects. She was one of the first-generation project finance lawyers to advise on Private Finance Initiative and Public Private Partnerships. Throughout her career, she has advised central government Public Health England (now Health Security Agency) at executive level and with the Ministry of Defence worked on strictly confidential projects. She has in-depth expertise in privacy and cybersecurity and led 17 lawyers for IBM’s implementation of EU's General Data Protection Regulations across their global supply chain. She has advised Lloyds Banking Group and was head of legal at Equifax.

She started her career in Formula 1 and F1 BioTech, as assistant to John Byfield who achieved acclaim in supporting Jenson Button to F1 world championship. Fiona runs her own elite entertainment, robotic/technology and Space private practice. She advised on the production of the first holographic west end show in 2014, AI and robotic collaborations with Google Deepmind, and LA productions, including Project Runway. She works with music and theater tours with A-list artists and motorsport champions.

Fiona has a keen interest in global health and health equity, currently taking an MSc at Queen Mary University London.

Fiona is an amateur pilot, a member of the European Space Policy Institute with an active interest in policy making and the issue of space debris and the space environment.

Fiona is a composer, producer, and musician.

She speaks fluent French, and has a working ability other languages., including Arabic, Spanish, Norwegian and Italian.

She received her law degree from Nottingham Trent University. .

fiona.harte@worldskyrace.com

Federico Wesselhoefft is an international attorney with extensive experience advising investors and boutique law firms on legal and strategic aspects of resource integration and financing. This includes corporate finance, venture capital, partnering, joint ventures, non-recourse project finance, structured trade and export finance, and international arbitration & enforcement.

He is Chief Legal Officer and Director of Aerovehicles Inc., an advanced aircraft designer and manufacturer with operations in the United States, Argentina, and Paraguay.

Additionally, Federico Wesselhoefft has received a Doctor in Law and Economics from the University of Hamburg in Germany and The Erasmus University of Rotterdam in The Netherlands.

Based in Hamburg, Germany, he is accepted to practice Law in Spain, Germany and Argentina.

f.wesselhoefft@worldskyrace.com

Marie Pohl has joined The World Air League as a writer to chronicle the journey of the World Sky Race and the Save Earth Expedition (SEE) in feature articles and in a book.

Ms. Pohl is a published author and journalist, and the Lady Hay Drummond-Hay of The World Sky Race. Drummond-Hay was a British journalist, who was the first woman to travel around the world by air (in a zeppelin) in August 1929.

Ms. Pohl was the youngest woman to travel the world and publish a travel novel, when her first book Marie’s Trip was published in Germany and became an instant bestseller. Born in Hamburg, Germany, she grew up in New York City, studied in Madrid, and is trilingual. She published a second travel novel, Ghost Trip in Germany, and is working on her third about her maternal Romanian heritage. She also writes feature articles for prominent German newspapers, such as Süddeutsche Zeitung and Stern magazine, and several news organizations in the United States, like Studio International and The New York Post, among many others.

marie.pohl@worldskyrace.com

Terry Garcia served as Executive Vice President and Chief Science and Exploration Officer for the National Geographic Society for 17 years. He was responsible for the Society’s core mission programs, including programs that supported and managed more than 400 scientific field research, conservation and exploration projects annually.

In June 2010 Garcia was appointed by President Obama to serve on the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. The Commission investigated the root causes of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

In 2011, he received Peru’s highest civilian award, “Orden del Sol del Peru,” for his role in helping repatriate a collection of ancient artifacts taken from Machu Picchu in 1912.

Prior to joining National Geographic in 2000, Garcia was Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Deputy Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) where he oversaw U.S. coastal, ocean, and atmospheric programs, including recovery of endangered species, habitat conservation planning, Clean Water Act implementation, the development of the national marine sanctuary system and commercial satellite licensing. From 1994 to 1996, he was NOAA’s general counsel. Among other responsibilities, he led the implementation of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Plan for Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska.

Before entering government service, Garcia was a partner in the national law firms of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and Hughes Hubbard & Reed.

He is a research affiliate for the MIT Media Lab Open Agriculture Initiative. In 2011, he was named by the First Minister of Scotland to be Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Government of Scotland’s Saltire Challenge Prize for marine renewable energy. He is a member of the boards of directors of Mystic Aquarium, the Amazonian Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER) and George Washington University’s Planet Forward program. He served on NOAA’s Sanctuary System Business Advisory Council and the advisory board of the Harte Research Institute of Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M University. Garcia also has served on the U.S. National Committee for the Census of Marine Life, the board of trustees of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation as well as panels convened by NOAA, the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Public Administration.

Terry Garcia is currently president of Exploration Ventures, a company providing advice and counsel to global clients in a range of industries, including science and technology, conservation, media, and education.

He is a member of the Explorers Club.

tgarcia@worldskyrace.com

Dimitri Deheyn has joined The World Air League as the lead scientist in its Save Earth Expedition (SEE).

The World Air League, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans are collaborating to outfit a 1-month airship expedition to gather data on airborne microplastics at varying altitudes in our atmosphere.

Dimitri Deheyn, who initiated this unprecedented expedition, is a Research Scientist at the Marine Biology Research Division of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego. There, he conducts cross-disciplinary research on emerging pollutants, such as plastics, and especially microplastics and textile microfibers and their associated additives. Key aspects of his studies include examining these microparticles from high mountains to the bottom of the ocean, from lakes to rivers, lagoons, and coastal ocean waters, and also looking at them in snow, rain and in the atmosphere, always considering a global perspective.

Deheyn grew up in Africa and South America, and in 1998 completed his PhD in Belgium where he started his academic career, before moving to Scripps Oceanography in 1999. His multi-continental past has equipped him with a worldwide view on environmental issues. Consequently, his work aims to understand ecosystems that are critical to support a healthy future of our planet, and to protect these ecosystems against rapidly increasing environmental challenges... climate change and plastics being among the most detrimental threats.

Member of the Explorers Club

Travis Tobias is a dynamic multimedia artist with over 20 years of experience specializing in animation, motion graphics, graphic design, web design and development, video production, and illustration. His captivating work has graced global stages, from the Times Square Jumbotron to the historic palace of Versailles and other cultural heritage locations, as well as being showcased in theaters across the United States.

Since 2007, Travis has passionately collaborated with the World Sky Race, creating stunning websites, animations, posters, and other graphics that elevate the event's visibility and engagement. His career has seen him partner with a variety of renowned individuals and organizations, including The World Air League, enhancing a diverse array of projects across multiple media formats.

In 2012, Travis founded PixelDog, a multimedia and marketing company where he produces a diverse array of projects, including video production, 3D animation, graphic design, web development, and video game production.

travis.tobias@worldskyrace.com