Established in 2015, the NBAA Dr. Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award recognizes individual aviation professionals (pilots, maintenance technicians, flight attendants, dispatchers or other aviation professionals) who have demonstrated their outstanding professionalism and leadership in support of aviation safety in the business aviation industry.
Call for Nominations
NBAA is now accepting nominations for the 2024 NBAA Dr. Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award. Please review all instructions and requirements listed below. Nominations must be submitted via the online form no later than Friday, June 14, 2024. Winners will be notified late summer.
NBAA annually accepts nominations for the Dr. Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award. After the submission deadline, an NBAA member panel will review all nominations and recommend appropriate nominees for the award. When nominees are confirmed, they will be notified and officially recognized.
Nomination Requirements
Nominees will have demonstrated a continuous history of extraordinary participation in, or support of, professionalism in business aviation. They will have exhibited leadership qualities, outstanding achievements and significant contributions in the following categories of professionalism*:
- Vocational Excellence
- Professional Ethics
- Continuous Improvement
- Professional Engagement
- Professional Image
- Selflessness
* Professional competencies as described in The Integrated Model of Professionalism by Dr. Tony Kern.
A nominee must be:
- Nominated by an individual within the business aviation community.
- Employed in business aviation.
- Credited with demonstrating activities in support of aviation professionalism and safety as listed in all six categories above.
Current members of the NBAA Safety Committee are not eligible to receive this award.
What Should a Nomination Package Include?
All nominations submitted to NBAA should include the following materials:
- A completed nomination form from the nominator.
- One letter of recommendation from a business aviation professional other than the nominator supporting the nomination.
- The nominee’s professional resume describing the nominee’s education, employment, accomplishments and honors as they relate to the award criteria.
Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award Winners
2023
- Boyd Brokaw
- Max Grover
- Bruce Gullingsrud
- Lee Hall
- Michael Kopp
- Wendy Langen
- James Lara
- Garry Melia
- William (Bill) Scanlon
2022
2021
- Carl Bennett
- Bryan Burns
- Bruce Landsberg
- David Ryan
- Jared VanLue
- Nick W. Verdea, CAM, GLP
- Michael Webb, CAM
2020
- Erika Armstrong
- Christopher Bing
- Sean Breen
- Sheryl Clarke
- Jeff Duncan
- Terry Ickes
- Mitch Launius
- Brett Palmiero
- Nicholas Treglia
2019
- Keith (Fred) Anderson
- Christopher Ayers
- Christopher Bodine
- Randall Brooks
- Reid Columbia
- Nitish (Nat) Iyengar
- James Kazin
- Kyle Kerekffy
- Bradley Lindow
- Ryan Retelle
- Marilena Sharpell
- Steven Thorpe
- Lance Tōland
- Mark Ward
- Edward White
2018
- Christopher Algee
- Dan Boedigheimer
- Daniel Goldman
- Marty Grier
- Richard Keltner
- George Kleros
- Clarke McNeace
- Adam Parnes
- Anna Romer
- David Small
- Robert Snyder
2017
- Robert Agostino
- James Albright
- Richard Boll
- Russell Bryan
- Steve Charbonneau
- Gerald Ferriss
- Jason Herman
- Fred Karnik
- David Keys
- Yann Lemasson
- William McNease
- Rodrigo Mulchi
- Donald Paddock
- Paul ‘BJ’ Ransbury
- Sarah Rovner
- Gregory Scott
- Jim Weaver
- Scott White
2016
- Michael L. Baker
- Kevin T. Bostwick
- James Lee Bradshaw
- Jon Brokamp
- David Scott Crosby
- Steven J. Feldman
- Amanda Marie Ferraro
- Michael Higgins
- Bernie Jager
- Jason Karadimas
- Steve King
- Rick Miller
- Michael Ott
- Jeffrey Wade Perkins
- Frank Raymond
- Janet Schiebelhut
- Marc Alfred Sehrt
- William Ashley Smith Jr.
- Richard Wenzel
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.