Women DRONERESPONDERS Interview w/pilot & Assistant Vice Chancellor Justine Hollingshead, NC State

Описание: From Higher Ed to Drone Response: Justine Hollingshead on UAS, Emergency Management & NC State Leadership

Amy Wiegand hosts the Women DRONERESPONDERS Interview Series with Justine Hollingshead, Assistant Vice Chancellor at North Carolina State University, discussing her 30-year career at NC State and how she integrated drones into higher education, emergency management, and public safety support.

Justine explains how she began flying drones in 2017 as an amateur photographer with a Phantom 4, created widely viewed campus media including a 2018 snow-day video, and later used a university drone during Hurricane Florence support at UNC Wilmington for building assessments.

She describes earning her FAA Part 107 in 2018 and becoming involved with North Carolina’s broader UAS ecosystem through connections with NC DOT, NC State’s Next Gen Air Transportation Consortium, ITRE, and public safety partners, addressing challenges like preparedness gaps in higher education and imposter syndrome. The episode covers NC State’s training and outreach efforts (including AUVSI Trusted Operator training), work with the FAA/FEMA COE ASSURE on emergency response research and AED delivery concepts, partnerships such as with Wake County Sheriff’s Office for search-and-rescue technology, and Justine’s continued EMS-related community work.

Justine closes with advice for women and girls to volunteer, persist, keep learning, and not fear being the only woman in the room, and Amy shares updates on Women DRONERESPONDERS discussion groups, the national DRONERESPONDERS conference, and a North Carolina working group with NC State slated to host an inaugural state working group conference next year.

About Women DRONERESPONDERS:
Women DRONERESPONDERS (WDR) is dedicated to being a resource for women who look to engage in meaningful conversations about UAS use in public safety, including law enforcement, firefighting, emergency management, critical infrastructure protection, airspace management, and more. By fostering these connections, we empower women to lead, innovate, and shape the future of UAS operations for critical public safety missions. Join for free—visit droneresponders.org/women-droneresponders to connect, learn, and grow.

00:00 Welcome & Meet Justine Hollingshead (NC State)
00:19 From Residence Hall Director to Assistant Vice Chancellor
03:15 How Drones Entered the Picture: Photography to Phantom 4
05:44 First Big Campus Flights: Class Photo & Viral Snow Day Video
08:16 Taking the Drone Abroad: Ecuador & Night Photography
09:45 Hurricane Florence: From Hobby Drone to Damage Assessment Tool
11:18 Getting Legal & Serious: Studying for Part 107
13:18 Building NC Preparedness: Higher-Ed Emergency Training + UAS
16:50 Connecting to Statewide UAS Efforts: NCDOT, Networking & Next Steps
18:08 Breaking Into the Drone Consortium (and Owning the Room)
18:48 Connecting the Dots: DOT, Universities, and Emergency Deployment
19:38 Building a Campus Drone Network: iTry, AIR Team, and Mentors
21:07 Outreach in Action: Conferences, Utilities, and Teaching Kids to Fly
23:00 Imposter Syndrome to Instructor: Training Pilots with AUVSI
24:55 Public Safety Research & AED Delivery: ASHORE and EMS Roots
28:30 Real-World Partnerships: Search & Rescue Tech with Wake County SO
31:01 Advice for Women & Girls: Volunteer, Persist, and Keep Practicing
33:55 How to Connect + What’s Next: NC Working Group & Conferences
36:05 Wrap-Up and Post-Interview Check-In

#DronesForGood #PublicSafetyDrones #WomenInAviation