Story ID: 003
People in Aviation
By: Jessica Reed
Caption: JetAviva’s CFO, Kathy Oberbroeckling, is the interim CEO; TSA swore in David Cummins as administrator
Word Count: 1431
JetAviva’s CFO, Kathy Oberbroeckling, is serving as interim CEO of the company. Oberbroeckling has worked at JetAviva since 2016 and has overseen its M&A activities, as well as its internal business matters.
The Transportation Security Administration has sworn in David Cummins as the eighth administrator. Cummins steps into a role that had been filled on an acting basis since January 2025, when the previous administrator, David Pekoske, departed the agency. He brings more than two decades of government contracting experience to his new role. Most recently, Cummins was senior v-p of Serco’s Citizen Services group.
The FAA selected Caitlin Locke for the position of associate administrator for aviation safety. Locke previously held the role of executive director of the aircraft certification service and has been at the FAA for almost 18 years.
ACI Jet has promoted Aaron Colt to FBO safety manager, a newly created position overseeing safety practices across the company’s fixed-base operations network. Colt started on the ramp, a background that ACI Jet said informs his view of how safety policy plays out across FBOs of different tiers. He previously served as aircraft ground support supervisor at the group’s John Wayne Airport facility in Orange County, California.
The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) announced a new chair and vice chair of its Standards Board, along with several new members. Benjamin Hammond, Pentastar Aviation’s v-p of FBO services, is now chair of the IBAC Standards Board, with Jennifer Van Winkle—marketing and quality manager for Sundt Air—serving as vice chair. Other members for the 2026 to 2027 board include former chair Lou Sorrentino (AvMASSi), Kevin Donnelly (Jet Aviation), Paul Kraft (Tastefully Yours/DaVinci Training), Jose Rubinho (United Aviation Services), Phil Bartle (Signature Aviation), Rick Hooper (VistaJet), Troy Hyberger (Duncan Aviation), Whitney Schultz (Modern Aviation), and Dawit Lemma (Krimson Aviation).
Kelly Lurz joined Premier Private Jets as chief operating officer for the company’s maintenance business (mainly in Dayton, Ohio), plus its FBOs in Dayton, Cincinnati, and the Detroit area. Lurz formerly served as COO for PrivateFlite Aviation, an aircraft management and charter firm, as well as for Aircraft Specialists, an FBO and maintenance organization.
Rick Estes, who has served as CTO of PWI since 2016, was named president and CEO of the company. Estes brings expertise in engineering and managing manufacturing operations. He takes over following the retirement of Robi Lorik, who had been president and CEO since 2019 and had worked for the company for almost five decades. Lorik, who remains on the board of directors, recently directed significant improvements to the company’s accounting and sales/inventory software. Eric Dahlinger, marketing manager, was also promoted to v-p of corporate communications.
Elliott Jets hired Brady Nelson and Jonathan Stoy, who joined its sales organization. Nelson previously served as international sales director at CAE/Pelesys and has worked in aviation for almost 30 years. Stoy, a seasoned aerospace executive, most recently worked at Hartzell Propeller as v-p of sales and marketing.
Pro Star Aviation promoted John Hill to director of special missions. Hill has worked for Pro Star since 2005 and brings 40-plus years of expertise in avionics, engineering, aircraft modification, and more.
Janet Megdadi joined PlaneSense as senior v-p of sales and marketing. Megdadi’s more than three decades of experience include enterprise sales, strategic partnerships, and revenue growth, and she has held leadership positions at Visa, Bolt, and Salesforce.
C&L Aerospace hired Nicholas Bock for the role of regional sales manager for business jet aircraft parts, covering the Southeastern U.S. region. Most recently, Bock worked at Empire Aviation as a regional business development manager. He served on active duty for six years in the U.S. Coast Guard, and he is experienced with Citation, Hawker, Challenger, Learjet, and Beechjet aircraft.
Laurent Saissi joined Boutsen Aviation as director of international sales and strategy. Saissi brings 25-plus years of experience in aviation, including working for Airbus in avionics engineering and for Dassault Aviation in support of Falcon owners and operators.
Northern Jet added Ken Price to its team as charter sales broker. Price’s 37-plus years of experience in the aviation industry include navigating aircraft availability, operator relationships, and the broader charter market.
Matt Pruett of Cutter Aviation has moved into the role of general manager for the company’s FBO at Georgetown Executive Airport in Texas. Pruett started working at Cutter in 2021 as a client relationship manager and was promoted in 2023 to general manager of the company’s FBO in Prescott, Arizona. Additionally, Cutter Aviation line manager Daniel Klucsarits was promoted to general manager of the company’s Prescott FBO. Klucsarits started working at Cutter as a customer service representative in 2023.
Kyle Victor joined West Star Aviation’s Chicago location as satellite manager. Victor brings 15-plus years of aviation maintenance experience, most recently working at Priester Aviation for 10 years. West Star also appointed Jason Taylor chief information officer. Previously CIO and global CTO at RS Americas, Taylor has also served as v-p of global digital and innovation at Gates Corporation.
Integrity Jets hired Breno Correa from Embraer as managing partner. Correa’s most recent role at Embraer, where he worked for 20 years, was senior v-p of asset management.
Bismarck Aero Center announced two new hires. Alex Gross, who completed an aircraft mechanic internship at Bismarck in 2025 and has his A&P license, joined the company as an A&P maintenance technician. Seth Fix was also hired as an avionics technician; he studied mechanical engineering at the University of North Dakota and previously served in the North Dakota National Guard.
Western Aircraft announced the promotion of Chris Chavez to senior modifications sales manager. Chavez began his career as an avionics technician in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served for five years, and he joined the Western Aircraft team in 2021.
Duncan Aviation welcomed Ben Lewandowski back to the company as an avionics service sales representative in Lincoln, Nebraska. He first joined the company after high school as an apprentice and earned his A&P certification. Lewandowski also held a job in maintenance control at FBO Jet Linx and later spent a few years working in medical sales.
Thornton Aviation has named Dan Perrin regional sales and business development manager, with responsibility for customer relationships and sales development. Perrin, a type-rated pilot with experience in Hawker maintenance and support, holds degrees from Mesa State College and Emery Aviation College.
Doug Tibb was hired as managing director of 5X5 Aviation Insurance. During his 20-plus years in aviation insurance, Tibb oversaw a large general aviation insurance portfolio and accumulated more than 6,000 flight hours as a professional pilot.
Elliott Aviation has promoted Meghan Welch to v-p of sales, paint, interior, and maintenance, adding the company’s maintenance sales organization to her existing paint and interior sales responsibilities. Welch continues to report to senior v-p of avionics Bill Forbes, who oversees the company’s sales organization.
Awards & Honors
Andrew Toy, president of Axiom Aviation, received the FAA’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. Toy has been a pilot for 53 years, and the award recognizes him for his safe flying as well as his commitment to professionalism and continuous learning.
Final Flight
Gary Garofalo, an aviation attorney whose more-than-five-decade career helped shape U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) governing business aircraft operations, died on August 22. “Gary was the consummate attorney with an outsized passion for aviation,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “His fingerprints are all over the [FARs] and the legal opinions that guide our industry.”
A longtime NBAA Tax Committee member, Garofalo served as chair for two years and later led the association’s Operational Excellence Strategic Focus Team, coordinating its Tax, Domestic Operations, and International Operators Committees.
He studied aeronautical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, earned a University of Virginia law degree in 1965, and joined the FAA’s legal staff, spending three years on licensing requirements, enforcement cases, airworthiness directives, and FAR interpretation. In 1972, he co-founded the Washington, D.C. firm known today as GGH Air Law, representing business aircraft owners and operators, FBOs, airlines, and more until his 2021 retirement.
Garofalo was also involved in the FAA’s Fractional Ownership Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), whose recommendations produced Part 91 Subpart K, and served on the steering committee for the Part 125/135 ARC.