We would like to welcome two Board members elected to serve as representatives of silver and gold members: Gerald Peklar and Chad Sweet. The election was held over the past few weeks, and the new Board members will start this month.
Gerald Peklar – Gold Member Representative
Gerald Peklar is a project and technical solutions manager of mobile robotics at NXP Semiconductors in Hamburg, Germany. Gerald has a background in electronics engineering and has worked at NXP since 2014, leading publicly funded projects and open reference design hardware and software solutions within the mobile robotics team. He also holds EASA remote pilot certificates and is a drone test pilot for all NXP internal developments. This is the first time Gerald has served on the Board. He is an RC model and race drone enthusiast, so he is fortunate enough to make his hobby his profession.
Chad Sweet – Silver Member Representative
Chad Sweet is the CEO & Founder of ModalAI. Before ModalAI, he worked at Qualcomm in San Diego from 1998 through 2018, where from 2012, he led robotics R&D focused on drones. Since 2014, he has collaborated with PX4 leaders to understand the needs and requirements of drone hardware and software that will help developers accelerate the development of autonomous drones. Through ModalAI, Chad oversees the development of their autonomous VOXL autopilots, specifically designed to be open and developer friendly. Over 500 global developers are using VOXL with PX4 flight control as the core of their drones, and ModalAI works with these manufacturers and ecosystem contributors to incorporate and promote Dronecode hosted projects like PX4, QGroundControl, MAVSDK, and MAVLink. Chad served on the Board for the past two years and was reelected.
See Behind The Tech Episode #3 featuring Chad Sweet.
We also want to thank Vince Poon, the CTO of Holybro, for his willingness to serve on the Board. He is a valuable community member, and we hope he can serve in the future.
A Heartfelt Thanks to Our Departing Board Members
As we welcome new faces to our Board, we must also take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to those who are stepping down: Hyon Lim of UVify and Paul Stubbs.
See Hyon’s keynote at the PX4 Developer Summit 2022 in Austin, Texas.
We extend our sincerest thank you for your unwavering dedication, invaluable contributions, and countless hours you devoted to the Dronecode Foundation. Your commitment to fostering an open-source community, your leadership in navigating the complexities of the drone industry, and your passion for innovation have left an indelible mark on our Foundation. Perhaps we will be fortunate enough to see you on the Board again.
See Paul’s talk at the PX4 Developer Summit 2022 in Austin, Texas
The Current Board of Directors
The 2023 Board of Directors are:
- Lorenz Meier (Community Director) — Chairman
- Daniel Agar (PX4 Maintainer) — TSC Chairman
- Markus Achtelik (Auterion) — Platinum director
- Gerald Peklar (NXP Semiconductors) — Gold director
- Chad Sweet (ModalAI) — Silver Director
The next elections for the Board will be held in April 2024. Silver and Gold director’s positions will be up for election. Look for a call for nominations in March 2024.
As we welcome our new board members, we look forward to the fresh perspectives and ideas they will bring to our foundation. We are confident that under their leadership, the Dronecode Foundation will continue to thrive and set new standards in the drone industry.
Understanding the Role of Our Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of the Dronecode Foundation is not merely a governing entity; it is the strategic nucleus of our organization. They are entrusted with strategic supervision, ensuring our unwavering commitment to our mission and the continuous cultivation of community and innovation.
The significance of a board of directors is particularly pronounced in open source foundations like ours. Such foundations offer a vendor-neutral platform that champions transparency, inclusivity, and equitable opportunities indispensable for the growth and innovation ly aspire to. By fostering a collaborative environment for developers, end-users, and vendors to propel the industry forward, we can guarantee that our endeavors genuinely reflect the community’s needs and we share in the collective innovation.
We have come so far, and we can’t wait to see what is to come.
The Importance of Membership
Members are even more critical than the board. Membership in the Dronecode Foundation is an opportunity to take an active role in supporting the growth and evolution of the open drone ecosystem. Members are even more critical than the board. Our members are part of a vibrant community, working together to advance the drone industry through open source. Learn more here.
