Jonathan Daniels is the Vice President of Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) and Empowered Official at DroneUp, where he leads the company’s safety, compliance, and quality programs, including its certification as a Part 135 Air Carrier. A performance-driven UAS innovator, consultant, and educator, Daniels brings more than two decades of aviation and unmanned systems leadership to DroneUp’s operations.
He is an internationally recognized industry authority, serving as a Cleared Advisor to the US Department of Commerce’s Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Aerospace Equipment (ITAC 1), Head of the US Delegation to the International Standards Organization’s TC20/SC 16 Committee on Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, and a member of the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems (JARUS) Industry Stakeholder Body. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) and a Fellow of ASTM International (FASTM), where he has led standards development for lightweight UAS design, vertiport automation, and personnel qualification. He has also served on the FAA’s Drone Safety Team, the Beyond Visual Line of Sight Aviation Rulemaking Committee, and as an FAA-Designated Airworthiness Representative for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
A retired US Army Chief Warrant Officer with more than 23 years of combined manned and unmanned aviation experience, Daniels holds a dual-major B.S. in Aerospace Studies and Business Management, an MBA, and a Graduate Certificate in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College. He is an FAA-certificated commercial/instrument rotorcraft and remote pilot.