Instructors List

Brandon Karr is from Pearland, Texas. Brandon started his interest in aviation in 2006 where he earned his Commercial and Certified Flight Instructor licenses for manned fixed wing single-engine, multi-engine, and instrument ratings. Brandon worked to integrate drones into the Pearland Police Department's patrol, K9, SWAT, crash reconstruction, and crime scene functions. Through his experience has developed several courses involving utilizing UAS in public safety including Part 107 Ground School, Basic to Advanced Flight Scenarios, Night Operations, Crime and Crash Scene Mapping, and Legal Concerns for UAS. Brandon is also a board member for multiple public safety drone organizations and working groups.


Brandon is an internationally recognized subject matter expert for starting and developing the Pearland Police Department drone team and is one of the nation's leaders in DFR and BVLOS operations. Brandon has also been a guest speaker for multiple conferences to include Interpol Drone Expert Summit, International Emergency Drone Organization Conference, Law Enforcement Drone Association Conference, AUVSI Exponential, and Commercial UAV Expo.

Scott Mlakar is an Assistant Chief (Ret) with the Willoughby (OH) Fire Department where he has served for 37 years. He is a paramedic, hazmat specialist, technical rescue coordinator, fire investigator, FAA Remote Pilot. He serves on the Fire Chief's Special Operations Committee in Lake County. He developed and is the Chief in charge of the Lake County Public Safety Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) team, composed of Firefighters and Police officers. It provides UAS support to all of Lake County's emergency services, special teams and government agencies. He has presented at various National UAS conferences including Interdrone, Commercial UAV Expo Americas, and the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) on Public Safety UAS Programs. He has published articles for Fire Engineering magazine on Public Safety UAS. He serves as lead Instructor at Tri-C Community College as part of their Public Safety Drone program, and as an Instructor for Flymotion Unmanned Systems training public safety professionals all across the country.

Rich Gatanis embarked on his career in 2003 as a Firefighter/EMT/HazMat Technician with Southern Manatee Fire Rescue, which is located in Manatee County, Florida. In 2015, Rich assumed the position of UAS Coordinator at SMFR by instituting a UAS program within his organization. Since then, SMFR has emerged as a preeminent leader in devising and executing policies and best practices for UAS response in hazardous materials and special operations. His progressive and visionary mindset has enabled him to devise specialized devices that facilitate drones in carrying chemical, gas, and radiation detectors into an area to monitor the air in real-time with onboard camera systems remotely.
Rich's fervent interest in UAS in public safety propelled him to join flymotion's team in 2017. During his tenure at flymotion, he worked closely with numerous public safety agencies nationwide to design drone programs and provide equipment. His vast knowledge of policy, training, and UAS regulations has enabled him to aid these agencies in creating their own internal policies and protocols. In 2020, Rich became the UAS Team Lead at the Manatee County Search and Rescue Team. MC-SAR is a Non-Profit Search and Rescue team comprising current and former Public Safety professionals who are passionate about serving their community. MC-SAR is routinely deployed with local agencies for missing persons, water rescue, and other emergency operations.
In 2021, Rich played a pivotal role in establishing the Florida Public Safety UAS Coordination Group (FLOGRU). The DRONERESPONDERS Florida Public Safety Coordination Group provides the framework for public safety agencies and emergency services organizations to collaborate directly with industry, government, and academia by leveraging the combined expertise of AIRT and AUVSI members with the State of Florida. In the same year, Rich brought his extensive knowledge to Brinc Drones. Brinc is a tactical UAS that is American-made and purpose-built to aid special response teams in barricade, hostage, active shooter, and other high-risk situations.

Throughout Rich's career with SMFR, MC-SAR, Brinc Drones, and FLOGRU, he has worked closely with industry leaders who are involved in developing technology for UAS operations in public safety. Not only has Rich contributed to promoting purpose-built development in the industry, but he has also gained extensive knowledge of how this technology operates and performs in harsh environments.

Officer Herbert Oubre brings over 16 years of dedicated service with the Pearland Police Department, where he currently serves as the Lead UAS Pilot of the Pearland PD UAS Team. Since 2018, he has piloted unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for various operations including tactical, mapping, searches, major incidents, DFR, and catastrophic events, accumulating over 200 flights. Officer Oubre is also a certified UAS instructor, sharing his expertise in aerial operations and investigative techniques.

Officer J. “Matt” Rowland is an 19-year veteran of the Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD) located in Fort Wayne, IN. He was a founding member of the FWPD Air Support Unit (ASU) in 2017. He spent 15 years in the Operations division and served 6 years during that time as a hostage negotiator. Matt has been involved with the FWPD rolling out its Drone First Responder (DFR) since 2021. graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice . Officer Rowland is currently assigned as one of two full time sUAS pilots on the Fort Wayne Police department Air Support Unit.

Manned and Unmanned Aviation Pilot currently serving as a Trooper/Co-pilot flying helicopters on the Aircraft Operations Unit for the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. Previous experience as a team member of the Collision Reconstruction Unit, which is a specialized investigative unit answering questions and solving problems related to complex crash investigations, reconstructions, and criminal inquiries. Expertise in incorporating technology from drones, 3D laser scanners, 3D modeling, and photogrammetry to produce detailed, accurate reconstructions efficiently.

Helped create and establish the sUAS program for the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. Subject matter expert and presenter on unmanned aviation, starting a drone program, using drones in government and public safety, and integrating unmanned aircraft into the National Airspace System. I am passionate about the integration of drones into society to make our lives better through educating others about the technology, working with private industry and government entities to best utilize the technology, and learning from others at every opportunity available.

Doug Seirup is a Deputy with the Benton County (Oregon) Sheriff's Office and oversees the law enforcement division's UAS Team. He started his law enforcement career in 2008 in the state of Utah, before moving to Corvallis, Oregon, and joining the BCSO in 2015. Doug is a Field Training Deputy, EVOC instructor, and a member of the Major Crash Team. With a passion for technology and finding ways to incorporate it into law enforcement, Doug helped start the UAS program in Benton County in early 2019. With seven aircraft and three part 107 certified operators, Doug has helped the Benton County Sheriff's Office implement their UAS program into many facets of law enforcement work, including crash and crime scene reconstruction/mapping, assisting patrol with crimes in progress, and providing overwatch aerial support for SWAT missions.

Katie Thielmeyer is a firefighter/paramedic and FAA Part 107-certified remote pilot who assists public safety agencies implement best-of-class drone programs based on ASTM and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) flight standards. She is regarded as a subject matter expert in the use of sUAS for mission-critical public safety applications.

Ms. Thielmeyer serves as the Risk Reduction Officer with the Woodlawn (Ohio) Fire Department, where she oversees the Risk Reduction Division, delivering an array of essential services including fire & EMS response, community outreach, and fire prevention programs. In 2018, Thielmeyer created the Emergency Services Special Operations (ESSO) sector within the Risk Reduction Division to implement a public safety unmanned aviation program focused on sUAS response. That team, in collaboration with other fire and law agencies, now provides mutual assistance for regional deployments in the Cincinnati area and beyond.

Katie also serves as a project manager and principal investigator with DRONERESPONDERS, the world’s fastest-growing non-profit program supporting the use of sUAS by public safety agencies and emergency services around the globe. In this capacity, Ms. Thielmeyer oversees DRONERSPONDERS’ partnership with NIST, as well as other specialized initiatives.

Kyle Hellpap is currently a Special Agent for Homeland Security Investigations in the Houston Field
Office. In addition, he serves as an Assistant Team Leader, Training Coordinator and Senior sUAS Pilot for
the HSI Houston Special Response Team. During his time with Homeland Security, Kyle has conducted
hundreds of tactical law enforcement operations around the United States to include high risk warrant
service, undercover operations, dignitary protection and maritime operations. He developed the tactical
sUAS standard operating procedures for the HSI Houston Special Response Team and has deployed
numerous times in support of sUAS tactical operations while serving on this team. The majority of the sUAS tactical operations have been interior clearance operations.

Kyle Hellpap previously served in the United States Army as an Infantryman, Intelligence Collector and
sUAS Pilot with combat deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan. He holds a bachelor’s degree from
the University of Houston and multiple law enforcement and military certifications.

Steven Jones has been a police officer with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department since 2009. During that time he has served as a patrol officer, field training officer, and detective. In 2015, Officer Jones joined the department's Crime Scene Investigations Section. He graduated from the National Forensic Academy in 2017 and is a Certified Crime Scene Investigator through the International Association for Identification.

In 2018, Officer Jones obtained his remote pilot certificate and began using drones for aerial photographs and mapping of crime scenes. Since then, he has helped the department expand its use of drones, including major events, missing persons searches, and SWAT incidents.

Officer Jones has piloted drones in a wide variety of missions, from assessing the aftermath of the Nashville 2020 Christmas Day bombing, to providing overwatch for the Secret Service during a presidential debate, to documenting and reconstructing bullet flight path at Civil War battle sites.

David Pace is an officer with the Olmsted Township (OH) Police Department and has served in Law Enforcement for over 27 years.

He is a field training officer, active shooter instructor, RAD Instructor and a FAA 107 Remote Pilot along with additional certifications for Public Safety SAR, Advanced UAS Tactical Operations, Pix4D and Pix4D React.

Pace also currently serves as a board member for the Northeast Ohio Unmanned Response Teams Coordination Group which develops operational/training/networking and consulting for police and fire departments within 7 counties in Northeast Ohio. He developed and is the coordinator for the Olmsted Township Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Team and operates/coordinates his unit within Class B Airspace. He is also a FAA Safety Team (FAAST TEAM) member for the Cleveland Flight Standards District Office of the Federal Aviation Administration.

He has presented at the Ohio Attorney General Conference, NEO-PSURT, Cleveland.Com and for numerous other police chief associations and public organizations.
He serves as the Coordinating Instructor at Cuyahoga Community College as part of their Public Safety Drone Drone Academy for first responders.

In his off time, Pace enjoys time with his two daughters, along with outdoor activities including boating, fishing and snowmobiling.

After working over 30 years in public safety, Chris Grazioso
is now the Chief of UAS Operations for the Aeronautics
Division’s Drone Operations Program at the Massachusetts
Department of Transportation. In addition to managing the
day-to-day operations of the program, Chris is responsible
for planning and flying missions, the team's initial and
recurrent training, and coordination of emergency responses
which include pre and post incident damage assessments
and large-scale transportation accidents.
Part time, Chris is the team lead for the Metropolitan Law
Enforcement Council’s (MetroLEC) Tactical Drone Unit.
MetroLEC is a consortium of more than 46 local police and
sheriff departments in the Metropolitan Boston area which
covers 600 square miles and has a corresponding
residential population of 850,000 people. The Tactical Drone
Unit responds alongside Metro’s SWAT and SAR teams.
They assist with pre-mission planning, real-time situational
awareness, live streaming, search and rescue, and indoor
and outdoor suspect/victim searching.
Chris is also a FAAST Team DronePro for the Boston FSDO
and on the Board of Advisors with DRONERESPONDERS.
He has presented at conferences around the country. Chris
has been a medical specialist with Massachusetts Task
Force 1, one of the FEMA US&R teams, since 2005 and has
deployed to several national incidents.
Chris's extensive aviation experience includes 11 years as a
manned aircraft pilot and 8 years as an unmanned pilot. He
has been training the general public and public safety
agencies nationwide since 2015 and is often called upon as

a SME to assist local public safety agencies in starting their
drone programs. Chris has significant experience in all of
DJI’s and Skydio’s rotorcraft as well as the Delair and eBee
fixed wing aircraft. His sensor experience includes EO,
thermal, multispectral and LIDAR. Chris's UAS areas of
expertise include aerial mapping and inspections, aerial
photography and videography, public safety operations,
night operations, search and rescue, and indoor flying.