In a sector still short on diversity, a Texas entrepreneur is building a pathway into drone careers. Steffanie Rivers is the founder and CEO of TCB Drones and TCB Drones Academy in the Dallas area. She is widely described in media coverage as the first Black woman in Texas to register a drone academy.
That “first” comes from Rivers herself and from outlets that repeat it. Her own website says she founded the academy as the first Black woman to register one in Texas. Reports vary slightly on what exactly was registered, and we found no official registry record. It is best read as her reported milestone rather than an independently verified record.
Her work is easier to confirm. TCB Drones offers professional drone services, including inspections of buildings, roofs and utility lines, while the Academy prepares students for the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification, the credential required for most commercial drone operations in the United States. DroneLife reports that the Academy runs two-day Part 107 readiness workshops in Dallas. DroneLife also describes drones as a second career for Rivers, who says she wants to be a great pilot and not just a certified one.
Her reach has grown beyond the classroom. The Academy offers a monthly $1,000 drone class scholarship. In July 2026, Rivers announced the National HBCU Aviation and Drone Leadership Initiative to steer students at historically Black colleges and universities toward drone and aviation careers. She is a Tennessee State University alumna. She has also pitched FAA Part 107 certification to law enforcement officers and public safety professionals, and she was featured on Daymond John’s Next Level CEO platform.
Her latest plans are about business. In October 2026, TCB Drones announced a Next Level strategy built on four areas: education, acceleration, connection and expansion. It includes a Next Level Drone Accelerator Program for aspiring and existing drone entrepreneurs, a Drones & Dollars networking event, and a proposed licensing structure for independently operated TCB Drones markets. The company described these as plans in development. Specific dates, pricing and locations for the accelerator and licensing are not yet publicly confirmed.
For Nigerian readers, the story is a reminder that fast-growing technical fields reward training, certification and entrepreneurship. Rivers is trying to make that path easier for people who have been left out of it.
