Five authors, one booth, and three days of conversation about the people and ideas shaping uncrewed aviation.
Each September, the commercial uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry gathers in Las Vegas for the Commercial UAV Expo. This year’s event, held September 1 to 3 at Caesars Forum, brought operators, educators, investors, and regulators together for three days of sessions, demonstrations, and deal-making. On the exhibit floor, one of the busiest stops was the Women and Drones booth, where five authors spent the show signing books and talking with attendees about the forces shaping the industry.
Dr. LaQuata Sumter, Desi Ekstein (known across the industry as Drone Diva Desi), Jennifer Pidgen, Dr. Renee Welch, and Sharon Rossmark greeted a steady stream of visitors throughout the expo. Many attendees came for a signed copy and stayed for a conversation. Some returned later with colleagues in tow.
The booth itself did much of the inviting. Its backdrop featured an aerial image by marine aerial photographer Joanna Steidle of Hamptons Drone Art, whose work is known for its clarity, depth, and sweeping perspective. Attendees routinely paused to study the image before stepping forward to meet the authors.
Five Authors, Five Perspectives
Together, the authors represent a cross-section of the field: education, safety, operations, leadership, and strategy. Their audiences differ, but their work shares a common purpose, which is building the knowledge and the people the industry needs to grow.
Dr. LaQuata Sumter
Dr. Sumter’s work focuses on education, workforce readiness, and the pathways that lead learners into aviation careers. Her book, Dronology: The Complete Guide, resonated with attendees looking for insight into how training, curriculum, and academic partnerships can support the industry’s long-term growth. In addition to her signings, she served as a panelist on workforce development and the future of aviation education. At the booth, her conversations often turned to mentorship, learning models, and preparing the next generation of aviation professionals.
Desi Ekstein
Ekstein is a longtime advocate for safety, community engagement, and hands-on learning, with a gift for making complex topics approachable. Her featured titles at the booth were Elevate Your Standards: Building an Operations Manual for Your Uncrewed Aircraft System Company, a practical framework for drone businesses formalizing their operations, and Desert Escape: Off-Road, Off-Grid, In The Air, which takes readers off the beaten path and into the sky. She also spoke on several expo panels, where her insights on safety culture, training, and community outreach drew strong interest. Many visitors left with a signed book and fresh motivation to build their own skills.
Jennifer Pidgen
Pidgen brings deep operational experience to her work, with a focus on practical knowledge for professionals flying uncrewed systems. Her featured titles were The Drone Pilot’s Guide to Real Estate Imaging: Using Drones for Real Estate Photography and Video, co-authored with Douglas Spotted Eagle, and The Pilot’s Manual to UAS Night Flight, a guide to flying legally, safely, and effectively after dark. Her signings anchored conversations about real-world applications, operational challenges, and the evolving regulatory environment. Operators, program managers, and newcomers alike valued her ability to turn field experience into actionable guidance.
Dr. Renee Welch
Dr. Welch’s work explores leadership, organizational development, and the human factors that shape aviation environments. At the booth, she signed her children’s book, DaPooh and Jay’s Space Adventure: A Rookie Reader Series (DaPooh Goes To Virtual School), a reminder that the aviation pipeline starts with curiosity long before career decisions. Her conversations with attendees often turned to career development, team dynamics, and workforce culture.
She also moderated a well-attended roundtable discussion on professionalism across the uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and advanced air mobility (AAM) sectors. The session, titled “Professionalism in the UAS/AAM Industry: Building Trust, Safety, and Leadership in an Evolving Aviation Ecosystem,” brought practitioners together to examine the behaviors, expectations, and leadership qualities that support safe and trusted operations.
Sharon Rossmark
Rossmark, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Women and Drones, signed copies of her new book, Future Flight: How Talent, Capital and Manufacturing will Shape the Next Era of Uncrewed Aviation. The book examines the three forces that will determine who leads the next chapter of the industry: the talent pipeline, the capital that funds it, and the manufacturing base that builds it. Attendees told her the book helped them make sense of trends they were seeing across the expo floor, and her booth conversations ranged from industry growth to the value of collaboration across sectors.
Why It Resonated
The response at the booth reflects three broader currents in uncrewed aviation.
Demand for durable knowledge. As the industry expands, professionals are looking for reliable, practical, forward-looking insight. Books offer depth that complements conference sessions and product demonstrations, and they keep working long after the show floor closes.
Connection at human scale. A book signing creates an easy reason to talk. Many of the conversations that began at the Women and Drones booth carried on through the expo halls and into follow-up meetings.
Ideas as infrastructure. The industry runs on innovation, and innovation runs on ideas. Books shape how professionals understand emerging trends, navigate challenges, and plan for what comes next. By hosting a multi-author showcase, Women and Drones put thought leadership on the exhibit floor alongside the hardware.
Looking Ahead
For Women and Drones, the showcase was a highlight of the expo and a clear expression of the organization’s mission: to elevate voices, build community, and expand access across uncrewed aviation. The team is grateful to every attendee who stopped by, asked a question, or picked up a book.
The organization plans to carry that momentum into future programming, partnerships, and events that connect professionals directly with the authors, innovators, and leaders shaping the future of flight.
