The 2023 AUVSI Ridge and Valley Chapter Annual Symposium will be held at the Inn at Virginia Tech on Tuesday, October 24th. We’ll meet up again the following day for flight demonstrations and more at nearby Kentland Farm from 8:30am- 11:30am on Wednesday, October 25th. See directions at the link below.
Online registration has closed, but on-site registration will be available.
If you’re interested in your organization being a sponsor of the symposium, please reach out to us at AUVSIRidgeAndValleySecretary@gmail.com! Here are the available sponsorship opportunities.
Standard registration is $245,. This includes full access to the symposium, as well as lunch and a drink ticket at the evening networking reception, and activities at Kentland Farm on the 25th. Select “Participant Registration” on the CPE website at the link below.
Speaker registration is $195 and includes all of the perks of the Standard Registration. After your abstract has been accepted we will reach out to you with a discount code to be entered during the registration process.
Student registration is $45, and includes all of the perks of the Standard Registration minus a drink ticket. If you are a student, select “Student Registration” on the CPE website at the link below.
Sponsor registration is FREE! We will email you instructions on how to register for free as a sponsor. See the “Sponsorship Opportunities” Link above to determine which sponsorship package works for best for you.
Annual Symposium
Keynote Speaker:
James "JP" Stewart
As Vice President and General Manager at Electra.aero, JP is responsible for all aspects of Electra’s operations. He was previously the Director of Programs at Electra where he led the execution of Electra’s programs. Before joining Electra, he led the development of an eVTOL aircraft for Porsche as Senior Technical Program Manager at Aurora Flight Sciences (a Boeing Company).
He is an aerospace engineer from Virginia Tech by training and previously worked as the propulsion/system test and solar array leads for Aurora’s solar-powered aircraft and as a mechanical engineer on various Aurora programs. He began his career in the UAS industry and founded a company to collect and process aerial imagery of farms for precision agriculture through the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute.
While in college, he was selected by Aviation Week for the 20 Twenties program for “Fearless enthusiasm, curiosity, engineering capability, and concern about the world beyond themselves.”
When not working on airplanes, he’s an active pilot and instructor flying both sailplane and powered aircraft. He learned to fly sailplanes at the Blue Ridge Soaring Society and has flown over 620 miles/8 hrs in a single flight and up to 17,835 ft – all without an engine. He is a life member of the Soaring Society of America, holder of 19 state records, and has represented the US Soaring Team four-times in the World Championships.
Spotlight Speaker:
Jeffrey Vincent
Jeffrey Vincent is the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Executive Director for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Office in Aviation Safety (AVS). He is responsible to safely integrate unmanned aircraft into the National Airspace System.
Prior to his current role, Mr. Vincent served as Vice President of Air Traffic Services responsible for providing safe and efficient air navigation services to more than 42,000 flights and 2.5 million airline passengers across more than 29 million square miles of airspace. Prior to the Vice President of Air Traffic Services, he served as the Vice President for Safety and Technical Training was responsible for the development of ATO's Safety Management System and the integration of safety and training standards into the provision of air traffic services.
Mr. Vincent was also the Director of Air Traffic Operations, Eastern Service Area providing strategic leadership and direction for ensuring the safety and efficiency of air traffic operations for Airport Traffic Control Towers, Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities, and Air Route Traffic Control Centers. He also served as Deputy Director as well as Senior Advisor to the Director of Air Traffic Operations. In addition, he worked as a Certified Professional Controller at Boston Logan and Charlotte Douglas International Airports. He began his leadership career as a Front-Line Manager (FLM) at Birmingham International Airport. He continued his leadership as a FLM at Houston Intercontinental Tower and TRACON.
Then in 1999, Mr. Vincent broadened his FAA experience by returning to the Southern Region (ASO) where he held positions as Quality Control Specialist and Acting Branch Manager of Airspace, in ASO-520. Additionally, he held several positions at Atlanta TRACON and Tower, to include; Operations Manager, Support Manager, and acting Tower Air Traffic Manager.
After completing a headquarters detail in the Terminal Mission Support office, Mr. Vincent was selected to lead the Quality Control Group for the Eastern Service Center in 2009. During his tenure there he worked closely with the Air Traffic Services Safety and Compliance Group in developing and implementing ATO’s current Quality Assurance/Quality Control process in the Eastern Service Area.
When do we meet?
AUVSI Valley and Ridge has normally scheduled chapter meetings.