Unmanned Safety Institute Welcomes New Vice President of Operations

The Unmanned Safety Institute, global leader in UAS training and certification, announced that Donald Shinnamon has joined the Unmanned Safety Institute (USI) team as the Vice President of Operations. Shinnamon will be responsible for strategic planning, program coordination and business development.

Shinnamon earned his MBA from the University of Baltimore and completed a fellowship at Harvard University.  He had a long career in public safety, beginning with the Baltimore County, Maryland Police Department where he rose to the rank of colonel and held the position of chief of operations.  He went on to serve as the Chief of Police for multiple Florida municipalities including Gainesville, Holly Hill, and finally Port St. Lucie. An experienced police aviator he is a commercial pilot rated in helicopters and single engine airplanes. He represented the International Association of Chiefs of Police for aviation-related matters for 15 years. In 2005, he became involved with the emerging unmanned aircraft technology, advocating for the use of UAS by public safety. He sat on the 2008 rulemaking committee and helped draft what would eventually become Part 107. After leaving government in 2011 he went on to develop commercial business for Boeing’s unmanned aircraft company Insitu.  Among other groundbreaking projects, he led business development efforts for the first legal commercial operation using unmanned aircraft in the United States.  Working with ConocoPhillips, the two companies made history when they launched a ScanEagle UAS from a research ship in the Arctic in 2013. Most recently, Shinnamon has worked as a subject matter expert for Aeryon Labs, the Unmanned Safety Institute, performed UAS audits for ARGUS International, and sat on numerous UAS standards committees working to develop operations and safety standards for public safety UAS.

“USI is privileged to have an unmanned aviation expert and experienced business professional like Don join our team,” said USI President Josh Olds.  “Don brings with him nearly 14 years of unmanned aviation experience, with unparalleled historical knowledge about what the industry was when it was first starting in 2005 and insight into what it is set to become.  With Don’s unique background and contributions to the company, USI will be able to stay at the forefront of the industry, leading the way in safety standards and delivering superior products and training.”

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About Unmanned Safety Institute  

USI is widely recognized as the global leader in UAS education and training standards and safety certification delivering the most highly-regarded training programs in the industry.  USI delivers turn-key UAS technical education and training programs now being offered in hundreds of flight training institutions, high schools, community colleges, and four-year universities around the country.  USI is endorsed by major aviation insurance providers, supports aviation flight departments worldwide with unmanned programs, supports career pathway initiatives with industry-leading safety programs, and delivers training programs evaluated and recommended for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE). USI’s coursework is accepted by the FAA Safety Team for Wings Credit. Discover more about the Unmanned Safety Institute atwww.UnmannedSafetyInstitute.org.

CONTACT: Alexis Creedy, Marketing & Communications // 407-499-2054 // alexis.creedy@unmannedsafetyinstitute.org