Kern Award Winner Brett Palmiero Says Volunteering Exceeded Expectations

Brett Palmiero almost surprised himself when he kept raising his hand to volunteer for more events, committees and even the Board of Directors of the venerable Pacific Northwest Business Aviation Association (PNBAA), a large and active regional group.

“I was so impressed with what PNBAA was doing, and the more I volunteered, the more of a mindset I got about paying it back,” said Palmiero. “I kept taking on bigger responsibilities – like joining the board – and before I knew it, I was neck-deep.”

The 24-year veteran of Cessna and Textron Aviation is currently the latter company’s regional sales associate based in Seattle, WA, and his communication and people skills are clearly an asset to PNBAA. But it’s been the new skills that he’s had to develop to fulfill his PNBAA duties that he’s most proud of.

“I was tasked with some things that I knew nothing about – like doing the website, taking on the monthly newsletter and being treasurer – that really challenged me.”

Palmiero believes that the new skills will continue to be helpful to him, both professionally and personally, as will the “peer mentoring” that is part of being on a board or committee.

“I learned so much from that group,” notes Palmiero. “People should know that volunteering will probably exceed your expectations and is time well-invested.”

As one of the recipients of the 2020 Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award, Palmiero’s many years of dedication to help further the goals and mission of PNBAA have not gone unnoticed.

“In every task Brett takes on, he does it with positivity, humility and true professionalism,” said Kristi Ivey, NBAA’s northern mountain regional representative, who worked together with Palmiero for many years on PNBAA. “He was committed to building upon the past success of the organization and taking it to the next level for the benefit of its members and the industry as a whole.”