The Virginia Unmanned Systems Center at CIT has established a board of advisors

The Virginia Unmanned Systems Center (VUS) at the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) has established a 24-member board of advisors to bring together different expertise in the CommonWealth. The board will focus on guiding strategies and priorities within the four domains of the unmanned systems market: land, sea, air and space.

Virginia Unmanned Systems Center at CIT Forms Board of Advisors to Support Local Initiatives, Forward Industry Expansion | Board Members Represent Full Breadth of Virginia Unmanned Systems, Will Help Fill Industry Gaps for Land, Sea, Air and Space | https://t.co/wfAzijaqQm #UMS pic.twitter.com/lfC2DKTIGO

— Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (CIT) (@VirginiaIPC) May 7, 2019

“Our mission at CIT is to grow the unmanned systems customer base in Virginia and, thereby, grow the industry. We are very grateful for the commitment of our advisors, who are leaders from Commonwealth businesses, universities, and economic development organizations – they are a great representation of Virginia’s unmanned systems ecosystem,” Tracy Tynan, director of the new board said in a statement.

CIT is currently working with Virginia agencies on pilot projects that include the use of unmanned systems to accomplish agency missions faster, cheaper and safer, a press release states. The board of advisors will be key in proposing innovative solutions in areas such as transportation, public safety, energy efficiency and more.

Todd Yeatts, senior manager of government operations at The Boeing Company, is joining the board and bringing his expertise in aerospace innovation, where he said unmanned systems and autonomy will be a key driver for this market.

VUS’s advisory board includes 18 leaders from Virginia Tech, Virginia Department of Aviation, Virginia Economic Development Partnership, DroneUp and more, while CIT fills six seats on the board. The group previously met for the first time on March 28.