Story ID: 003
People in Aviation
By: Jessica Reed
Caption: People in Aviation - January 2025
Word Count: 1470
President-elect Donald Trump selected Sean Duffy, a former Republican congressman from Wisconsin and Fox Business show host, to serve as the next secretary of transportation. A former district attorney for Ashland County, Wisconsin, he brings little transportation background to his new role but is known in Washington, having served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Jan. 3, 2011, until his resignation on Sept. 23, 2019.
CAE president and CEO Marc Parent will step down in August 2025 as part of an ongoing succession plan. A 20-year veteran of the company, Parent has been at CAE’s helm for the past 15 years. In the meantime, he will continue to lead CAE in his role as CEO and as a member of the board of directors while the board searches for his replacement.
NBAA announced key changes to its leadership team, including expanded roles for two senior executives and the planned departure of another leader. Jo Damato has been appointed senior v-p of events and professional engagement, while Andrew Broom assumed the position of chief revenue officer. These changes followed the departure of Laurie Lutz, who concluded her tenure as senior v-p of events earlier in November. In her expanded role, Damato will oversee the strategic direction of NBAA-BACE, as well as the association's conferences, forums, and professional development initiatives. Broom’s new responsibilities include leading exhibit sales for events while continuing to oversee membership, marketing, and sponsorship initiatives.
Chapman Freeborn appointed Bernardo Nunes as COO. Nunes previously served as director of transformation and analytics for the company in 2021 and 2022.
Fabrice Kunzi was named president of Avidyne, while Dan Schwinn will remain CEO and CTO of the company. Kunzi’s previous experience includes working at SkyGrid, Aurora Flight Sciences, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.
The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) promoted Alison Lynn to senior v-p of external affairs. Lynn previously held the title of v-p of communications for AIA since 2019.
The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) appointed Kent Stauffer, v-p of safety for Flexjet, as its new chairman, and Michael Wootton, director of operations for Advanced Air, as vice chairman. Both begin their new positions in January. Stauffer is an aircraft pilot, UAS pilot, and A&P mechanic. Wootton has an ATP pilot certificate with multiple business jet type ratings.
Traci Fremin was hired as v-p of customer experience at Modern Aviation, bringing more than three decades of experience in the FBO industry. Fremin previously served as director of key accounts at Atlantic Aviation.
The National Air Transportation Association promoted Shannon Chambers to senior v-p of communications and association affairs. Chambers has worked for NATA for the past 17 years and previously was employed at the National Aeronautic Association.
Patrick Enz joined ACASS as senior v-p of aircraft management and charter sales. His prior experience includes working as a consultant, as well as holding executive positions at Jet Aviation, Rizon Jet, and Hawker Pacific Asia.
Wheels Up Experience hired Jill Greer as executive v-p of investor relations and sustainability. Greer was previously employed at Delta Air Lines for 21 years and more recently served as v-p of investor relations at Travel + Leisure Co.
Hunt & Palmer Group recently unveiled leadership changes. Its new executive management team will include existing senior managers Julie Black (director of subsidiary Premier Aviation in the UK) and Jamie Peters (director of Hunt & Palmer Cargo Charters), as well as main board directors Simon Edwards and Mark Jenkinson. Peter Hunt and Jeremy Palmer will transition away from day-to-day management of the company but will continue as main board directors of the group, along with Neil Harvey.
Richard Krawczun and Andy Reed were reelected to the Naples Airport Authority’s Noise Compatibility Committee (NCC) for the 2024–2025 term. Krawczun continues in the role of chair and Andy Reed continues as vice-chair.
GAMA added Carsten Hoyt and Andy Phillips to its team. Hoyt, who previously served as an airworthiness regulatory, national security, and international law attorney for the FAA Office of Chief Counsel, takes on the position of general counsel and director of regulatory affairs at GAMA. Phillips, formerly aerospace policy adviser at ADS Group, is now GAMA’s manager of airworthiness and regulatory affairs.
LifeFlight has appointed Jeremy Ovens as head of flight operations. Ovens, an experienced aviator, recently spent five years working as an instructor for the Dubai Police Airwing.
Delray Dobbins was hired by Engine Assurance Program (EAP) as its director of global strategy. Dobbins’ prior experience includes leading sales and global strategy for Pratt & Whitney Canada’s Eagle Service Plan.
West Star Aviation promoted Craig Kuntz to project manager for Embraer at its facility in East Alton, Illinois. Kuntz has worked for West Star since 2020, when he was hired as an aircraft maintenance technician. West Star Aviation also promoted Lee Smieja to Gulfstream program manager at its Chattanooga, Tennessee facility. Smieja’s 22-plus years of experience in aviation include working for Gulfstream. At the same facility, West Star promoted Brent Ventosa to Embraer program manager. Ventosa's maintenance career started with working on avionics for U.S. Air Force F15s, and he came to West Star from Embraer Executive Jets. At West Star’s facility in East Alton, Illinois, Dan Sies was promoted to Falcon program manager. Sies has been with the company since 2000, when he was hired as an A&P technician.
Marc McKenzie joined Aircraft Specialties as regional sales manager for the company’s Midwest region. McKenzie previously worked as an F-16 aircraft technician and maintenance instructor for the U.S. Air Force, as well as at Duncan Aviation and Desser Aerospace.
Brady Carpenter was promoted to director of safety at Metro Aviation. He has been with the company since 2016, having joined as an operational control specialist, and served as assistant director of safety since 2018.
Skytrac Systems added Shane Sullivan to its executive management team as v-p of operations. Sullivan, a retired U.S. Navy commander, previously led flight operations at Icon Aircraft and also served as v-p of operations at Conair Group and general manager at Aero-Flite.
Garen Kilicci was promoted to sales director for the Western U.S. at ACASS. Kilicci’s 16-plus years of experience in aviation sales, project management, and technical sales support include working at Bombardier and Flygreen.
Awards and Honors
Several business aviation companies were recognized in the annual Excellence Awards event organized by the Air Charter Association (ACA). Ten awards were handed out during a gala dinner attended by 500 industry professionals in Brighton, UK, on November 21. As part of the ACA’s ongoing work to promote opportunities for a new generation of charter industry professionals, judges chose Saxon Air’s Rachel Harvey as the group’s NextGen Young Person of the Year. William Bush was recognized among the 2024 cohort of ACA interns for the project he conducted during the program.
John Goglia, president of the Aerospace Maintenance Council and former NTSB member, will be one of six inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame’s class of 2025. Goglia was the first NTSB member to hold an FAA Airframe & Powerplant mechanic certificate.
The National Air Transportation Association recently recognized several recipients of its 2024 Industry Excellence Awards. Stan McDuffie, director of operations and flight instructor at SunEx Aviation, received NATA’s Excellence in Pilot Training Award. McDuffie is an Air Force veteran who was recognized for helping U.S.-allied Afghan military pilots earn their civilian pilot certificates in the U.S. Myrthe Simons, Clay Lacy Aviation’s director of commercial operations, received the Future Leader Award. Simons supports Clay Lacy sales. NATA’s General Aviation Service Technician Award was presented to John Malecha, a technician at Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems. Malecha has more than 25 years of experience working as an A&P mechanic. Hanna Mulugeta, line service ramp agent at Million Air Dallas, received the NATA Safety 1st Certified Line Service Professional Award. Mulugeta was nominated for her 22 years of dedication to the company and her efforts to cultivate relationships with clients. And, NATA’s FBO Customer Service Representative Award was presented to Isadora Pena, customer support manager at Banyan Air Service in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A member of the team at Banyan since 2011, Pena was recognized for her efforts to raise awareness of business aviation and to mentor the next generation of customer service representatives.
Final Flight
Franklin Carson, founder and president of Carson Helicopters, passed away on October 25. He started the company in 1958 and, after decades of modifying aircraft and developing new use cases for helicopters, received the Sikorsky Pioneer Award in 1998.