FAA UAS Part I: "101" in Public Safety UAS Usage from the FAA

Tonya D. Coultas is the Deputy Associate Administrator for Security and Hazardous Materials Safety. Ms. Coultas is responsible for implementing and maintaining the FAA’s programs that support national security, aviation safety, and the National Airspace System (NAS). Ms. Coultas provides executive oversight and direction for the overall planning, coordination, and implementation of national security policies, plans, and national programs involving internal security, hazardous materials safety, investigations manned and unmanned systems, intelligence operations, emergency planning and operations, and workforce services.



Ms. Coultas has over 30 years of combined federal executive, local, state, military, and international experience transforming national level programs providing authoritative executive level guidance in support of national and international-level security, defense, intelligence, safety, disaster response, and crisis management. Before joining the FAA, Ms. Coultas served as the Deputy Executive Assistant Administrator for Security Operations at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).



Ms. Coultas is a retired Chief Master Sergeant from the Maryland Air National Guard where she served for 24 years and also previously served as a Senior Executive for the DHS National Protection and Programs Directorate (now CISA) and FEMA.

Michael O’Shea is a Program Manager for the FAA’s UAS Integration Office’s, Safety & Integration Division where he serves as liaison, facilitator and resource for both public and civil unmanned aircraft integration efforts. Before joining the UAS Integration Office, Mr. O’Shea was a program manager in the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Science and Technology for 17 years where he managed the law enforcement aviation technologies program. As part of his duties at DOJ Mr. O’Shea sat on the Small UAS and Remote Tracking/ID Aviation Rule Making Committees. Prior to working at DOJ, Mr. O’Shea spent almost 15 years as a uniformed law enforcement officer. Mr. O’Shea is a graduate of Baker University (Kansas) with a degree in Business and Marketing. Mr. O’Shea holds a FAA Light-Sport Pilot Certificate (Fixed Wing, Gyroplanes and Powered Parachutes) and a Remote Pilot Certificate.