Story ID: 003
People In Aviation
By: Jessica Reed
Caption: Howard Jones is CEO of Tronair, Stephen Maiden CEO of West Star Aviation. 
Word Count: 1808
Howard Jones is taking over as CEO of aircraft ground support equipment provider Tronair. Paul Schwarzbaum, who held the position of CEO and president for nearly six years, announced last month that he would retire. Jones is being promoted from v-p of operations.
West Star Aviation made changes to its executive leadership structure, including naming Jim Rankin—CEO since 2018—as executive chairman of the board. Stephen Maiden took over as the company’s CEO, while Allen McReynolds was made president in addition to continuing as chief operating officer. Maiden previously served as president and CEO of Jet East until it was acquired by West Star last November. Before joining West Star, McReynold
Kim Ernzen joined StandardAero as its COO, replacing the retiring Kerry O’Sullivan. Ernzen previously was president of naval power at Raytheon Technologies and also formerly worked for Cessna Aircraft and Hawker Beechcraft.
Go Rentals hired Ed Barrera as CFO. Barrera’s 25 years of experience includes leading accounting, supply chain, legal, and safety departments at various companies.
Ryan Waguespack was appointed to the international non-executive board of the Air Charter Association (ACA). Waguespack, owner and founder of General Aviation Consultants, will represent the region of North America on the board.
Andy Smith joined Flydocs as chief commercial officer. Smith brings more than 27 years of experience in business development and leadership, including the creation and implementation of customer engagement and revenue-generating strategies.
Mike Audus was tapped by Ametek MRO as division v-p and business unit manager for MRO Europe. He previously worked for airlines and military organizations with a focus on avionics, power management systems, and engine MRO.
Daher’s board of directors appointed Didier Kayat as the Daher Group’s chairman of the board on June 4. Kayat, also the group’s CEO, took over the position from Patrick Daher, who had been the chairman since 2016. Olivier Genis was also appointed as the group’s v-p of the board.
Andrew Summers—who previously led Air Charter Service’s business in the Middle East, Africa, and India—was appointed as regional director for the company’s mainland European offices. Summers will return to ACS’ UK headquarters after working in the Dubai office for the past decade.
Air Charter Service (ACS) appointed Elie Hanna CEO of ACS Dubai after 13 years with the company. Hanna will now oversee ACS Dubai’s growth in the Middle East.
Geoff Savage and Trish Gentile have joined the leadership team at Schubach Aviation. Savage, with previous experience at NetJets, Virgin Group, and VistaJet, joined Schubach as v-p of charter sales. Meanwhile, Gentile has taken on the role of v-p of business development. She had previously worked for NetJets, VistaJet, and XOJet.
Pedro Leroux was reelected to his fourth term as union president for the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP). Leroux has served as an NJASAP Compliance Committee member, system board of adjustment chair, and lead strategist since he joined NetJets in 2006.
Julie O'Brien has joined Paragon Aviation Group as v-p of business development. O'Brien previously worked for ProJet Aviation as its general manager since 2017.
Nora Khalil is taking on the role of v-p of legislative affairs at the Aerospace Industries Association. Khalil’s more than 20 years of experience in both the private and public sectors includes serving on the House Appropriations energy and water subcommittee.
Mike Ginter is now leading the Air Safety Institute at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Ginter previously held the role of v-p of airports and state advocacy for AOPA since 2018.
Omni Helicopters Guyana is developing its own helicopter pilots with the selection of two Guyanese citizens and employees to learn to fly helicopters. Somant Heeralal and Yadram Ramcharran will soon begin ab initio training at Hillsboro Aero Academy’s helicopter pilot school in Troutdale, Oregon.
Awards and Honors
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) recognized consultant Noel Duerksen with the 2024 AIAA Piper General Aviation Award. Duerksen was an automatic flight controls engineer, test pilot, and staff engineer at Garmin, where he worked for 14 years.
The International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA) has presented Wayne Starling, executive director of the group, with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Starling also serves as a senior advisor to AOPA and is executive director of AircraftExchange, IADA’s online marketing portal. (Ed. note: AIN is a marketing partner with AircraftExchange.)
IADA chairman Phil Winters said the award recognizes “Starling’s aviation industry accomplishments, and especially his leadership of IADA since October 2018.” He added, "We are grateful for his leadership and dedication to the association." Only three other individuals have been recognized with IADA's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Starling’s decades-long career in aircraft finance included his involvement in the startup Aviation Finance Group. Following PNC Financial Services’ acquisition of that company, he served as senior v-p and national sales manager for PNC Aviation Finance Group. He simultaneously held a position on the board of directors of the National Aviation Finance Association.
Final Flights
Marisa Maretti, known during her extensive career as “the first lady of business aviation,” passed away May 18 at age 79. Maretti was a pioneering force in the aviation industry and was the first European woman to establish a business jet dealership. She was born in Cremona, Italy, in 1945 and spent her last 32 years in Monaco. Over her four-decade career, she facilitated the sale of nearly 200 business jets.
Maretti’s aviation career began when she joined Alico, a dealer and authorized service station for Cessna pistons. Her passion and acumen for the industry led her to found her own company, Business Aviation Marketing, in the 1970s, with an office based in Milan, Italy. Cessna Citations became a staple of her business, with more than 150 new and used Citations sold under her guidance.
Eventually, Maretti was appointed as the Cessna Citation-authorized sales representative for Italy, Monaco, and the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. This continued for more than 35 years, during which time she facilitated the sale of a wide variety of aircraft and became a respected figure in the aviation community.
Industry stalwart Richard "Dick" Van Gemert, whose business aviation career spanned five decades and who was renowned for his operational and safety management leadership passed away on June 16.
“In a word, Dick Van Gemert was magnanimous, giving freely of his time and expertise in lifting the industry to ever-higher standards of safety and success,” said National Air Transportation Association president and CEO Curt Castagna. “Many strive to make real change and a lasting impression within their communities, but few ever achieve the profound effect that Dick Van Gemert had on the business aviation industry.”
NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen expressed similar sentiments: “Throughout his decades-long career, Dick advanced the state of operational excellence in business aviation, and brought that dedication to all aspects of his profession. His passion for the industry will long be remembered, and he will be greatly missed.”
Van Gemert, who had received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Michigan and later graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton Business School’s senior executive program, began his flying career in 1960 with the U.S. Navy, where he spent five years and rose to the rank of lieutenant.
In 1966, he transitioned into business aviation with Xerox, where he would remain for the next 23 years. He joined the flight department as a first officer, became chief pilot two years later, and subsequently became manager of flight operations, manager of Xerox travel services, and director of the company’s General Services division.
He later moved over to Kimberly-Clark, leading K-C Transportation Services. After the aviation services company was sold in 1996, Van Gemert helped found—and served as president of—New World Jet, which provides Part 135 certificate management services for business jet operators. In 2006, he joined Jet Aviation Holdings U.S. as senior v-p.
Van Gemert was actively involved in numerous associations, including as chair of the International Flight Safety Foundation Corporate Advisory Board, member of the NBAA board of directors, member of the NATA business management committee, chairman of the noise abatement committee of the Westchester Pilots Association and the Westchester Airport Advisory Committee, and a governor of the International Flight Safety Foundation, among others.
Jean-François Georges, who retired from Dassault Aviation in 2003, passed away on May 11. “He was the stitching that knitted [Falcon] operators and Dassault employees into a special family,” said Jean Kayanakis, senior v-p of worldwide Falcon customer service and service center network.
A graduate of France’s Supaero aerospace engineering school, Georges worked his entire career at Dassault, starting as a flight test engineer on the Falcon 20 in 1966. He was the architect of the first head-up display installation in an airliner while designing the flight deck in the Mercure, which became certified for Category III all-weather landings. Georges also worked on Europe’s Hermes spaceplane program.
After Georges became responsible for Dassault’s civil aviation activities in 1992, his commitment to serving customers took on new importance. “After many successful years laser-focused on technological advances, he fully embraced the new complexities of understanding customer perspectives,” Kayanakis wrote. 
Two key changes that Georges embraced included renaming the U.S. division as Dassault Falcon Jet “in part, to emphasize the unity of the transatlantic organization,” according to Kayanakis. “He also rebranded ‘after-sales service’ as ‘customer service.’ With the change, the word "service' took on its noble meaning," he said.
Business aviation veteran James “Jamie” T. Wilson passed away suddenly on June 8 at age 50. Wilson's extensive career spanned more than 25 years; he most recently was a senior associate of logistics, FBO management, mentoring, and coaching at FBO Partners.
Wilson's journey in aviation began at Washington Dulles International Airport (KIAD) with Piedmont-Hawthorne Aviation, which later became Landmark Aviation. His roles as customer service manager and assistant general manager showcased his leadership skills and dedication. During his tenure, Wilson was instrumental in coordinating complex events, including two presidential inaugurations, where his FBO handled more than 300 aircraft.
His career further advanced as he joined Landmark Aviation’s charter and aircraft management division as regional sales manager. He was later promoted to general manager at Landmark Aviation KIAD.
Transitioning from Landmark Aviation, Wilson brought his extensive experience to Concept Solutions and later Parrillo Associates, where he served as program manager on two critical FAA programs supporting NextGen initiatives. Additionally, he was an active volunteer with the Greater Washington Business Aviation Association (GWBAA), where he served in various capacities, including as president.