UAS Advisory Group Member Bios

ROLE

• Range Manager, Pendleton UAS Range

EDUCATION

• BS, Professional Aeronautics, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, 2000

Professional Experience

I have been the range manager of the Pendleton UAS Range for the last 7.5 years. I am responsible for the overall safe and coordinated operations of the test range in accordance with FAA, Alaska Center for UAS Integration (ACUASI), and local requirements.

I oversee the below range processes:

• • Test Planning
  • Test Execution
  • Engineering support
  • Liaise with FAA/ATC representatives
  • Oversee COA submissions / process
  • Coordinate with PPUTRC and other ranges as needed
  • Ensures standards and standardization throughout the operation
  • Oversees quality assurance inspections

Prior to coming to the range, I had a 29 year career with Northrop Grumman Corporation, initially as an Avionics Engineer on the B-2 bomber program, then later as a flight test engineer/manager for the X-47B UAS and the MQ-8A/B/C UAS programs. I was responsible for mission planning, flight test card development, risk analysis/management, and data analysis and cost management.

I was an enlisted USAF avionics technician for eight years working on the B-52G/H, KC-135A and F-4E aircraft. I am also a private pilot and hold a part 107 sUAS certificate.

Role

• Programs Director and Chief of Safety, UAS Research and Operations Center, University of Maryland

Education

• MS, Engineering Management, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1993
• BS, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1986

Professional Experience

I have been with the University of Maryland UAS Research and Operations Center since 2016 and I currently manage the UAS Research and Safety programs. My primary duties include managing cost, schedule, and performance of a wide variety of UAS research projects from government, academia, and industry. I have developed and maintain the UROC Safety Management System. I have an FAA Part 107 sUAS certification and have served as a UAS pilot, visual observer, and aviation safety officer.

I am a private pilot and Master Ground Instructor, a retired U.S. Air Force instructor/evaluator navigator and staff officer, and a former NASA flight engineer and project manager/mission manager. One of the projects I was involved with was a three-year hurricane research field campaign using the NASA Global Hawk UAS flown from NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

I am also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and an FAA Safety Team Representative.

Role

• Director, Alaska Center for UAS Integration, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Education

• PhD, Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nevada Reno, 1996
• MS, Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, 1994
• BS, Applied Physics, University of California Davis, 1990

Professional Experience

Information coming soon.

Role

• Professor, Department of Geosciences, Mississippi State University
• Associate Director, Northern Gulf Institute

Education

• PhD, Geography, University of Georgia, 2005
• MS, Geography, University of Georgia, 2001
• BS, Physics, University of Georgia, 1999

Professional Experience

After receiving my PhD in Atmospheric Science in 2005 from the University of Georgia, I have been a professor of meteorology and climatology in the Department of Geosciences at Mississippi State University (MSU).  During that time, I have conducted research and taught a variety of courses related to atmospheric dynamics, hydrometeorology, computational methods, and aviation meteorology.  My current research interests involve high-performance computing with numerical weather and hydrologic prediction models, with specific applications related to prediction of extreme weather events as well as aviation weather hazards and conditions.

As well as being a professor, I also serve as the associate director of the Northern Gulf Institute, a NOAA Cooperative Institute, where I lead efforts related to weather, climate, and hydrologic research.  I also serve as principal investigator on several NOAA-funded projects that incorporate MSUs top-tier resources and expertise in the High Performance Computing Collaboratory (HPC2) and Raspet Flight Research Laboratory (RFRL).  Current research efforts involve working with RFRL to utilize Group 3 and 4 UAS platforms to improve operational hydrologic prediction through real-time imaging of active flooding, with additional work related to aviation weather standards and metrics associated with UAS operations and safety.

Role

• Manager, Airborne Science Program, NASA Ames Research Center

Education

• MS, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, 2001
• BA, Department of Biology, Gustavus Adolphus College, 1997

Professional Experience

Information coming soon.

Role

• Vice President, Defense Programs and Manufacturing, Navmar Applied Sciences Corp.

Education

• MS, National Resources Strategy, National Defense University/Industrial College of the Armed Forces, 2003
• BA, Government, The College of William and Mary, 1982

Professional Experience

Information coming soon.

Role

• Deputy Chief, UAS Division, NOAA Uncrewed Operations Center

Education

Information coming soon.

Professional Experience

Information coming soon.