Gretchen West

About Gretchen West

Widely recognized as a pioneer in the commercial drone market and other emerging technologies, Gretchen has served in leadership roles in the unmanned systems industry for over 2 decades. She continues her work with the Commercial Drone Alliance, which she co-founded, as Chief Operating Officer. Her previous experiences include serving as the President and CEO of Schiebel Aircraft, Inc, Senior Director at Hogan Lovells, Co-Executive Director of the Commercial Drone Alliance, and Executive Vice President of the Association for Unmanned Systems International (AUVSI). With both non-profit and corporate experience across multiple industries, Gretchen also manages an executive coaching firm and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in coaching leaders (primarily women) to make an impact in their careers. IMPACT Executive Coaching provides one-on-one executive coaching, a mentorship program, leadership intensive group sessions and networking events. Take part in elevating your career to make an IMPACT.Over the past 2 decades, Gretchen has been featured in over 150 print and TV media outlets including NBC, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, Fortune, Forbes, Politico, The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, and more, and has spoken at well over 150 industry conferences. Gretchen\'s leadership has helped educate on the benefits of adopting frontier technology and now she steps into educating and helping leaders grow.

Experience

1. Founder and CEO

   Impact Executive Coaching

   Apr 2025 — Present

Education

• Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

  Women's Leadership Development Programme Certification

  2025 — 2025

• Certified Life Coach Institute, ICF Accredited Training

  Master Certified Professional Coach

• The George Washington University

  MBA, Marketing

• University of Richmond

  BA, Leadership Studies