Story ID: 003 People
People in Aviation
By: Kait Wilson
Caption: A review of industry job title updates, leadership changes, awards recognitions, and honoring the memory of those who have taken their final flight.
Word Count: 1562
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) appointed Declan Fitzpatrick as interim CEO succeeding Diarmuid Ó Conghaile, who has accepted a position as managing director of Wizz Air Malta. Fitzpatrick has 16 years of experience with IAA, having previously held the position of director of regulatory performance and innovation.

The Malibu M-Class Owners and Pilots Association (MMOPA) named Mike Nichols as CEO and Jenna Reid as COO. Nichols has previous nonprofit association management experience, including nearly two decades at NBAA. Reid has prior experience in aviation operations, member service, and marketing.

Nico Neumann was promoted by Deutsche Aircraft to COO and joint managing director. Neumann joined the company in 2007 and has held a range of operational positions within the company, most recently as v-p of operations and program.

Kim Ashmun was appointed president of the components and accessories division at StandardAero. Ashmun has more than 20 years of experience in the aerospace industry,  including as v-p of global supply chain operations for Lockheed Martin’s rotorcraft subsidiary Sikorsky.

The International Association of Aircraft Dealers named Zipporah Marmor, v-p of aircraft transactions at ACASS, as chair of the organization; and Phil Winters, v-p of aircraft sales and charter management for Western Aircraft, as vice chair. Marmor joined ACASS in 2011 and has more than 20 years of international business aviation experience. Winters has served with Western Aircraft for 25 years and now leads new and preowned aircraft sales and aircraft management/charter divisions for the company.

Voting members of NBAA re-elected Charlie Precourt and Richard Walsh to the association’s board of directors. Precourt serves on the association’s audit committee and was re-elected for a one-year term on the board. Walsh chairs NBAA’s nominating and governance committee and will serve for a three-year term on the board. Additionally, Paul “BJ” Ransbury, CEO of Aviation Performance Solutions (APS), was named as chairman of the NBAA Safety Committee.

Josh Krotec was elected by the Aeronautical Repair Station Association’s (ARSA) board of directors to serve as 2023 president. ARSA’s immediate past president, Terrell Siegfried—assistant general counsel, and corporate secretary of the Nordam Group—will remain on the board. Krotec is senior v-p of First Aviation Services and has served as ARSA's government affairs chairman before his election to the board in 2019.

Eviation Aircraft appointed Dan Nale to its technical steering committee and Jon Piatt to its board. Nale spent nearly 40 years with Gulfstream Aerospace, where he most recently was senior v-p of programs, engineering, and test. Piatt has 35 years of experience in aerospace and defense, most recently as president and general manager of reconnaissance missions systems at L3Harris Technologies.

Veronica Marshall as the National Transportation Safety Board’s first chief human capital officer. Marshall previously served at NASA as human resources director and before was director for executive resources and chief learning officer.		Steve Drucker was hired by Volato to serve as chief technology officer. Drucker joins the company with nearly three decades of experience building development teams as well as enterprise and consumer-facing products, including as a chief information officer and executive v-p of software engineering at a publicly listed company and project lead for the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority website, He has authored more than a dozen books about software development for Salesforce, Adobe, Intel, and others. 

The African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA) appointed Dawit Lemma as v-p and Samantha “Sam” Keddle as manager. Lemma is the founder and CEO of Krimson Aviation. Keddle joins AfBAA from the Commercial Aviation Association of South Africa (CAASA). 

Hartzell Propeller promoted Jon Stoy to v-p of sales, support, and services, succeeding v-p of global sales and product support Gary Chafin, who is retiring after a 35-year career with the company. Stoy joined Hartzell Propeller last year as director of sales with 14 years of experience in a variety of aviation roles, including Aeroshell, NetJets, and Executive Jet Management. Chafin will continue to consult on special projects for all of the Hartzell Aviation companies.

Duncan Van De Velde was appointed as v-p of sales, Europe, by Textron Aviation following the retirement of Tom Perry. Van De Velde rejoins Textron Aviation following four years at Bell Helicopter as the managing director for Europe and Russia. 

Summit Aviation hired Julian Tonsmeire as v-p of aircraft management and acquisitions. Tonsmeire has more than 20 years of industry experience, previously holding roles with Sky Harbour Group, Embraer Executive Jets, and Mountain Aviation.

Julien Péchalat was appointed by Safran Electrical and Power as v-p of economic and financial affairs; he will also sit on the company's executive committee. Most recently management control director for Safran Aircraft Engines, Péchalat previously held roles with Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and Zodiac Aerospace.

Vita Inclinata hired Kevin Campbell as executive v-p of finance. Campbell previously served at Greenwich Alternative Investments, as managing director at Avondale Partners, and most recently as senior v-p of corporate finance and then senior v-p of treasury and corporate development at Air Methods.

Scott O’Brien was named v-p of legislative affairs at Reliable Robotics. O’Brien has 18 years of experience in grassroots initiatives, legislative strategy, and public policy analysis as senior director of public policy and advocacy at NBAA.

Krystyna Hranek was hired by ACASS as sales director for the Southeast U.S. and Central/South American regions. Hranek has more than 15 years of marketing, business development, and sales experience in previous roles at Bombardier Aerospace and SmartJets.

Metrojet appointed Justin Yeung as the director of aircraft management and charter and Stewart Borg as director of flight operations. Yeung, who joined Metrojet in 2018, was most recently head of commercial and previously held commercial and supply chain roles with Rolls-Royce in the UK. Borg has been with Metrojet for over 17 years, having previously served as lead captain, deputy chief pilot, and manager of flight training. 

Jordan Rogers was appointed as aircraft transaction coordinator by brokerage firm Coleman Jet Solutions. Rogers has a background in business and sales management and is an instrument-rated private pilot and sUAS pilot. Before joining Coleman, he was partner and head of operations for Argentina Beef, a brand marketing specialist for CST Brands, and a territory manager for Wind River Tobacco.
Awards and Honors
Susan Mallett is the recipient of the National Aeronautic Association’s 2022 Frank G. Brewer Trophy, which was established in 1943 to honor “significant contributions of enduring value to aerospace education in the United States.” Mallett is being recognized for “her passionate and sustained aviation education leadership and ambassadorship to create enduring collaborative partnerships, programs, and products, which have impacted and inspired over two million American youth since 1986.”

Marc Parent, CAE's president and CEO, and Maryse Carmichael, CAE's solution lead for future aircrew training, were inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame during a ceremony held on October 27. The award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to aviation and aerospace in Canada.

The Wichita Aero Club (WAC) announced John Tomblin as the recipient of its 2023 Wichita Aero Club Trophy. Tomblin is senior v-p of industry and defense programs for Wichita State University; executive director at the National Institute for Aviation Research; and a Sam Bloomfield Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering for Wichita State University. WAC will celebrate Tomblin at its annual trophy gala in January 2023.
Final Flights
Aviation industry icon Herbert H. Ward, 94, passed away at his home near Wichita on October 17. Ward worked in aviation for almost 70 years, beginning with both Beech Aircraft and Boeing in the late 1940s. In the early 1960s, he took a position with Bill Lear at Learjet, where he worked his way up to production superintendent. After a 13-year tenure at Learjet, he joined Air Research in Los Angeles, California, where he headed up the interior and completion sales.		Ward continued a successful career in aircraft interior and completions working for Sun Stream in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as manager over completions, where he started a new path in sales of VVIP interiors in small and medium jet aircraft; for the Dee Howard Company in San Antonio, Texas, where he headed up the VVIP interior installation team; and for Associated Air Center in Dallas, where he became the v-p of sales for VVIP widebody aircraft. Ward retired from Associated in 1997 but not long after joined Green Point Technologies in Bothell, Washington, as a consultant assisting with VVIP BBJ completions.		In 2001, he spearheaded a startup company Completion Air located in East Alton, Illinois, to do VVIP widebody completions. That company evolved into what is known today as West Star Aviation. In 2005 in a joint venture, he founded EAS Completions in Addison, Texas, where he and his team designed and installed VVIP interiors in three Boeing 737 aircraft for the Kingdom of Thailand. He again retired in 2009 at 81 years old.
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