DRONERESPONDERS opens applications for new State Ambassador Program

DRONERESPONDERS launched a new State Ambassador Program on Aug. 4 to build statewide public safety drone leadership, expand training access and improve agency coordination across the U.S. and its territories. The nonprofit also named new outreach and training leaders as it opens applications and nominations for qualified public safety UAS professionals.

Why it matters: - The State Ambassador Program is designed to give public safety agencies a local point of contact for drone training, guidance and peer support. - The initiative could speed adoption of safer and more consistent unmanned aircraft systems operations across law enforcement, fire, EMS, emergency management and search and rescue. - DRONERESPONDERS is positioning the program as a way to strengthen state-level leadership as public safety drone programs mature.

What happened: - DRONERESPONDERS announced the launch of its State Ambassador Program on Aug. 4, 2026. - The program is a national initiative covering the United States and its territories. - DRONERESPONDERS said applications and nominations are now open. - The organization named Michael O’Shea as Ambassador Coordinator. - DRONERESPONDERS also named Terry Smith as Training Manager.

The details: - State Ambassadors will act as liaisons between DRONERESPONDERS and public safety agencies in their states. - Ambassadors will promote DRONERESPONDERS initiatives, conferences, webinars, guidance and training opportunities. - The program is aimed at qualified professionals with a public safety background, leadership experience and statewide relationship-building skills. - Applicants must have experience in public safety UAS operations, training, coordination, policy support or program leadership. - Candidates must submit a resume for review by the selection committee. - Selected Ambassadors will receive access to DRONERESPONDERS conferences, training opportunities, outreach materials and official program merchandise. - The program also envisions train-the-trainer development support. - DRONERESPONDERS expects Ambassadors to support outreach, resource navigation, training awareness and representation at relevant state events and conferences.

Between the lines: - The program is meant to create a distributed leadership network instead of relying only on centralized national outreach. - Adding an Ambassador Coordinator and Training Manager at the same time suggests DRONERESPONDERS is trying to align recruitment, training and state engagement from the start. - Michael O’Shea said the program is intended to connect agencies with trusted resources, practical training and the right people as drone programs expand. - Terry Smith said training and readiness are key to long-term success in public safety drone operations. - Chief Charles Werner (Ret.), director of DRONERESPONDERS, said the initiative is meant to identify respected leaders who can expand access to best practices.

What’s next: - DRONERESPONDERS will review applications and nominations through its selection process. - Selected Ambassadors are expected to help increase awareness and education within their states. - The organization expects Ambassadors to represent DRONERESPONDERS at events and conferences when appropriate. - Interested candidates and nominators can use the official DRONERESPONDERS.org Ambassador Program application page for submission details and program information.

The bottom line: - DRONERESPONDERS is building a state-by-state public safety drone network to push training, coordination and adoption closer to the agencies that use the technology most.