Cherokee Federal’s John Walker inducted into Order of Prometheus

January 5, 2022 | AUVSI News

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — John Walker, a meteorologist and Unmanned Systems (UXS) subject matter expert for Cherokee Federal (CFed), was named to the Order of Prometheus during the AUVSI 2021 Pathfinder Chapter Unmanned Aircraft Systems Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama.  The Order of Prometheus recognizes the significant and enduring contributions from the inductees to the unmanned systems community on land, in air and at sea.   Mr. Walker is an Unmanned Systems Atmospheric Scientist at Cherokee Nation Strategic Programs (CNSP) supporting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Uncrewed Systems Research Transition Office (UxSRTO). Here, he works as a member of the program’s Science Assessment team, leveraging previous experience in “research-to-operations” (R2O) applications to help identify areas of need within NOAA in which uncrewed systems may help to fill data gaps and perform tasks more cheaply and/or more safely. Furthermore, Mr. Walker has been a leader in the area of unmanned aerial systems for communities of Weather forecasting, post-event high-impact weather analysis, lessons learned and has regular access to latest information by FEMA Region IV and FAA regarding UAS Operations.  He has been the GeoHuntsville Co-Chair for the Small UAS Working Group since inception 2015 coordinating UAS exercises with Alabama and Regional communities and Emergency Management organizations.

“John is a pioneer in the use of UAS for atmospheric research having conducted the full spectrum of hazardous weather discovery from forecasting to disaster relief, and he has earned this prestigious award,” says John “JC” Coffey, Executive Director, UXS CFed.  “His membership to the Order of Prometheus represents the highest ideals, aspirations and accomplishments resident to the unmanned systems community.”

Coffey is proud of the steps Mr. Walker and CFed have taken to advance the unmanned systems field, and its support for the Country.  “It has been an incredible experience to be part of the winning Cherokee team during the exponential growth of this technology, and its expansion from defense to the civil and commercial markets,” Coffey said. “John’s work has contributed to the education of our next generation for continued excellence in engineering, test and operations.  Many congratulations to John!”