Michael O'Shea, who spent the last eight years as the FAA's Public Safety Liaison in its UAS Integration Office, has joined the DRONERESPONDERS UAS National Initiative for Training and Education (UNITE) team as its new manager, the organization announced this week.

In his FAA role, O'Shea worked directly with state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies across the country to help them build and manage compliant drone programs. Before that, he spent 17 years as an Aviation Program Manager with the U.S. Department of Justice, and originally entered government service as a Deputy Sheriff with the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office in Topeka, Kansas.

As UNITE Manager, O'Shea will focus on expanding awareness and delivery of DRONERESPONDERS training products and working with industry partners on initiatives that support the public safety drone community.

"I love the DRONERESPONDERS program," O'Shea said in a statement. "It has helped educate countless public safety agencies about the importance of safely integrating UAS technology into their operations. I am excited to continue supporting the public safety drone community through UNITE."

DRONERESPONDERS is a program of AIRT, the 501(c)3 non-profit behind the Drones For Good and AAM For Good initiatives. UNITE is the organization's training and education arm, aimed at helping public safety agencies develop structured, standards-based drone programs.

Christopher Todd, Executive Director of AIRT, called O'Shea a “powerhouse” addition to the team. 

"His knowledge and experience are a tremendous asset to help us expand the UNITE project with the goal of making the National Airspace System safer for everyone," Todd said.

O'Shea will also take on a permanent co-host role on the Public Safety Drone Review, a monthly webinar co-produced by DroneLife and DRONERESPONDERS. The series airs live on the first Tuesday of each month at 3:00 PM Eastern and is available afterward on YouTube. He'll join existing co-host Miriam McNabb of DroneLife and DRONERESPONDERS Director Charles Werner for the recurring broadcast.