Pete Frank is a Senior Regulatory Affairs Specialist at Censys Technologies, where he supports regulatory strategy for advanced UAS operations, helping translate complex aviation regulations into scalable, real-world approvals. Born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Pete earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from George Mason University before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 2010. He served more than eight years as a UAS operator, including a combat deployment to Afghanistan in 2012, operating the RQ-7B Shadow.
Pete holds a Master of Science in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and an MBA from Northeastern University. After leaving the military, he joined Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP), an FAA UAS Test Site, where he worked as a UAS Safety Researcher supporting flight testing, operational research, and Part 107 waiver development for public and commercial clients. He later served as a senior consultant at Evans Incorporated, supporting the FAA’s Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) program as a regulatory advisor and UAS subject-matter expert.