Partners and Programs:
Partners and Programs:

FLIGHT SAFETY FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS

701 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 250,
Alexandria, Virginia 22314

Phone: +1 703 739 6700 Fax: +1 703 739 6708

BUSINESS AVIATION SAFETY SUMMIT

MAY 9-10, 2023

Sheraton New Orleans, 500 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Main Menu
Speakers

BASS 2023 SPEAKERS

DAY 1 KEYNOTE SPEAKER
 
Dr. Tony Kern
Chief Executive Officer
Convergent Performance, LLC 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Dr. Tony Kern

Chief Executive Officer, Convergent Performance, LLC 

Dr. Tony Kern is one of the world’s leading authorities on human performance in aviation. He has researched, written, and lectured on the subject around the globe for over two decades. Dr. Kern has received numerous national and international awards for his work, and while it’s always a privilege to win awards, it’s a completely different honor to have an award named after you. In 2015, the National Business Aviation Association announced the creation of the Dr. Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award, and to date, there have been over 70 award recipients from around the world. A prolific writer, Dr. Kern has authored eight books on human performance. Tony is also a featured columnist and Contributing Editor for several magazines. 

Dr. Kern has world class communications credentials and has testified in front of the United States Congress and been interviewed regarding his insights by the Fox Business Network, Bloomberg TV, the Discovery Channel, National Public Radio, NBC Nightly News, and 48 Hours with Dan Rather, among others.   

Despite his three graduate degrees, Dr. Kern does not consider himself an “academic.” He has deep operational roots in the U.S. Air Force as a Command Pilot and Flight Examiner in the B‐1B bomber. Upon retirement from the Air Force in 2000, Dr. Kern served as the National Aviation Director for the U.S. Forest Service, where he directed the largest non‐military government aviation program in the world in support of federal wildland fire suppression and natural resource protection.  He is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute and the U.S. Federal Government Senior Executive Service Development Program.  

Tony has dedicated his adult life to helping individuals and organizations reduce error, improve cultures, mitigate losses, and optimize their performance, but still finds time to enjoy his personal hobbies of hunting, fishing, golf, and writing. He currently lives with Shari, his wife of 34 years and their seven dogs, three horses, 20 chickens, and two donkeys on the Emerald Star Ranch in the Texas hill country west of San Antonio. 

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Jacquie Dalton - BASS 2023 Keynote Speaker
DAY 2 KEYNOTE SPEAKER
 
Jacquie Dalton
President
SPARROW Executive Jets

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Jacquie Dalton
 
President, SPARROW Executive Jets
 
Jacquie Dalton is the Founder and President of Sparrow Executive Jets, an invitation/referral-only jet charter brokerage.  With nearly fifteen years of combined experience in Part 135 aircraft management and charter brokering, she advocates that flight safety begins at the point of sale.  A former thoroughbred jockey, she is known in the aviation community for bringing the same drive and determination from her racing days to leading change in charter selling to protect the interests of aircraft owners, management companies, and clients.  In March 2023, her company became the first charter brokerage to partner with the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Lightning Initiative, which aims to end human trafficking in business aviation. 
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Birke Rhodes

Manger, Airport Safety and Operations
Federal Aviation Administration

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Birke Rhodes

Manger, Airport Safety and Operations, Federal Aviation Administration

Birke Rhodes is the Division Manager for Airport Safety and Operations with the Federal Aviation Administration at National Headquarters in Washington DC.  Birke currently is responsible for airport safety and policy within the United States.  Mr. Rhodes also is responsible for safety oversight and safety policy for the Part 139 Airport Certification Program which includes 517 commercial service airports.  His Division has responsibility in key areas of: Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting, Airport Emergency Planning, Wildlife Hazard Management, Airport Personnel Training, Safety During Construction, Winter Operations, Fueling Safety and Airport Safety Management Systems.   
 
Birke began his aviation career in 1991 working for the Chicago Department of Aviation as an Airport Operations Supervisor at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.  He was responsible for all aspects of airside safety, airport operations and Part 139 compliance. After working closely with FAA’s Regional Airport Certification Team, Birke found his passion in airport safety and regulatory oversight as an Airport Certification Safety Inspector for the FAA in the Great Lakes Regional Office in Chicago.  While in the Great Lakes Region, Birke was promoted to Lead Airport Certification Safety Inspector and then to Safety and Standards Branch Manager overseeing the regional airport safety, airport standards and engineering program for eight states in U.S. 

Birke is a graduate from Southern Illinois University where he studied Aviation Management and Aviation Flight and he is currently an Instrument Rated Private Pilot. 

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Brad Wilcko

Pilot/Controller Liaison
National Air Traffic Controllers Association

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Brad Wilcko

National Air Traffic Controllers Association

Brad graduated Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in 2004 with Bachelor’s Degrees in both Air Traffic Management and Aviation Business Management.  He started his career as an Air Traffic Controller in 2005 at Chicago Center.  After 10 years in Chicago, Brad moved to San Diego and has been a controller at SoCal TRACON since 2015.  Brad represents NATCA as their National Pilot/Controller Liaison where he focuses his passion and energy on building the relationship, understanding and teamwork between both Pilots and Controllers.  Brad also works as a NATCA CISP analyst where he processes incoming ASAP/FSAP reports from air carriers and compares them to internal ATSAP reports from Controllers to identify trends and initiate action to improve safety within the system. 

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Brian Willis

Director of Safety
University of North Dakota

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Brian Willis

Director of Safety, University of North Dakota

Brian Willis is the Director of Aviation Safety for the University of North Dakota (UND) and has held that position for the past five years. Prior to that, he held various positions in the flight training department for UND.  Outside of the day-to-day operations, Mr. Willis works closely with the pilot group in navigating safety concerns that pilots face on a daily basis.  Traditionally safety has revolved around the environmental hazards, external pressures, flight training risks and college life in general.  If you mentioned mental health, the deepest pilots went was into the IMSAFE checklist and P in the PAVE model.  However, in our industry, pilot, passenger and public safety are paramount and a crew’s mental health is a big piece to that puzzle that needs our attention in the same way that fatigue and runway incursions find the spotlight.  Depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns have always been part of college life, however, as the spotlight continues to shine brighter on these areas, the concerns young pilots have for how they affect their future in the world of aviation adds up in at an already stressful and demanding time.  Although UND Aerospace is in the infant stages of mental health awareness and mitigation strategies, Mr. Willis will share effective communication strategies, how to create a culture for conversation and the impact of peer support programs on the pilots of tomorrow that can be carried beyond the walls of the University of North Dakota. 

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Bryan Burns

President
Air Charter Safety Foundation

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Brian Burns

President, Air Charter Safety Foundation

Bryan Burns has steered the Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) through its near infancy to a multi-faceted safety organization that offers a variety of safety programs to charter operators. He joined ACSF in 2010, two years after it was formally established, as executive director and later became president. He brought 30 years of fixed-base operation experience to his role at ACSF, serving as general manager for Signature Flight Support at the Washington Dulles and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airports and before that v-p of Jackson Hole Aviation and president of Vail Valley Jet Center in Eagle, Colorado. He was the recipient of the NBAA Dr. Tony Kern Aviation Professionalism Award in 2021 as well as the Flight Safety Foundation Business Aviation Meritorious Service Award in 2022.  A private pilot, Burns holds a B.S. degree from Florida Institute of Technology. 

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Chad Brewer

Operational Safety Analyst
Federal Aviation Administration

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Chad Brewer

Operational Safety Analyst, Federal Aviation Administration

Chad Brewer is an Operational Safety Analyst within the FAA’s Office of Accident Investigation and Prevention located in Washington, D.C. He is actively involved in the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) initiative and serves as the government tri-chair for the General Aviation Issue Analysis Team within ASIAS.

He works closely with government and industry stakeholders supporting the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) and General Aviation Joint Safety Committee (GAJSC). He serves as a U.S. international representative on ICAO’s Asia Pacific Regional Aviation Safety Team.

Mr. Brewer graduated cum laude from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Science and a Minor in Air Traffic Management. He holds a commercial pilot certificate with multi-engine and instrument ratings.

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Christopher Rocheleau

Chief Operating Officer
National Business Aviation Association

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Christopher Rocheleau

Chief Operating Officer, National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)

Christopher J. Rocheleau serves as the association’s chief operating officer, overseeing NBAA’s activities relating to aircraft and flight department operations, as well as the administrative, financial and human resources functions. 

Prior to joining NBAA, Rocheleau has served the FAA with distinction for over 20 years in multiple roles including acting associate administrator for aviation safety, chief of staff, assistant administrator for policy, international affairs and environment, executive director for international affairs and director of the office of emergency operations and investigations. 

Before joining the agency, he served as an officer and special agent with the United States Air Force, retiring from the USAF Reserve in 2010 as a lieutenant colonel. He was also among the first leaders of the Transportation Security Administration. 

Rocheleau holds a bachelor’s degree from Central Connecticut State University and a Master of Public Administration from City University of Seattle. He also completed the Executive National Security Program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and USAF Air Command and Staff College. 

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Dan Boedigheimer - BASS 2023 Speaker

Dan Boedigheimer

CEO
Advanced Aircrew Academy 

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Dan Boedigheimer

CEO at Advanced Aircrew Academy

After finding a passion for teaching as a CFI, Dan built a solid instrument scan and gray hair flying a Beech 1900 for Great Lakes without an autopilot across the Midwest. The regional airline flying would routinely include 8 instrument approaches a day (uphill both ways in icing conditions to minimums). His business aviation flying experience spans 4 years in a small Part 91 flight department (1 aircraft / 2 pilots) and 13 years in a large Part 135 operation starting as a SIC and working his way up to managing their training and standards program.

With a philosophy of being a lifetime learner and a stubbornness to re-write a 300+ page dissertation for a 3rd time to free the reader from having to endure the “non-academic” word “it,” Dan holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Science. He gained membership to the Delta Mu Delta Academic Honor Society for finding 193 academic ways to rephrase “it.”

Inspiration for his Ph.D. dissertation came from Tony Kern and his vision for the Global War on Error. Dan’s FAA sponsored dissertation “Exploring Pilot Reliability Certification and Changing Attitudes on the Reduction of Errors” was published in the Journal of the Transportation Research Record with the data to prove the effectiveness of Convergent Performance’s Pilot Reliability Certification Program. Dan later joined the Convergent Performance team as a part-time lead human factors instructor while continuing to be a full-time pilot.  

Dan has served on the NBAA Safety Committee since 2014. First as a member of the Training Advisory Committee and today as the Vice Chairman. Dan also serves on the International Business Aviation Council’s IS-BAO Standards Board as the training subject matter expert and is a reviewer for the Embry Riddle Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research. Dan’s day job is leading an incredible training team as CEO and a founding partner of Advanced Aircrew Academy.

Dan lives in the mountains of Colorado. A good summer day is spent hiking and a good winter day is snowboarding in feet of new powder. Dan and his wife Jodie are empty nesters with their son Jason working as an Environmental Health Specialist (tree hugging + biology) for Grand County Colorado and daughter Keira a National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) Division 1 athlete at the University of Minnesota studying Exercise Science and Wellness. 

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Capt. Dave Belastock

President
Teterboro Users Group

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Captain Dave Belastock 

President, Teterboro Users Group

Inspired by his airline pilot father and uncle, Dave Belastock began his own airline career in 1989 as a B727 Flight Engineer with the Trump Shuttle, which later merged with US Airways. After nearly 14 years flying the B-727 and A320, and active in ALPA safety, communications, representation and negotiation, Dave was furloughed in 2002 in the wake of September 11. Unwilling to give up on his flying dreams, Dave discovered the opportunities afforded by a career in business aviation. Flying charter for 3 years with Million Air Charter Teterboro (later Meridian), Dave joined Dassault Falcon Jet as a Demo Pilot in 2006, and advanced to the positions of Assistant Chief Pilot – Technical and later Director – Pilot Technical. In 2019, Dave joined BNTI Corp as a Falcon 8X and 900EXy Captain. Passionate about giving back to the business aviation community, Dave began volunteering with the Teterboro Users Group (TUG) in 2002, first as Secretary/Treasurer and currently as President. He’s also a member of the NBAA Access Committee’s ATC, Airspace and Flight Technologies Working Group. As a long-standing member of the Flight Safety Foundation Business Advisory Committee (BAC), Dave was elected Vice-Chairman in 2021. 

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Doug Carr

Douglas Carr

Senior Vice President, Safety, Security, Sustainability & International Operations
National Business Aviation Association

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Douglas Carr

Senior Vice President, Safety, Security, Sustainability & International Operations, National Business Aviation Association 

Douglas “Doug” Carr is NBAA’s senior vice president of safety, security, sustainability and international operations. In this position, he is responsible for leading the association’s broad regulatory and policy agenda affecting business aviation safety, security, sustainability and aircraft operations in the United States and around the globe. He also is the staff liaison for NBAA’s Security Council. 

In April 1998, Carr joined the NBAA staff as manager of domestic operations. He subsequently was promoted to manager of safety and operations, director of government affairs and vice president of regulatory and international affairs. In these positions, he monitored and responded to domestic and international regulatory and legislative initiatives by Congress, FAA, TSA, CBP and other government agencies. He also provided operational-related assistance for commercial and non-commercial aircraft operators. 

While at NBAA, Carr has led or participated in several landmark aviation rulemaking and policy efforts, including the FAA’s Fractional Ownership Aviation Rulemaking Committee (FOARC), the FAA’s Part 125/135 ARC Flight and Rest Subcommittee, the Takeoff and Landing Performance Assessment (TALPA) ARC, TSA’s Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) proposal, establishment of CBP’s business aviation pre-clearance program in Shannon, Ireland and updates to ICAO protocols for business aircraft, among others. 

Internationally, Carr represents business aviation interests at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and has assisted with several rulemaking and policy efforts at the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). He serves as the corporate secretary for the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC). 

Carr is a graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in aviation management and an Associate of Science degree in aviation flight. Prior to his college years, he spent six years in the U.S. Navy. As part of his military duties, he worked onboard a nuclear-powered submarine where he was responsible for many aspects of the submarine propulsion system, including the operation, maintenance and repair of the nuclear reactor and support systems. 

Before joining NBAA, Carr was employed by the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) as a specialist in government and industry affairs. There, he was responsible for issues affecting FAR Part 135 on-demand air carriers and flight training providers. 

Carr is a commercial, multi-engine, instrument-rated pilot and a certificated flight instructor. 

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Eric Carter

Air Traffic Controller/Analyst
National Air Traffic Controllers Association

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Eric Carter

Air Traffic Controller/Analyst, National Air Traffic Controllers Association

Eric Carter is an Air Traffic Controller/Analyst, and he is in his 34th and final year of Air Traffic Control.  He has worked in Long Beach, CA (KLGB), Los Angeles, CA (KLAX), BAY TRACON, Oakland, CA (O90 - now part of Northern California TRACON), and since 1999 in San Francisco, CA (KSFO).  Hs has also worked for the last 14 years in Voluntary Safety Reporting - the first half on controller-centric reporting and the last half on pilot centric reporting.  Eric has challenged himself at every turn with the knowledge gained through reporting and been able to provide expertise in feedback to each of his flying partners to make each of their operations safer. The safety reporting work has truly been the highlight of his career. 

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Hassan Shahidi

President and CEO
Flight Safety Foundation

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Dr. Hassan Shahidi

President and CEO, Flight Safety Foundation 

Dr. Hassan Shahidi is the president and CEO of Flight Safety Foundation, where he leads a global campaign to improve aviation safety. He directs the Foundation’s mission across several locations around the world, including Melbourne, Australia; Brussels, Montreal, and Washington. Dr. Shahidi has led the Foundation’s initiatives to promote safety culture and proactive safety management around the world. He has launched initiatives to facilitate humanitarian use of uncrewed systems for delivery of vaccines and medicines. His other global priorities include addressing risks of runway excursions, loss of control and controlled flight into terrain.   

Dr. Shahidi has over 40 years of experience in applying systems engineering and data analytics to advance air traffic control in the U.S. and around the world. He has led several air traffic modernization initiatives including performance-based navigation (PBN), airspace design analytics, traffic flow management, and terminal automation concepts. He holds a private pilot license. Dr. Shahidi is a recipient of various industry awards, including Aviation Week Commercial Aviation Safety Award and RTCA Outstanding Achievement Award. He holds a bachelor and master’s in international economic and studies, a master’s in systems engineering and operations research, and a doctorate in engineering management.  

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Jeff Mittelman

Founder
Mittelman Aviation Solutions, LLC

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Jeff Mittelman

Founder, Mittelman Aviation Solutions, LLC

Jeff Mittelman is an aviation consultant with more than 40 years of aviation experience. He is the founder of Mittelman Aviation Solutions, LLC, specializing in helping organizations develop and implement safety data collection and sharing systems. In a related activity, Jeff is the lead of the NBAA Safety Committee’s Human-Reported & Automated Safety Data Working Group, which educates and promotes the collection and use of aviation safety data.  Jeff also consults in the areas of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) NAS integration, ADS-B, and aviation weather. Prior to consulting, Jeff worked at the MITRE Corporation’s Center for Advanced Aviation System Development supporting several FAA and international aviation programs. At MITRE, Jeff was responsible for the Corporate/Business/GA portion of the FAA’s Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) program, a safety data collection and sharing safety initiative. Prior to that effort, Jeff was the MITRE Program Manager for the FAA’s SafeFlight 21 and Capstone ADS-B programs. Jeff also managed Commercial Space Transportation and UAS related research, as well as the development of aviation weather systems for flight service, air traffic control, and flight crews. 

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Jennifer Pickerel

Vice President
Aviation Personnel International 

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Jennifer Pickerel

Vice President, Aviation Personnel International

Jennifer Pickerel is a decisive leader with exceptional communication skills, and a unique ability to build relationships, inspire confidence and unite teams. As Vice President of Aviation Personnel International, she works directly with API’s clients, most of whom are aviation directors, reporting executives and corporate HR partners.  

As a recruiter with 15 years of experience working in business aviation, Jennifer has a deep understanding of the workforce challenges facing the industry today. She draws on her subject matter knowledge and expertise to speak at an array of industry events, as well as to author industry media articles on employee attraction, retention and topics of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). 

Since joining API in 2015, Jennifer has held progressive roles in all areas of the company and was promoted to her current position in 2020. As VP, she is the “chief of staff” to the company’s President & CEO and serves as the primary point of contact for most of API’s recruitment projects and staff needs. 

Jennifer is the Chair of NBAA’s DE&I Working Group, as well as a member of NBAA’s Maintenance Committee and Business Aviation Management Committee. She also is a member of the International Aviation Womens Association, Minnesota Business Aviation Association, Pacific Northwest Business Aviation Association and Women in Corporate Aviation. Through her relationship with the Minnesota State University, Mankato, she works one-on-one with students to conduct resume reviews, mock interviews, and offer career and salary advice. 

In August, 2022, Jennifer was accepted into the prestigious ’22-‘23 IWF Leadership Fellows Program, a year-long, intensive leadership development experience through the International Women’s Forum. Earlier this year, she also attended Northwestern University-Kellogg School of Management’s DEI-focused executive education program. The weeklong-course, “Beyond Diversity: Executive Strategies for Constructive Disruption,” empowers DEI leaders “to take proven concepts and translate them into bold actions, creating meaningful change” for themselves, their employees and their organization. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. 

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Joe Dickinson

Safety Captain
Hess Corporation

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Joe Dickinson

Safety Captain, Hess Corporation 

Joe Dickinson is a New Jersey native who grew up with a passion for aviation as his father was a WWII Army Air Corps veteran and an airline pilot. Upon graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder, he was commissioned in the United States Navy and served as a Navy pilot for over 20 years of active-duty service. Predominantly flying P-3 Orion aircraft he deployed all around the world while also serving in various leadership positions. After retiring from active-duty service in 2008, Joe began his career in business aviation. He is presently employed by Hess Corporation as an international Captain and Safety Manager. Joe has been a Teterboro User Group board member since 2014 and presently serves as the Vice President, he is also a member of the Flight Safety Foundation’s Business Advisory Committee (BAC), and he is a member of the Northeast Safety Roundtable (NESRT).

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Joe Winingar

Director of Safety
Federal Aviation Administration 

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Joe Winingar

Director of Safety, Federal Aviation Administration 

Joseph “Joe” Winingar serves as the Director of Safety for the Air Traffic Organization. As the Director of Safety, Dr. Winingar is a key advisor and authority for monitoring, reporting, and mitigating risks to the National Airspace System (NAS) through voluntary safety programs, quality assurance, compliance, and safety services. He oversees the conversion of safety and quality data to improve NAS safety and establishes safety policies for air traffic movement, runway safety, voluntary reporting, quality assurance, and quality control. Additionally, he provides executive oversight of investigations and establishes policies on independent validation and verification of safety issues and incidences.  

Dr. Winingar has over twenty years of aviation-related experience and served in several leadership roles before assuming the permanent position of Director of Safety. He served as Acting Director of Safety, where he developed quality control and assurance policies and procedures and oversaw aviation risk analysis programs to improve NAS safety. He was nominated to serve on the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) Safety Standing Committee (SSC), overseeing the Safety Program to meet objectives and outcomes supporting the safety vision. 

Dr. Winingar began his career with the Federal Aviation Administration in 2005 after serving as an Air Traffic Controller in the United States Navy. Since joining the agency, he has served in numerous leadership roles, including Certified Professional Controller, Traffic Management Coordinator, Operations Supervisor, and Air Traffic Manager, throughout all three service areas. Before joining Safety and Technical Training, Dr. Winingar was the Air Traffic Manager at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control facility. 

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Keith DeBerry

Keith DeBerry

Chief Operating Officer
National Air Transportation Association

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Keith DeBerry

Chief Operating Officer, National Air Transportation Association

Keith DeBerry, National Air Transportation Association (NATA) Chief Operating Officer oversees NATA’s activities relating to safety education development and member outreach, as well as the day-to-day operation of the Association. DeBerry most recently served as Senior Vice President and as the Association’s Senior advisor for Regulatory Affairs since January 2020. 

Prior to coming to NATA, Keith was the Federal Aviation Administration’s Academy Director. As a Senior Executive, Keith led a workforce of over 500 federal employees and hundreds of contractors, providing technical learning solutions for thousands of students annually across the FAA and global aviation communities. 

Keith also led the Regulatory Standards Training Division where he had the responsibility for providing technical training for the FAA’s aviation safety inspectors and engineers. He was also the accountable executive for the Academy’s flight program where he led the development and implementation of the FAA’s first flight program’s Safety Management System (SMS), utilizing the Part 5 SMS rule. 

Keith also served as FAA’s field program lead in the development and implementation of SMS for the air transportation industry. He co-chaired the SMS pilot project with aviation industry senior leadership in the testing of SMS policy and procedures, sharing best practices with the aviation industry. 

In his 22-year federal career, he has had extensive experience leading, directing and managing aviation safety oversight activities. Keith served as the Supervisory Principal Maintenance Inspector for UPS Airlines. Where he oversaw a workforce charged with Congressional mandated safety oversight of UPS’ Airlines worldwide fleet. 

Keith is retired from the US Air Force and is a USAF Thunderbird Alumni.  

He holds a Master’s Business Administration degree (MBA) and a Bachelor’s degree in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Keith is also a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute. 

He currently serves on the board of directors for the US Air Force Thunderbird Association and the Oklahoma State University Executive Education Partnership Program. 

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Capt. Kimberly Perkins

Ph.D. Candidate
University of Washington

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Capt. Kimberly Perkins

Ph.D. Student, University of Washington

Kimberly Perkins is a Captain on a Gulfstream 650 and a doctoral researcher at the University of Washington. Previous to business aviation, she flew for two regional airlines, domestic and international. She has extensive international experience piloting jet aircraft on six continents and has lived on three.  Her research focuses on enhancing aviation safety systems through human centered design and engineering with an emphasis on cognitive and behavioral science.  She is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and serves as an academic advisor on the CAE Human Performance Excellence (hpX) Council.

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Luke Bowman

Product Director, Flight Analytics
GE Digital Aviation Software

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Luke Bowman

Product Director, Flight Analytics, GE Digital Aviation Software

Luke Bowman is a Product Director running the Flight Analytics product line for GE Digital, Aviation Software. He has spent 20+ years utilizing flight data to create innovative applications that deliver insight to aviation customers in critical areas of their business-like fuel, safety, and maintenance. The latest product from his team, FlightPulse, empowers airline pilots with flight data so they can make more informed decisions around safety and fuel consumption.

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Maria Kelly

Vice President, Safety
Jet Access

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Maria Kelly

Vice President of Safety at Jet Access

Maria Kelly is an accomplished aviation safety professional with a background in Part 91, 135, and 121 Cargo Flight Operations. She has been serving as the Vice President of Safety, DER at Jet Access since April 2019. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from ERAU (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) Daytona Beach, has completed further education courses at Cranfield University in England, as well as training in accident investigation at the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) Training Facility Headquarters in Ashburn, VA. 

In her role at Jet Access, Maria leads the company's Safety Management System (SMS) activities, including internal and external evaluation programs, FAA-accepted programs such as ASAP/MSAP (Aviation Safety Action Program/Maintenance Safety Action Program), Emergency Response Planning, EH&S (Environmental Health and Safety), and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) compliance.  

Her leadership and advocacy for Safety Management Systems and commitment to promoting safety in aviation, demonstrate her expertise and passion for improving safety standards within the aviation community. Maria has been recognized through various speaking engagements and industry events, including achieving Jet Access Aviation's SMS Part 5 active conformance status from the FAA, serving as a presenter at the Aviation Safety Infoshare conferences, serving as a facilitator at the first Business Aviation Safety Roundtable event, and will serve as a panelist for the upcoming NTSB Webinar on Implementing an SMS in Small to Mid-sized Aviation Operations. 

Maria continues to be a driving force in promoting a culture of safety within the aviation industry, striving to ensure that best practices are implemented to protect the well-being of all aviation professionals and passengers. 

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Capt. Neil Schnaak

Vice President, Executive Consultant
DEKRA North America

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Capt. Neil Schnaak

Vice President, Executive Consultant, DEKRA North America

Neil Schnaak is a vice president in DEKRA’s consulting practice. He has extensive experience coaching management teams and leaders to achieve organizational and safety-specific objectives. 

With more than 30 years of experience in the aviation industry, Neil is highly knowledgeable in aviation safety, flight operations management, flight training, ground operations, customer service, and operational reviews/audits of air-carrier policies, procedures, and methods. 

Before joining DEKRA, he served as the managing director of Safety and Security at Hawaiian Airlines in Honolulu. There, he led the company’s safety, security, emergency response, and business continuity and regulatory compliance programs. He also oversaw the 95,000+ interisland, transpacific, and international operations, conducted by its 7,500 employees annually. 

Previously, at Behavioral Safety Technologies, now DEKRA, Neil was a principal associate working with companies in the utilities, medical, energy, and transportation industries. As a senior consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, he was an essential resource to the FAA’s future state design of the System Approach to Safety Oversight, the FBI’s Render Safe Aircraft Acquisition Program, and the FAA Air Traffic Organization. 

Early in his career, Neil was instrumental in forming an air- and ground-critical care patient transport system in Atlanta, providing key leadership in developing the city’s first LifeFlight® patient transport service. 

Neil earned a Bachelor of Science from Georgia State University and graduated from the Aviation Safety Program Management program at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He is a licensed airline transport pilot and has logged more than 9,500 flight hours. 

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Paul BJ Ransbury

Chief Executive Officer
Aviation Performance Solutions

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Paul BJ Ransbury

Chief Executive Officer, Aviation Performance Solutions (APS)

Paul BJ Ransbury, a former fighter pilot, military instructor, and airline pilot, is the CEO of Aviation Performance Solutions (APS) and Chairman of the NBAA Safety Committee. APS has specialized in comprehensive Upset Prevention and Recovery Training, UPRT, for professional pilots for more than three decades. APS is the world’s leading UPRT provider for major US air carriers, insurance companies, government agencies, and corporate flight departments. APS’s core mission is to boost operational safety and bring pilots home safely. Ransbury presents easy-to-understand insights on transforming UPRT effectiveness to serve every professional pilot wherever they are in their career to overcome the persistent threat of Loss of Control In-flight. 

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Piyush Gandhi - BASS 2023 Speaker

Piyush Gandhi

Vice President, Operations and Business Development
Presage Group, Inc.

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Piyush Gandhi

Vice President, Operations and Business Development, Presage Group, Inc.

Piyush is an experienced executive in the field of aviation.  He is currently the Vice President, Operations and Business Development for the Presage Group Inc. which is an organization that uses psychological science-based analytics to understand the behaviours of employees (primarily pilots) in operational workplaces and provide mitigation strategies that ultimately improve the safety and performance of those organizations.  Most recently, he spent 2½ years with Sunwing Airlines in the role of Vice President Flight Operations.  Along with safety, operational, regulatory, and fiduciary responsibility of more than 30,000 flights in the B737-800/MAX-8 per year, he maintained his pilot proficiency flying on the line as a B737 Captain.  Previously, he was the Vice President Flight Operations at Porter Airlines where he was a founding team member from its inception in early 2006.  He contributed to helping build Porter from its humble 4 aircraft operation to 28 aircraft operating more than 65,000 flights per year carrying more than 3-million passengers.  Prior to that, Piyush spent 10-years with Bombardier Aerospace as their Chief Pilot & Customer Liaison Pilot.  In addition to his OEM certification/production test pilot duties on the Q400 and Global Express business jet, Piyush spent much of his Bombardier tenure overseas training pilots, delivering new aircraft, conducting sales & marketing tours, and providing operational support to various airlines and operators globally. 

Since 2018, Piyush has been on the Board of Directors for The Redwood – a not-for-profit shelter for women and their children fleeing domestic abuse.  In 2020, Piyush was the first male elected to the Board of Directors for the Northern Lights Aero Foundation which promotes and celebrates women in the field of aviation and aerospace in Canada.  Piyush founded and chaired the Y.A.Y! (You Are You!) diversity and inclusion committee at Sunwing and he also co-founded/chaired the successful Women Soar at Porter program. Piyush is a member of the international Flight Safety Foundation Business Aviation Advisory Committee (FSF BAC).  He has also been on the Advisory Boards for Colleges, and Universities, most notably, the Seneca College Aviation PAC (Program Advisory Committee).  

Piyush graduated the Seneca Aviation Program (Class ’93) and he completed his Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduate degree at the Rotman School of Business (University of Toronto) in 2014.

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Richard Meikle

Executive Vice President, Operations and Safety
Flight Safety International 

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Richard Meikle

Executive Vice President, Operations and Safety, Flight Safety International 

Richard joined FlightSafety International in March 2020 with the primary focus of evolving training to be safety focused which meets the regulatory requirements rather than the traditional approach of viewing training as a regulatory event with safety elements included. This approach is based on an industry event focus and use of data to develop and deliver specifically targeted risk reducing training scenarios.  He is responsible for oversight of learning center operations for the eastern half of the USA and all international locations. 

Richard holds a Master of Science degree with a minor in safety program management from Embry Riddle University and type ratings in multiple aircraft. 

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Robert Sumwalt

Executive Director
Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Robert Sumwalt

Executive Director of the Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Robert L. Sumwalt is Executive Director of the Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he also serves as Distinguished Fellow in Aviation Safety. In that role, he oversees research and development of the Center, and sets the overall strategy. He also serves as aviation safety analyst for CBS News.   

Previously, Sumwalt served as Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Member of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), where he served from August 2006 to June 2021.  

Sumwalt was a pilot for 32 years, including managing a Fortune 500 business aviation department and serving for 24 years as a pilot for a major US-based international airline.  

In recognition of his contributions to the aviation industry, in September 2021, Sumwalt was awarded the Flight Safety Foundation - Boeing Aviation Safety Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received the Flight Safety Foundation's Laura Taber Barbour Award in 2003 and ALPA's Air Safety Award in 2005. He is an inductee into the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame. 

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Scott Williams

Scott Williams

Aviation Systems Lead
MITRE

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Scott Williams

Aviation Systems Lead, MITRE

BIO COMING SOON

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Sonnie Bates

Chief Executive Officer
Wyvern

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Sonnie Bates

Chief Executive Officer, Wyvern

Sonnie Bates is CEO of WYVERN Ltd, the global leader in elevating safety and security for the aviation industry. He began his aviation career in the U.S. Air Force, where he served in various key leadership roles including Instructor Pilot, Flight Examiner, Flight Commander, Aircraft Maintenance Quality Assurance Evaluator, C-5 Galaxy Aircraft Commander, Boeing C-17 Safety Program Manager, and Director of Operations for the largest air freight operation in the U.S. Department of Defense.   

Sonnie’s experience in business aviation includes Chief Pilot, Safety Manager, and Captain on various types of business jet aircraft. As CAE’s Falcon 7X Initial Cadre Program Manager, he guided the development of the pilot training program for the Falcon 7X, working closely with leaders from Dassault, CAE, and regulatory agencies in both Europe and the U.S. He also served as Program Director for the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), overseeing the International Standards program for 700 operators worldwide. 

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Susan Northrup

Federal Air Surgeon
Federal Aviation Administration

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Dr. Susan Northrup

Federal Air Surgeon, Federal Aviation Administration

Dr. Susan E. Northrup is the Federal Air Surgeon for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. In this capacity, she leads the Office of Aerospace Medicine in Washington, D.C. She leads strategic management of the FAA's aviation medical programs, which oversee all pilots. Together with the Deputy Federal Air Surgeon, she shares responsibility for the direction and management of all FAA medical programs. 

This includes the development and establishment of airman medical certification, the air traffic control specialist medical qualification policy, the application of that policy in medical decision making, the medical appeals process, and the oversight of aviation industry drug and alcohol testing programs. Dr. Northrup oversees the FAA's aeromedical education programs, the planning and conduct of aerospace medical and human factors research, and the investigation of aircraft accident medical factors. 

A private pilot, Dr. Northrup is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. She is board certified in aerospace medicine and in occupational medicine. She is an acknowledged expert in aviation. She has authored several scientific papers on accident investigation, the use of sleep aids by pilots, cabin air quality, and bioterrorism. While serving in the Air Force, she was the U.S. Head of Delegation to NATO's aeromedical working group. 

Dr. Northrup is a senior FAA aviation medical examiner. In 1985, Dr. Northrup earned a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry with Honors in Liberal Arts from The Ohio State University. She earned a medical degree, also from Ohio State, in 1989. She was awarded a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of Texas in 1994. 

Dr. Northrup is a past President of the American Society of Aerospace Medicine Specialists and the Civil Aviation Medical Association. She also was vice-president for the Aerospace Medicine Association. Dr. Northrup spent nine years (2007-2016) as a trustee for the American Board of Preventive Medicine. She is on the adjunct faculty for the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine and is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medicine Association. 

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Tom Huff

Vice President, Aviation Programs
Empyrean Inc

AP-SAS 2023 Speaker Bio

Tom Huff

Vice President, Aviation Programs, Empyrean Inc

Tom Huff is a 28-year US Navy veteran and naval aviator with significant operational, combat, test, and acquisition experience.  

He led a seagoing FA-18 squadron, the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, and was the Wing Commander accountable for Navy and Marine Corps test programs at Patuxent River, Maryland.  

He joined Gulfstream Aerospace in 2012, implementing an Aviation Safety Management System (SMS) and closing all NTSB recommendations following the loss of a GVI test airplane and crew in 2011. 

Huff earned a degree in engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, and master’s degrees in aviation systems and National Security. 

He is a Fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP), Chairman Emeritus and Executive Director of the Flight Test Safety Committee, former Chairman of the NBAA Safety Committee and current Chairman of the Flight Safety Foundation Business Advisory Committee. 

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