Interested in Partnering with Us?
Interested in Partnering with Us?
SCiDUC is nonprofit organization managed my South Carolina state employees for South Carolina state employees. If you are interested in connecting with our members to expand your brand and support the SCiDUC mission, please contact us using the form below
SCiDUC is nonprofit organization managed my South Carolina state employees for South Carolina state employees. If you are interested in connecting with our members to expand your brand and support the SCiDUC mission, please contact us using the form below
Board of Directors
Mark Jahnke - President
Mark Jahnke has served the broadcast community since 2002. A graduate of Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, Jahnke currently is the Vice President, Chief Information Officer for South Carolina ETV (SCETV) in Columbia, SC. Since 2020 Jahnke has been integral in creating a drone program at SCETV. His focus on policy and practical application has directed SCETV’s drone program forward for creative content creation and engineering structural analysis.
​Sallie Williams - Vice President
Sallie Williams is Manager for the Solid Waste Regulation Development, Planning, and Reporting Section in the Division of Mining and Solid Waste at the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SC DES). She has been with SC DHEC for ten years and served in several other areas, including underground storage tanks, solid waste, and hazardous waste. Sallie earned a B.A. in Communication with a minor focus on Leadership and Psychology and a M.A. in Organizational Change and Leadership, both from Columbia College. She earned her FAA Part 107 certification in 2016 as one of the first Department drone pilots and was instrumental in founding the DHEC UAV group. As a member of the DHEC UAV group, she has aided in piloting many flights for the Department, assisting and training new pilots, and promoting the group’s outreach efforts. Her passion for helping others extends outside of DHEC, where she serves as a member of the Lebanon Volunteer Fire Department and the Fairfield County Rescue Squad. She loves new challenges and exploring new uses for drones in the state of South Carolina.​
Dr. Tom Lawrence - Treasurer
Dr. Tom Lawrence is the program director and lead faculty for criminal justice at Tri-County Technical College (TCTC). He earned a PhD from Indiana Institute of Technology, an MCJ from Boston University, and a BA from St. Mary’s College of California. He has an extensive background in law enforcement, having served 15 years in municipal, county, and federal law enforcement agencies. He managed numerous special units and served as the training director for an eight-county region in central California. He played an integral role in policy development, legal affairs, and recurring training for incumbent workers.​
​Darryl Jones
Darryl Jones is the Forest Protection Chief for the South Carolina Forestry Commission. His responsibilities include oversight of wildfire suppression, fire prevention, emergency response, law enforcement, forest health, training & safety, and administration of South Carolina’s Certified Prescribed Fire Manager, Smoke Management, and prescribed burning programs. Darryl is a Wildland Firefighter, Certified Prescribed Fire Manager, and a Registered Forester, as well as a past president and current steering committee member of the SC Prescribed Fire Council. He holds a B.S. degree in Forest Resource Management from Clemson University.
Dr. Joe Mari Maja
Dr. Joe Mari Maja is a senior researcher and the director of the Center of Applied Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Agriculture at South Carolina State University. With a focus on drone technology, robotics, and automation, Dr. Maja has mentored multiple graduate students whose work advances precision agriculture and environmental monitoring. He has secured over $2 million in approved grants, leading projects in UAV-based plant inventory management, water stress detection, and automated cotton harvesting.​
Joe McCann
Joe McCann is the FTS Manager for South Carolina Educational Television’s (SCETV) Tower Crew and has been with the organization for over eight years. He became Part 107 certified in November 2020 as one of the first drone operators within SCETV. Prior to joining SCETV, Joe served five years in the US Navy, leaving under honorable conditions. His entry into tower work began after receiving a random email about a new climbing program at Aiken Technical College, run by Warriors 4 Wireless. After completing the program, he joined Nokia as part of their first-ever in-house tower crew. He later transitioned to SCETV and has never looked back..​
​Nikos Vitzilaios, PhD
Dr. Nikos Vitzilaios is an Associate Professor of Robotics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of South Carolina, where he directs the Unmanned Systems & Robotics Laboratory (USRL). His research focuses on perception, navigation, and control of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), supported by a fleet of 30+ drones used in monitoring and inspection applications.
Dr. Vitzilaios joined USC in 2017 and has over 20 years of experience in aerial robotics. He earned his Ph.D. in 2010 from the Technical University of Crete, Greece, where he worked on the autonomous control of small-scale unmanned helicopters. He subsequently conducted research on fixed-wing and rotorcraft drones as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Alberta (2011–2012) and as a Research Scientist at the University of Denver (2012–2015). From 2016 to 2017, he was a Senior Lecturer in Robotics at Kingston University London, where he was elected a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.
Dr. Vitzilaios has authored more than 40 publications in international journals and conferences. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). He is a Senior Member of IEEE and an active member of ASME, AIAA, AUVSI, and IFAC. He serves on the organizing committee of the annual International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS) and is an Associate Editor for IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters and the Springer Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems. In addition, he is an FAA Part 107 certified sUAS pilot and has completed the APSA-NIST Basic Proficiency Evaluation for Remote Pilots. Since 2023, he has served as a member of the SCiDUC Board of Directors.
Directors Elect
Tyler Jones: City of Clemson
Tyler Jones is the GIS Administrator for the City of Clemson, where he leads the administration of ArcGIS Enterprise, oversees geospatial workflows, manages data, and integrates third-party solutions. A Certified GIS Professional (GISP) and FAA-licensed drone pilot since 2018, he is dedicated to advancing the use of innovative mapping technologies to strengthen city operations. His interests include asset management, utility geolocation, and drone-based survey applications.
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Tyler holds a Master of Forest Resources from Clemson University and a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology with a concentration in Sustainable Development from Appalachian State University. Prior to his GIS career, he served as a Certified Arborist for Clemson University, where he managed tree inventories, conducted risk assessments, and implemented long-term vegetation management strategies.
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SCiDUC has played a pivotal role in professionalizing the City of Clemson’s UAS program by providing education on the evolving tools, techniques, and regulations of this emerging field. Serving on the SCiDUC Board of Directors would allow Tyler to give back to the community that has supported his work, while contributing valuable insights from the perspective of GIS and small government operations.
Mary Kule: Charleston County Public Works
My name is Mary Kule and I am a Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) Developer I at Charleston County Public Works. In addition to this role, I oversee the Public Works UAS Program. I am writing today to nominate myself for incumbancy on the SCiDUC Board of Directors.
I received my part 107 pilot licensure in October of 2023, and have been positioned to manage the program growth since then. The Public Works UAS Program uses UAS technology for environmental monitoring, permit and fee compliance, and detailed aerial surveying. Over the past two years, I have spearheaded research and development of the program to produce orthomosaic maps and 3D models that adhere to the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing accuracy threshholds.
In addition to learning and establishing how to use UAS as a surveying method for Public Works, I have developed key program protocols and success metrics integrated with GIS technology, such as designing a custom survey for tracking flight logs, an accompanying dashboard to quickly reference flight information, and a visionary Strategic Plan.
I believe I can contribute to the board by providing insights on UAS survey methods, experience with using drones in a diverse number of use cases, and input on starting and growing UAS programs. I have personally benefited tremendously from membership in this group, and would like to contribute my knowledge to further the SCiDUC mission. Thank you for considering my nomination!
Ryan Reid: Greenville County Sheriff's Office
Ryan Reid brings over 30 years of combined public safety experience to his nomination for the SCiDUC Board. A full-time first responder with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, Ryan serves as the Administrative Drone Program Coordinator, managing a fleet of 35 drones and 65 certified operators. His leadership supports over 250 missions monthly, including search and rescue, tactical operations, and incident documentation.
Ryan has trained more than 290 public safety professionals across South Carolina, delivering over 800 hours of hands-on UAS instruction. His emphasis on operational safety, compliance, and tactical application has helped elevate the standard of drone use in emergency services statewide.
Ryan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Emergency Management and Homeland Security and has earned recognition for his leadership during federally declared disasters. He is a strong advocate for responsible UAS integration, policy development, and public safety innovation.
Ryan’s extensive field experience, instructional background, and passion for advancing drone technology make him uniquely qualified to contribute to SCiDUC’s mission of promoting safe and effective UAS use in critical environments.
Executive Director
​Joe Burgett PhD
Dr. Joe Burgett is a tenured professor at Clemson University in the Nieri Department of Construction Development and Planning. He graduated from the University of Florida with his BS, MS and PhD all in construction management. He is a general contractor by trade and teaches HVAC an electrical systems courses at Clemson. His area of research is in advanced construction technology; specifically, with how drones can be used to support land surveying and asset inspections He has worked closely with the SCDOT and their drone program.