Welcome to the Panama Flying Labs staff!

We’re thrilled to announce that the startup of Panama Flying Labs, in conjunction with the Universidad Tecnologia de Panama (UTP) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) continues on pace with the recent hiring of the new lab Coordinator.

Dania Isabel Montenegro Chong will be starting this month as Project Coordinator of Panama Flying Labs.  She comes to us with a wealth of experience in the marine engineering and shipping fields, having spent several years managing large scale projects in the busy Panamanian shipping industry.  She has also served as a Professor of Coastal Navigation and Astronomy at the Universidad Maritima de Panama. Dania promises to be an instrumental figure in the growth of robotics for social good in Panama and is looking forward eagerly to helping the region’s social good sectors deepen their engagement with emerging autonomous technologies.

Dania and Panama Labs are also very fortunate to be joined by Leonel Montes as project assistant. Leonel has deep roots in the environmental and development sectors in Panama. He has worked with organizations ranging from Fundacion Natura de Panama to the IADB Multilateral Investment Fund to the Panamanian agroexport department.  Leonel will play a crucial role in making sure that projects are managed efficiently and that the robotics for good sector takes root in Panama and throughout Central America.

Dania and Leonel join with an expert team of engineers at UTP and with our regional partner network to move forward a host of exciting new projects in development, health, environmental protection and disaster relief for Panama. They’ll be digging in immediately to build networks of support and to start planning the first Panama Flying Labs training which is now tentatively scheduled for July.

We can’t wait for them to get started!