TAG Aviation named Jo Goodall CEO of TAG Europe and Steven Young CEO of TAG Asia. Having headed up the marketing department at Farnborough airport since 2007, Elaine Turner has now been appointed global marketing director.
Web Manuals elected Jimmy Bäckström chairman of the board of directors. Bäckström joined the board in 2016 and has served as chief revenue officer at inriver.
Volato added Keith Rabin as CFO. Rabin has more than a decade of private aviation experience, previously serving as president, co-founder, and CFO of JSX.
JSSI appointed Tim Elberfeld as CFO and Ken Goodman as chief underwriting officer. Elberfeld, who will also serve as head of information technology, has more than 20 years of finance and accounting experience, previously serving with TransUnion and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Goodman, who had served as CFO for JSSI for six years, has more than 20 years of executive financial experience, also holding senior roles with NetJets and Victoria’s Secret.
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) promoted Keith DeBerry to COO and Karen Huggard to v-p of government affairs. DeBerry, who most recently was senior v-p of safety and education for the association, previously had a 22-year federal career including as the director of the FAA Academy. Huggard has a background in public policy on Capitol Hill and has spent 15 years as a strategic communications professional.
ATP brought Drew Plisco on board as CFO. Plisco has a 15-year finance background, previously serving as CFO at Holon Solutions and Infutor Data Solutions as well as holding senior positions with Sage Group, First Advantage, and SAP.
Tonya Sudduth was appointed head of U.S. strategy for Bombardier. Sudduth, who joined the business jet manufacturer in 2001 after serving with Koch Industries, had led Bombardier’s Wichita site since 2015, overseeing its expanded service center, Bombardier Flight Test Center, Learjet production, and Global 5000 completions, among other operations.
Christopher Browne was named the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Browne, who joined the museum in 2017 as deputy director and had been serving as acting director, is a former U.S. Navy flight officer and also has held senior management positions with Ronald Regan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.
Kristie Greco Johnson joined NBAA as senior v-p of government affairs. Johnson, who was chief of staff for House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), brings 25 years of government and political experience to her position, including having previously served as senior advisor for Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-South Carolina) in his leadership roles on the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and as Democratic Whip, as well as leading communications at the FAA as assistant administrator.
The Alliance for Aviation Across America added Mayor Barbara Tolbert of Arlington, Washington, and Bob Brock, director of aviation and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), to its board of directors. Tolbert, a pilot, has been involved with aviation businesses for decades and has served as the executive director of the Arlington Fly-In. Brock joined KDOT as the first state director for UAS following 22 years of service with the U.S. Air Force.
The Aeronautical Repair Station Association elected Alison McHugh to its board of directors. McHugh, who is v-p of safety and quality at Feam Aero and on the adjunct faculty at Miami Dade College, formerly served with the National Air Transportation Association.
Chad Farischon joined West Star Aviation as v-p of strategic development. Farischon has more than 30 years of operations and management experience, previously co-founding and serving as president and partner of Lynx FBO Network.
Nathan de Knock returned to JetHQ as v-p of operations and Steven Pinkerton was promoted to director of operations. He joined JetHQ in 2019 at its Kansas City headquarters after previously working as an FAA-licensed aircraft engineer. Amelia Schaefer was promoted from market research manager to sales manager and Jennifer Steakin, who previously served as a research analyst at Amstat for five years, joined the company as a market analyst.
Woodward appointed William John Godsman as corporate v-p of strategy and business development. Godsman has more than 25 years of mergers and acquisition experience, most recently as v-p and global head of business development for GE and before that v-p of business development for GE Aviation.
Matt Shelby joined Avports as v-p of business development. Shelby brings 25 years of executive experience to his new role, specializing in leasing and airport real estate development opportunities for airlines.
Aviation Maintenance Professionals named Chris Hicks director of sales and marketing. Hicks has 30 years of aviation sales and customer support experience with Aviall, Dallas Airmotive, Signature Regional Maintenance Centers, Stage III Technologies, Dallas Aeronautical Services, and Quiet Technology Aerospace.
Satcom Direct (SD) recently appointed Brian Roos regional director of Asia Pacific and named Kaviraj (Kavi) Nadarajah regional sales manager, both in the newly opened Singapore office. Roos has 20 years of aviation experience, including airport operations, customer service, flight operations, flight support, and charter management. Nadarajah, who began his 18-year aviation career as a dispatcher for commercial airlines, also previously has held roles with Hawker Pacific and Jet Aviation.
Helicopter Association International (HAI) named Francois Lassale as a special advisor for international initiatives. Lassale is CEO of Heli SGI in Denpasar Selatan, Bali, Indonesia, and formerly served with HeliOffshore.
West Star Aviation promoted Mark Goodman and Scott Haeberle to team lead technicians at its East Alton, Illinois facility and Melanie Medina to NDT lead at its Grand Junction, Colorado facility. Goodman, who is in the Challenger department, joined West Star in 2011 after serving with Midcoast. Haeberle, who is in the Bombardier department, has served with West Star since 2017 and before that was a lead interior technician for Jet Aviation. Medina, who began her aviation career while in high school tearing down engines for Western Skyways, has served with West Star since 2012.
Dallas Aeronautical Services (DAS) appointed Brian Goddard as commercial/regional component repairs sales manager. Goddard, who began his career as an A&P technician, has served with GE, AirReady, and Nordam, as well as other MROs.
Duncan Aviation named Shawn Andrews as airframe manager. Andrews spent 27 years with Kal-Aero and subsequently Duncan (which had acquired Kal-Aero) and also has served with a government contractor in western Tokyo, Japan, as well as with Brooks Aero.
Cutter Aviation appointed Miranda Fernandez as client relations director based in Denver. Fernandez has more than 15 years of aviation experience, beginning with a TBM service center and also serving with Pilatus Business Aircraft.
Paragon Aviation Group hired Corianne O’Malley to serve as sales and marketing coordinator. O’Malley, who graduated from Texas State University in December 2019, has interned with The Coca-Cola Company as a campus ambassador and worked in the marketing department for Chick-fil-A.
Polaris Aero added Linda Hirschfeld and Salvado Pettit as sales executives. Hirschfeld previously spent more than 10 years at MedAire. Pettit has more than 14 years of experience in airplane and helicopter operations, serving with aviation companies in the U.S. and Latin America.
Awards and Honors
Two aviation safety leaders from the Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF)—ACSF president Bryan Burns and v-p of operations Russ Lawton—were presented with the 2022 Flight Safety Foundation's (FSF) Business Aviation Meritorious Service Award. It was given to the duo for their contributions to business and charter aviation safety at the 67th Business Aviation Safety Summit in Savannah, Georgia.
“The ACSF-administered aviation safety action program has made a huge safety difference in Part 135 and 91 operations, all thanks to the vision and leadership of Bryan Burns and Russ Lawton,” said FSF president and CEO Dr. Hassan Shahidi, who presented the award.
This particular award has been presented by FSF since 1975 to recognize individuals whose work enhances safety in aviation for outstanding service and contributions to corporate aviation safety. Recipients have included industry leaders, government officials, members of the news media, and researchers whose findings were especially relevant to business aviation.
JSfirm recently awarded an Aviation Mechanic Student scholarship to Jonathan Roberts, a retired veteran who is working full time and studying aviation maintenance technology at Columbus State Community College in Ohio. He is a member of the Central Ohio Chapter of the Project Management Institute, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, and Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, as well as a service provider for his local FAA Safety Team.
