Who Is Your Regional Rep?

May 24, 2012

NBAA’s six regional representatives give a national voice to local issues, including operational concerns such as airport and airspace access, NextGen initiatives, safety and security proposals, and taxation. With the November 2012 elections coming up, they’re also a legislative advocacy resource for business aviation communities from Anchorage, AK to Hartford, CT.

Your regional reps wear many hats: Operations, legislative and government affairs, and membership recruitment. They attend regional meetings and promote industry initiatives such as the No Plane No Gain advocacy campaign in your communities and among elected officials. But their greatest strength lies in working with one another to address your operational issues and concerns, according to Kristi Ivey, NBAA’s Northwest regional representative based in Livingston, MT.

“We might not specifically have the most technical response to some questions, but we know where to get it,” she said.

Ivey and her colleagues have several goals. One is relaying industry concerns to Washington, DC, thereby keeping legislators informed on local-level issues that matter to NBAA Members. Another is translating Capitol Hill’s return messages and policies. They also urge Members to contact state and local elected officials before controversial issues, such as taxation, arise. Finally, reps aim to positively affect access issues at home, encouraging community members to act before local issues become national ones.

The Regional Reps have a record of continued success in local advocacy. As a recent example, In April, NBAA Members and other stakeholders in Maryland helped defeat a proposed bill that would have added a 1-to-2-percent tax on airplanes. Also, an Idaho law that passed in March made certain aircraft parts and components installed on out-of-state aircraft at FAA-approved repair stations exempt from sales and use taxes.

Diverse backgrounds equip these reps to work with NBAA’s wide-ranging membership.

“We’re generalists who come from industry and speak its language,” said Dan Burkhart, NBAA’s director of regional programs and Western regional representative based in Escondido, CA. He and Ivey and their counterparts have experience as varied as dispatching for Home Depot and flying for ExxonMobil, FBO and charter operations, and the U.S. Navy. That gives them indispensable credibility, said Ivey.

“Because of our industry experience, because we’re living and working in these regions, we’re able to garner success in encouraging advocacy and educating legislators and the community,” Ivey added.

NBAA Representatives by Region

Kristi Ivey and Dan Burkhart (shown above) are two of NBAA’s six regional representatives. The full list of representatives and the states they represent are as follows:

Western Region: Dan Burkhart (based in Escondido, CA); covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and New Mexico. Contact: dburkhart@nbaa.org.

Southwest Region: Steve Hadley (based in Waco, TX); covers Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. Contact: shadley@nbaa.org.

Southeast Region: Harry Houckes (based in Jeffersonton, VA); covers District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Contact: hhouckes@nbaa.org.

Northwest Region: Kristi Ivey (based in Livingston, MT); covers Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Contact: kivey@nbaa.org.

Central Region: Bob Quinn (based in Chesterfield, MO); covers Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin. Contact: bquinn@nbaa.org.

Northeast Region: Dean Saucier (based in East Windsor, CT); covers Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Contact: dsaucier@nbaa.org.