AeroVironment, Inc. announced that Mary Beth Long has been nominated to serve as a Class II director on the company's Board of Directors. Elections will take place at AeroVironment's Annual Shareholder meeting planned for September 29. Ms. Long has been nominated to fill the board position that will be vacated by Catharine Marigold.

The election of Ms. Long would maintain the board's current composition of seven individuals, including six independent directors. Ms. Long served as the Assistant Secretary of Defense of International Security Affairs under Secretary of Defense Robert E. Gates. In this capacity she was the first woman confirmed to a four-star military equivalent position by the U.S. Senate.

The role was the culmination of 17 years of intelligence and defense related government service where she held multiple leadership roles including Chair of NATO's nuclear and missile defense High Level Group, Principal Deputy Secretary of Defense for Asia and Southeast Asia, and Deputy Secretary of Defense for Counter Narco-terrorism. For her exemplary service, Ms. Long received the Department of Defense's highest civilian honors from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and separately from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen. Ms. Long is a magna cum laude honors graduate and Phi Beta Kappa alumni from Penn State University, where she studied the Chinese language abroad in Taiwan.

She received the university's highest alumna honors in 2018 and currently serves on the university's Provost's Global Advisory Council. She also received her law degree with honors from Washington and Lee School of Law. Ms. Long is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Spy Museum and the Defense Intelligence Memorial Fund and is active in rescuing Afghans who supported U.S. efforts in Afghanistan.