Professional Affiliation

Acting Deputy Executive Director, Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office at Federal Aviation Administration

Expert Bio

Sabrina Saunders-Hodge is the Acting Deputy Executive Director of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Office which serves as the FAA's focal point for all matters related to civil and public use of UAS in U.S. airspace and is responsible for coordinating the integration of advanced air mobility (AAM) operations into our aviation system. Within this role, Ms. Saunders-Hodge supports the Executive Director in leading FAA's efforts to safely integrate UAS and AAM operations into the National Airspace System (NAS).

Ms. Saunders-Hodge previously served as the Director of the Research, Engineering and Analysis Division within the FAA’s UAS Integration Office. She was responsible for coordinating internal and external to the FAA to lead the development of the FAA’s UAS research plan to inform the rulemaking framework for safe and efficient integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the National Airspace System.

Prior to joining the UAS Integration Office, Ms. Saunders-Hodge was the manager of the FAA’s NextGen New Entrants Division with program management responsibility for executing UAS research as well as standing up the FAA’s first UAS Center of Excellence.

Over the past thirty years Ms. Saunders-Hodge has worked in the field of satellite communications, contributed to the development of ICAO’s global plan for transitioning to future communications, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management (CNS/ATM) systems for civil aviation, co-managed the oversight of FAA/European cooperative research and development initiatives, and worked on the development of operational concepts for technology enhancements within the NAS. 

Ms. Saunders-Hodge holds a B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from The University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University respectively.  Additionally, Ms. Saunders-Hodge is a certified Project Management Professional and a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute.