Leslie Bates

Founder, SheDrones

105: Drone Engineering: Exploring New Capabilities in STEM Education

Leslie Bates is Founder of SheDrones, a Kentucky-based nonprofit organization focused on the intersection of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)/Drone Engineering and STEM Education. Ms. Bates has undergraduate and graduate degrees in Environmental Planning from Rollins College in Winter Park, FL, and in City/Regional Planning from UMASS Amherst, respectively. She has been working for Schneider Electric in the energy management industry for the last 15 years as an energy analyst and researcher. Her interest in the unmanned aerial systems industry developed through observation of their growing use within the energy industry. As the mother of two daughters, Ms. Bates' focus in founding SheDrones is to engage girls and youth in STEM education through drone engineering, in order to expand the next generation workforce for a multidisciplinary, burgeoning UAV industry.