October 5, 2012
The leaders of NBAA’s committees met recently to discuss industry priorities, align committee projects with the Association’s strategic goals and identify methods to improve communications within the committee structure and with the NBAA Membership.
Held on Oct. 1 and 2 in Denver, CO, the meeting was the third such gathering in the past three years. Don Henderson, chair of the Corporate Aviation Management Committee and one of the meeting’s facilitators, noted such coordination “allows us to draw together the expertise from all the standing committees, which have traditionally operated as separate entities. The results from the meeting will fundamentally help how these committees work together in the future.”
The committee structure has been a part of NBAA for decades. Members volunteer their time and expertise, addressing a range of diverse subjects including, for example, tax and regulatory matters, aircraft operations and technical issues. “Each committee focuses on a very specific area of expertise,” said Mike Nichols, NBAA’s vice president, operational excellence & professional development, “and they add value to the NBAA Membership by advocating for a better regulatory environment, creating educational programs and promoting industry best practices.”
Strategic focus teams were added in 2005 to align the committees and improve communication channels with the Board of Directors.
“The committee leaders shared what their needs and priorities were, and we identified overlapping interests between the committees,” Nichols continued. “We focused on those connection points, asking ourselves how we prioritize the work we do for the industry, and ensure the resulting product is as rich and full for our Members as it could be.”
Addressing industry initiatives like safety management systems or resolving challenges the industry has faced with obtaining letters of authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration requires expertise from multiple disciplines and committees.
“It’s all about how best to use our resources,” Henderson added. “Instead of operating in a vacuum, others may rally to support one another in assisting that committee and contributing information.”
The benefits of these improved efforts will soon be apparent in the quality of each committee’s work product, including guidance materials scheduled for release during NBAA’s 65th Annual Meeting and Convention (NBAA2012), which takes place Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 in Orlando, FL.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.