Col (ret) Drew “Growler” Allen
Deputy Executive Director
Col Drew Allen, USAF (Retired) is the Deputy Exectuvie Director of the Oklahoma Aerospace and Defense Innovation Institute. He is also the Director of Research Initiatives in the Office of the Vice President of Research and Partnerships at the University of Oklahoma. Col Allen is a native of Owasso, OK and a proud member of the Chickasaw Nation. He attended the United States Air Force Academy and graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and Math while playing 4 years of intercollegiate baseball for the Falcons. He then embarked on a 25-year Air Force career as a fighter pilot and development test pilot. Col Allen was the Commander of the 461st Flight Test Squadron and the F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards AFB, CA, during the height of F-35 development; the Commander of the 704th Test Group at Holloman AFB, NM; and the Commander of a Data Masked Wing at an undisclosed location. He also completed staff assignments in The Joint Staff (J8) and the Air Staff (F-35 Integration Office). Col Allen accumulated over 3300 flight hours in over 55 different aircraft types. He is the only pilot in history to be qualified in every modern Air Force fighter aircraft: the F-15, F-16, F-22, F-35, and F-117. He was a distinguished graduate (#1 graduate) of Undergraduate Pilot Training, the Fighter Fundamentals Course, Pilot Instructor Training, Squadron Officer School, and the United States Air Force Test Pilot School. He holds master’s degrees in Diplomacy and Flight Test Engineering and was a National Defense Fellow at the Institute for Defense Analyses. He is married to Kim, a civilian contracting officer for the Air Force.
