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New executive hires bring decades of aviation, enterprise, and UAS experience to advance USI’s leadership in drone training and certification.
Panama City, FL – May 20, 2025 – The Unmanned Safety Institute (USI), a global leader in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) workforce development, training, certification, and operational best practices, is proud to announce two high profile additions to its management team. The new roles empower the company to continue its accelerated expansion and support of the academic and commercial marketplaces.
Leadership Appointments:
Brad Tucker joins USI as Chief Commercial Officer, bringing nearly 25 years of sales and marketing experience in education, certification, and emerging technologies. He has helped scale brands like NASM, an Ascend Learning company, and Gold Coast Schools, a Colibri Group company—both focused on empowering learners through certification, licensure, and career education.
Most recently, Brad served as CEO of UAV Coach®, expanding the company as a leading provider of FAA Part 107 drone training. His career has centered on developing workforce-aligned education solutions that launch careers, support lifelong learning, and upskill employees to meet evolving industry needs. At USI, Brad will lead all sales and marketing efforts, with a dedicated focus on expanding the academic sales channel and supporting schools in launching or scaling drone workforce programs. Brad’s appointment reinforces USI’s commitment to serving educators, students, and professionals with innovative programs that close skill gaps and drive meaningful outcomes.
Matt Hernandez is the new Vice President of Enterprise Partnerships for USI’s growing commercial facing business. Matt proudly served over 20 years in the U.S. Army in senior operational roles, including safety and maintenance – most notably with Blackhawk helicopter operations. Matt spent the last 10 years in senior operations safety positions at both Amazon Prime Air and Zipline.
Matt’s strategic leadership role at USI is focused on supporting commercial partnerships looking to scale UAS operations, mitigate risk, and prove Return-on-Investment (ROI). Drawing from his impressive industry experience, he will oversee the implementation of best-in-class, standardized training solutions that empower operators to maximize safety, efficiency, and effectiveness.
“The addition of Brad Tucker and Matt Hernandez to Team USI marks a significant step forward in our mission to support both academic and commercial marketplaces,” said Josh Olds, President and CEO at USI. “Their expertise strengthens our ability to deliver industry-leading training, certification, and operational best practices, ensuring our clients and partners receive unmatched value and strategic growth opportunities.”
The training and certification programs at USI continue to set the benchmark for standardization in the UAS workforce. Aligned with esteemed organizations such as ASTM International, the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), USAIG, and the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA), USI ensures that its products, services, and curricula produce top-tier operational personnel and promote organizational excellence – consistently meeting and exceeding industry standards.
About Unmanned Safety Institute (USI):
USI is the industry’s most widely recognized leader in emerging technology safety solutions, serving individuals, academia and commercial organizations focused on integrating and operating drones for civil and commercial use.
With more than 300 instructors and over 20,000 certifications awarded worldwide, USI partners with large enterprises and nearly 500 schools across all 50 states, delivering operational training aligned with aviation safety standards for UAS Maintenance and Remote Pilot operations.
As the first ASTM Approved Training Provider in the UAS industry, USI offers Primary, Advanced, and Complex training and certification programs tailored to Visual Line of Sight (VLOS), Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS), and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) initiatives. Its curriculum, training, and certifications – endorsed by major aviation insurers – are widely used in current BVLOS missions and implemented nationwide as a workforce development pathway, aligning skills to industry demands and pay scales.
Learn more at www.FlyUSI.org.
Media Contact:
Stephanie Holland, Director of Marketing and Communications - Stephanie.Holland@FlyUSI.org
