Story ID: 003
People in Aviation April 2025
By: Jessica Reed
Caption: Robert Seidel is chairman of Alerion Aviation , Wes Romaine president of ACI Aviation Consulting 
Word Count: 1711
Robert Seidel is stepping down as CEO of Alerion Aviation after 12 years of service and transitioning into the role of chairman. Seidel previously worked for Gulfstream Aerospace and Jet Aviation. Daniel Ramirez will take on the position of CEO. Ramirez was recently COO of Vista Americas and has also served as director of safety at XOJet and as Embraer Executive Jets’ manager of flight safety programs for North America.
ACI Aviation Consulting named Wes Romaine president and Andy Krantz vice president. Romaine has worked for ACI since December 2007, leading business development and guiding marketing strategies, client acquisition, and industry outreach. Krantz joined the company in 2018 as director of valuations and has conducted thousands of valuations during his more than 10-year career.
Gulfstream Aerospace named Kirsten Menza group v-p of sales for the Americas (U.S., Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean) and promoted Kevin Brink to division v-p of sales for the Western U.S., Western Canada, and Latin America, Menza’s former role. Menza’s 25-plus years of experience in business aviation includes working for Gulfstream since 2017. Brink has been with the company since 2013, when he joined as regional v-p of sales for the Northwestern U.S. and Western Canada.
Megacorp Aviation appointed Rory McQueen CFO. McQueen’s experience in aviation finance spans more than three decades, including leadership roles at VistaJet, Bombardier, and Chorus Aviation Capital.
Airshare hired David Makowski as senior v-p of maintenance and Nick Kaufman as v-p of sales for the West Coast. Makowski, Elliott Aviation’s former COO, has also held positions at Delta Air Lines, NetJets, and Wheels Up. Kaufman, who recently served as v-p of aircraft acquisitions at Ventura Air Services, brings prior experience working for companies including Wheels Up and Flight Options/Flexjet.
Four team members at Duncan Aviation have taken on new management roles. Mark Winter, who joined the company as manager of the satellite shop in Houston in 2010, is now avionics regional sales manager. Chad Sweppenhiser, who worked on F-18s in the U.S. Marine Corps and joined Duncan 13 years ago as an avionics technician, has taken over as the new manager at the company’s Houston satellite shop. Logan McCabe is now manager of the Duncan Aviation satellite in Manassas, Virginia. He previously worked at the company’s satellites in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Austin, Texas. Joe Vittling, who has worked for Duncan for more than seven years, now manages the shop at Nashville International Airport. Duncan Aviation also promoted Shane Mack to turbine engine technical representative for Honeywell and GE aircraft engines. Mack joined the company in 2005, worked on Falcon and Hawker airframes for five years, and then transitioned to Duncan’s engine line shop.
Elliott Aviation promoted Bill Forbes to senior v-p of avionics. Forbes has been a part of the company’s avionics team for seven years and previously held leadership positions at Executive Aircraft Maintenance and Cutter Aviation.
Cameron Gowans joined Partners In Aviation (PIA) as v-p of operations. Most recently, Gowans worked at Four Corners Aviation as president, COO, and CCO. He also previously was chief strategy officer at Aquila Aviation Holdings, president of Jet Linx Chicago, and v-p of sales at Embraer Executive Jets, among other roles.
Henry Julicher was named senior manager of cargo operations and business development for Avflight. Julicher’s 15-plus years of prior experience include working for Cargobase USA and Lufthansa Cargo.
Cutter Aviation has expanded Monica Kenney’s role as Pilatus Aircraft business manager. She will now oversee Pilatus customers’ entire experience from initial sale through long-term ownership and support. Kenney joined the company in 2018, working in customer relations, aircraft sales, and brand management.
VisionSafe appointed Jon-Michael Kasten as CEO. He brings more than two decades of leadership experience in aerospace at various companies, including Intec Aerospace, Crane Aerospace, AvtechTyee, and Pacific Propeller International.
Omni Helicopters International (OHI) Group announced that Roberto Coimbra is stepping down as CEO of Omni Táxi Aéreo, OHI’s Brazilian affiliate, and will become the board director. Paulo Couto, formerly chief transformation officer for OHI Group, will take over as CEO of Omni Táxi Aéreo. Couto brings more than 25 years of experience in business transformation and strategic leadership in various industries.
Three C&L Aerospace employees were recently promoted. Brad Vieux was elevated to v-p of business development and continues to support the development of new distributorships and repair vendors, as well as C&L’s Citation Parts Program. Nick Phair was promoted to director of sales for corporate aircraft parts and will oversee support of large fleet operators, OEMs, and European operators. Kristina Snow was selected as director of business development and will work with all C&L sales teams on new customer development and product line market penetration.
Brent Misura was hired as v-p of design at aerial firefighting company Coulson Aviation. Misura’s 25 years of experience in aerospace include leading development and certification for the BAE-146/RJ85 large and Q400MRE medium airtanker programs.
Simply Jet promoted Francesco Barsotti to director of its Zurich, Switzerland branch, while Philipp Jarnoth became flight operations director. Barsotti previously held roles in flight instruction, operational control, and commercial aviation and was initially hired as a charter sales executive at Simply Jet’s office in Lausanne. Jarnoth has held leadership roles in operations and strategic planning and has served as a flight dispatcher and operations control center supervisor. He joined Simply Jet in 2020 as flight operations manager.
James Pollaci was tapped as v-p of new business development at business aircraft broker Leading Edge Aviation Solutions. Pollaci brings almost 20 years of industry experience in aviation sales.
Flight school and full-service aviation company All In Aviation has appointed Rob Pickering as director of maintenance. Pickering’s 30-plus years of experience in aircraft maintenance management and quality assurance includes leadership roles at Cirrus Aircraft, Embraer Executive Jet Services, ACI Jet, Rolls-Royce, and L-3 Vertex Flight International.
Florian Lis-Srajer was promoted to deputy managing director of aviation safety firm ASQS Thailand this month and will lead strategic initiatives across the Asia-Pacific region. Lis-Srajer was previously head of operations in Thailand and has worked for the company since 2020.
Rotortrade hired Jean-Noël De Precigout as its commercial director for Europe. He brings more than three decades of experience in the helicopter industry, including working at Heli Union in Paris and founding Fin Air Trade.
Ted Angel was appointed executive director of the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence at Ohio’s Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport. Angel’s previous experience includes serving as director of projects and business development for aerospace and defense for the Dayton Development Coalition.
VyClimb founder Michael Benton was appointed as an ambassador to the Fred North Helicopter Safety Mentoring Program. Benton has extensive experience as an air medical transport helicopter pilot.
Awards and Honors
The professional collegiate aviation fraternity Alpha Eta Rho (AHP) has awarded its namesake honor to NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen, recognizing his contributions to the aviation industry and dedication to developing future leaders.
AHP presented the award during its inaugural Collegiate Aviation Symposium held February 24 and 25 in Columbus, Ohio. AHP CEO Ben O’Brien highlighted the significance of the recognition during the ceremony, saying, “We are pleased to present Ed with our highest award in recognition of the role he and NBAA have played in reinforcing Alpha Eta Rho’s mission of helping today’s students become tomorrow’s aviation leaders.”
Bolen, who has led NBAA since 2004, expressed gratitude for the recognition. “I am deeply honored to receive this award and have been fortunate to be part of a community filled with inspiring young people, from all backgrounds, with a shared passion for ensuring that a vital industry continues to have a central role in our nation’s future,” he said.
Bolen’s aviation career also includes eight years as president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and service as majority general counsel to what is now the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. A private pilot, Bolen was instrumental in the passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994.
 
Ken Warriner, senior director of finance and administration for the Naples Airport Authority, was recognized by Airports Council International-North America with the 2024 Risk Management Professional of the Year award in the small and non-hub airport category. One of Warriner’s recent achievements has been securing a comprehensive flood insurance policy for the airport.
 
Chris Holder, eastern U.S. technical sales manager at Concorde Battery, was honored as a member of the 2025 South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame inductee class. Holder served as an avionics weapons technician in the U.S. Marine Corps, earned his private pilot certificate in 1983, and founded a South Carolina inspection authorization renewal event in 1998.
 
Final Flight
The aviation community is grieving the loss of Casey Crafton of Guardian Jet and Vikesh Patel of GE Aerospace, who were among the 67 people killed when a PSA Bombardier CRJ-700, operating as American Airlines Flight 5342, collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on January 29.
Crafton, who served as technical services manager at business aircraft broker Guardian Jet since 2019, was traveling on business when the accident occurred. An aviation professional with more than a decade of experience as an A&P mechanic, Crafton was known for his expertise in aircraft maintenance and his work overseeing pre-buy projects. The company remembered Crafton as not only a valued team member but “above all a husband, father, and a friend to all.” Guardian Jet has set up a GoFundMe for the Crafton family.
Also aboard the flight was Patel, an MRO transformation leader at GE Aerospace remembered by colleagues as “a wonderful person, leader, and friend” whose “energy was contagious.” Patel, based in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore area, had been with GE since 2013.