Story ID: 003
People in Aviation
By: Jessica Reed
Caption: People in Aviation
Word Count: 1270
Boeing named a seasoned industry leader, Robert K. "Kelly" Ortberg, to become the company’s president and CEO, effective August 8. Ortberg, who will also join Boeing's board of directors, is set to succeed Dave Calhoun, who declared his intention to step down from the role earlier this year amid a broader management shakeup that also saw the retirement of Stan Deal as head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and the naming of Steve Mollenkopf as the new chairman of the board.
Patrick Desbois and Brad Trenkle are co-COOs at Garmin. Desbois, who had served as executive v-p of operations since 2017, now oversees the company’s aviation and auto OEM segments, global supply chain and operations, information technology, and human resources. Trenkle's domain covers Garmin’s consumer business segments, engineering innovation and support, and global consumer sales and marketing.
Volato Group appointed Mark Ozenick president of its Volato Aircraft Management Services division. Ozenick’s 45-plus years of experience in business aviation spans flight operations, maintenance, and executive leadership.
Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre appointed Vivien Lau as its CEO. Most recently, Lau served as CEO of Jardine Aviation Services Group, and her career includes nearly 18 years of aviation experience.
Megan Barnes has taken on the role of COO at JetSet Media, and she will also support Private Jet Media Americas (PJMA) as it continues to grow in the Americas. Barnes founded Paragon Aviation Group, which was acquired by Luxaviation Group in May.
Jet Linx promoted Nate Legband to COO. He will also continue in his role as CFO, in addition to managing the responsibilities of chief commercial officer. Additionally, the company promoted Ryan Lemmon to v-p of account management and Paul Kloet to v-p of strategy and mergers and acquisitions. Lemmon joined Jet Linx in 2020, while Kloet joined a year later.
Smitha Hariharan was hired for the role of v-p and chief sustainability officer at Gulfstream Aerospace. Hariharan recently worked at Halliburton Energy Services as the global head of sustainability.
Aviation Personnel International (API) promoted Jennifer Pickerel to president. Pickerel joined API in 2015 and previously served as director of candidate services, director of client services, and most recently as a v-p.
George J. Priester Aviation created a new leadership team structure, with industry veteran Brent Moldowan heading up day-to-day operations as president and CEO. Moldowan was part of Mayo Aviation’s integration into the larger George J. Priester Aviation family of companies. Joining Moldowan on the George J. Priester Aviation leadership team are Viviana Kozin, COO; Ron Carlstrom, CFO; Rich Ropp, chief sales and services officer; and Stephanie Mueller, chief talent officer.
The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) added three new members to the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) standards board. These include Troy Hyberger of Duncan Aviation, Rick Hooper of VistaJet, and Jose Rubinho of United Aviation Services.
Cutter Aviation promoted Richard Campbell Jr. to director of FBO operations. Campbell has been with the company since 1998, when he was hired as a customer service representative. He most recently served as regional manager of line services in Phoenix.
Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics and True Blue Power promoted director of aftermarket sales and support Van Winter to v-p of marketing and aftermarket sales. Winter joined the company in 2012 as a legal contract administrator.
Haggan Aviation hired Chris Haight as v-p of operations, where he will oversee functions such as maintenance, avionics, and quality control. Haight’s nearly 30 years of experience in the industry includes working for an MRO facility as its general manager.
Jet Support Services Inc. (JSSI) appointed Alexis Javkin executive v-p of maintenance and supplier management. Javkin previously worked for Aerolíneas Ejecutivas (ALE) as the CEO of ALE Service Center and as the group v-p.
C.R. Sincock II, executive v-p of Avfuel, was elected for a second three-year term as a board member of the National Air Transportation Association. Sincock is also the CEO and president of Avfuel sister company Avflight.
C&L Aerospace appointed Amanda Hartwig as regional sales manager for the company’s regional airline division. Hartwig’s 15-plus years of experience in the aviation industry include working for Rockwell Collins, Regional One, and AIRCO.
The Air Charter Association has added Shaun Quigley to its international non-executive board. Quigley, owner and managing director of Volantair Air Charter based in Queensland, Australia, will represent the Asia-Pacific region on the board.
Global Jet Capital hired Tom Kacin as v-p of sales for the U.S. Northeast and Midwest. Kacin’s previous experience includes market-facing sales leadership and management roles at Webster Capital Finance, Terex Financial Services, Citibank, and Wachovia.
Monte Koch, a private investor and chair emeritus of the NBAA, was appointed as a member of the board of directors for Gogo. Koch co-founded Ten-X/Auction and also had a 25-year career in investment banking.
Skyryse hired Lirio Liu as an advisor to the company; she will focus on the certification of Skyryse One, an aircraft featuring the SkyOS operating system. Liu worked for the FAA for more than three decades, most recently as the executive director of certification.
The Corporate Angel Network has elected Michael Amalfitano, president and CEO of Embraer Executive Jets, to its board of directors. Amalfitano previously served as executive v-p at Stonebriar Commercial Finance, as well as managing director and executive head of global corporate aircraft finance at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Awards and Honors
Quinn Ricker, CEO of Jet Access, was again selected by IBJ Media as one of Indiana’s most influential business leaders in the third annual edition of its “Indiana 250” list. Ricker is also involved with the Young Presidents Organization and has led Jet Access since 2020.
Final Flight
The aviation community paid tribute to former senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), who died on July 9 at the age of 89. Known as a passionate pilot who speared headed two Pilots Bill of Rights measures and maneuvered to help bring the landmark General Aviation Revitalization Act (GARA) of 1994 to the House floor, Inhofe had retired from the Senate in January 2023 after a career spanning 36 years.
“Sen. Inhofe was a master legislator and general aviation’s great champion,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “Those two truths are reflected in every aviation bill that has passed Congress and been signed into law over the past 35 years.”
Bolen pointed to Inhofe's involvement with the discharge petition—largely credited for getting GARA to the floor—as well as the Pilots Bill of Rights, Basic Med, and numerous FAA reauthorization bills as measures that have protected general aviation’s access to airspace and airports and said this is just a fraction of what he had done to promote aviation.
NATA president and CEO Curt Castagna remarked, “Sen. Inhofe’s legislative skill and deep understanding of the importance of general aviation left an indelible mark on our nation’s aviation infrastructure and skilled workforce. We are a stronger, more resilient industry because of the Senator’s wisdom, leadership, and dedication.”
Inhofe was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986 and was propelled into the forefront with his advocacy for the discharge petition. In 1994, he moved over to the Senate, continuing his support for general aviation, including fighting for airport infrastructure, against user fees and raised taxes, and for aviation workforce initiatives, among many other issues.