Story ID: 003
People in Aviation
By: Jessica Reed
Caption: Eviation Aircraft appointed Andre Stein as CEO  and Tom Burke joined CHC Helicopter as CEO
Word Count: 1218
Eviation Aircraft appointed Andre Stein CEO and Jeff Hurford CFO. Stein brings more than 25 years of experience at Embraer, including co-founding Eve Air Mobility and serving as CEO at Eve. Hurford most recently served as platform director of the SR1X program at Cirrus Aircraft.
Tom Burke joined CHC Helicopter as CEO. Burke previously served as president and CEO of Rowan Companies and Valaris.
David Paddock, the president of General Dynamics subsidiary Jet Aviation, will take over as president of General Dynamics Land Systems in April. Meanwhile, Jet Aviation Basel (Switzerland) senior v-p of operations Jeremie Caillet will become president of the MRO/FBO chain.
Lynda Coffman took on the role of CEO of Women in Aviation International (WAI) on January 22. She previously served as v-p of United Airlines, as well as president of United subsidiary United Ground Express.
Robert Stangarone took on the role of president and CEO of the nonprofit Corporate Angel Network (CAN). Courtney Easton, CAN’s senior director of operations and marketing, had steered the organization over the past year. Stangarone brings some five decades of aviation and aerospace experience as a journalist, communicator, and consultant to his new role, including positions with multiple manufacturers and managing his own consultancy, Stangarone & Associates.
Luke Savoie was officially appointed as CEO of Elbit Systems of America on January 29 after serving the company as president and CEO-elect since 2023. He took the place of Raanan Horowitz, who had been president and CEO since 2007.
Charlie Creech, former president of North State Aviation, has joined FlyExclusive as senior v-p of MRO operations. Creech will oversee operations at the company’s MRO facility in Kinston, North Carolina.
Doug Crowther was appointed president of Odyssey Avation United States. Crowther previously worked for Air Service Hawaii as area director and for Ross Aviation (Hawaii) as general manager. Odyssey Aviation U.S. also announced Ken Allison, one of the company's co-founders, as CEO.
Thrive Aviation promoted Rickey Oswald from senior v-p of flight operations and fleet management to COO. Before joining the company, Oswald had held a variety of positions within the aviation industry, including chief pilot, director of operations, and management executive.
Adam Hohulin is taking on the role of senior v-p of operations at Tradewind Aviation. He brings more than 25 years of expertise in the aviation industry, including 18 years at Sentient Jet.
Gulfstream Aerospace promoted Amy Ariano, v-p of human resources, to senior v-p and chief people officer. Ariano’s previous experience included multiple roles at ConAgra Foods and SPX Corp.
Daher appointed Cédric Eloy to lead its industrial services division and join the Daher executive committee. Aymeric Daher now manages the logistics division and has also joined the company's executive committee.
Christine Sheridan joined Mesinger Jet Sales as director of business development. She has more than 17 years of experience working as a financial analyst in the private aviation segment.
King Aerospace hired Bob Blanchard as v-p of business development and special projects. Blanchard most recently served as an executive director at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, overseeing six National Air Security Operations Centers.
Brent Eborn was promoted from business development manager to general manager at Jackson Jet’s Boise, Idaho FBO. He has been with the company for almost two decades.
Anna Cutter was promoted to flight department director at Cutter Aviation. She originally started at the company as the Texas charter and sales coordinator.
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) promoted Steve Berry from managing director of safety and training to v-p of education and safety. Berry was previously NATA’s training and content manager and also had served as its manager of fuel quality and safety.
West Star promoted David Green to program manager of line services at its facility in East Alton, Illinois. Green, who previously served in the U.S. Navy, will control aircraft and fueling operations at the facility.
1st Capital Bancorp and 1st Capital Bank appointed Joel Keller as executive v-p and CFO. Keller was recently senior v-p and CFO at Liberty Bank.
Laura Zehm was appointed as a director at 1st Capital Bancorp. Zehm was previously the chief administrative officer and CFO at Montage Health and is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Abigail Camp Wenk was promoted to deputy staff director of the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I). Corey Cooke, general counsel for the T&I Committee, is taking on additional responsibilities related to overseeing policy development. Meghan Holland was promoted to deputy general counsel, having served the committee as senior counsel since December 2022. Another recent promotion within the T&I Committee is Leslie Parker, who is now director of member services and coalitions.
Awards and Honors
Gulfstream Aerospace president Mark Burns was honored with the Living Legends Lifetime Aviation Industry Leader Award on Friday. Burns also is a v-p at General Dynamics and a member of the board of directors at the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).
Final Flights
Horst Bergmann, the former CEO and chairman of Jeppesen, where he worked for more than 40 years until retiring in 2003, passed away on January 21. He also served as chairman of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) in 1996.
According to GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce, “Horst Bergmann was a passionate champion for the aviation community and an influential and visionary leader. His hard work and dedication led to Jeppesen’s significant growth in employees and revenues during his tenure and he was instrumental in Jeppesen’s transformation from a paper-based navigational aid provider to a leader in integrated aviation solutions.”
Jeppesen managing director Jens Schiefele also remarked on Bergmann's legacy: “Horst was a driving force behind making Jeppesen charting a renowned product, leaving a lasting impact on the entire aviation industry.”
Industry veteran Dan Prosser passed away on January 4 at the age of 74. Prosser worked on the C-130, C5, C-119, and C121 aircraft during his time in the military. He was a member of the Aircraft Electronic Association’s board of directors from 1980 to 1984 and again from 1992 to 1995, and he served as the board’s chair in 1995. His career included working at Gogo Business Aviation (formerly Aircell) as the director of business development in addition to companies such as Avidyne, Raytheon, Cutter Aviation, IFR Avionics, and Chaparral Aviation.
Solairus Aviation executive Chad Davidson passed away on January 14 at the age of 29 as a result of a general aviation aircraft accident in Massachusetts. Davidson, also known as “Super Chad,” joined the company’s charter sales team at the age of 19. “Chad was a life force in the Solairus organization, not just because of his relationships and day-to-day influence on our business but because he represented what was possible for the future of our company and business aviation overall,” shared Solairus CEO Dan Drohan.
To honor Davidson’s memory, the company established the Chad Davidson Business Aviation Leadership Scholarship Fund, which will support students pursuing a degree in aviation business administration at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.