NBAA YoPros Celebrate 10 Years of Leading, Volunteering, Inspiring

This year, the 2024 NBAA’s Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas, NV, is more than the world’s most powerful business aviation event, it also marks the 10th anniversary of the association’s Young Professionals in Business Aviation (YoPro) Council.

“I firmly believe that this is one of the most meaningful and impactful initiatives that NBAA has undertaken in its more than 75 years of existence,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “It has helped us to tap into the energy, the excitement and the enthusiasm of a new generation of professionals.”

“It’s been more successful than any of us could have imagined,” said Brian Koester, a YoPro pioneer and former NBAA director of flight operations and regulations, who is now an aviation compliance and operations analyst at Jetlaw, LLC.

“It was the right thing to do at the right time,” said Koester, noting that the program is key to attracting and keeping new talent – an industry priority.

The groundbreaking initiative started as an idea in 2013, when Sierra Grimes – who was working on NBAA event registration – noticed that NBAA-BACE was rife with young people working the exhibits and attending educational sessions – but they had no presence at the evening networking sessions.

Grimes called for change and was charged with developing a business plan. As a direct result, the 2014 convention in Orlando, FL, featured an NBAA-sponsored reception for young people.

“We would have considered 25 young participants a success, but the reception drew more than 100,” Grimes recalled.

“That first reception was a big hit” and it wasn’t long before “we realized we had something” Koester remembered. NBAA senior executives “let us take the reins,” and the YoPro concept quickly spread to other NBAA events. “Today, every facet of the aviation industry is represented,” said Koester.

“The whole goal of YoPro is to build an environment where young professionals can flourish and connect,” said Noah Yarborough, a former NBAA flight operations manager. “YoPro has grown from a networking reception to a council that provides educational, volunteer and advocacy opportunities for young professionals.”

Yarborough also noted that the YoPro program now has some 3,200 followers on social media.

“My dad was a helicopter pilot,” said Yarborough. After taking aviation courses at Louisiana Tech, Yarborough “got bit by the bug and the better bug of business aviation,” by interning at NBAA where sat in on YoPro Council meetings. “This is so cool,” he thought, “seeing young people have a seat at the table.”

Like Sierra Grimes, who is now a federal affairs director with Southwest Airlines, Yarborough’s experience with the YoPro program has helped further his career beyond NBAA. Yarborough moved to Colorado this past summer to take over as regional vice president, North America, with Signum Aviation, a UK-based flight planning and operational support specialist.

“It has done immeasurably great things for my networking, for my career growth and opportunities,” said Citation Captain Julia Harrington, lead pilot and base manager for Axis Jet in Illinois. “It has connected me with peers and mentors that I don’t think I would have had access to otherwise.”

Because of YoPro, she said, “Young professionals in business aviation are now recognized as serious contributors to the industry, more than just being involved in organizing social events.”

Quality of life and work-life balance are additional YoPro priorities. The organization helped Harrington, a working mother, when she needed maternity benefits. “I used my network to help me figure out how to ask for what I needed,” Harrington said.

Along with Jordan Scales of Clay Lacy Aviation, Harrington will take the mantle of YoPro Council co-chair at this year’s NBAA-BACE.

Bridging the Gap

In 2016, NBAA launched the Business Aviation Top 40 Under 40 award to recognize “a new generation of innovative thinkers who are unafraid of challenging norms and breaking barriers.” NBAA said these leaders represent “a bright future for our industry.”

NBAA received 702 nominations for the Top 40 Under 40 this year, up 27% from 2023. “It has seen tremendous growth,” Yarborough said.

“Recognizing amazing individuals who impact our industry doesn’t have to wait until you retire,” said Jessica McClintock, aviation vice president with FuelerLinx in California and an early YoPro Council chair.

“Bridging the gap between all experience levels is the goal,” McClintock said, citing “mentorship outreach” as a key YoPro tenet. “You can and should be both a mentor and a mentee.”

“You can also be creative,” McClintock noted. With the pandemic raging in the summer of 2020, and networking opportunities severely curtailed, the organization launched its first Helpy Day as a dedicated day of service allowing young aviation professionals to give back to their local communities.

Helpy Day “acts of kindness” range from adopting an animal from a local shelter to mowing an elderly neighbor’s lawn, to organized on-site events focused on supporting a local program, hosted at several NBAA events each year. Now, YoPro Helpy initiatives continue throughout the year.

McClintock now serves as co-chair of NBAA’s Environmental Subcommittee and works to bring those efforts in line with the work of the YoPro Council. “There is always value in dedicating time and energy to our current and future generations’ success,” said McClintock.

Before his Top 40 Under 40 recognition in 2023, Jay Gallagher served as a U.S. Air Force crew chief on the B-1 bomber, a lead airframe and powerplant maintenance technician, a maintenance manager and aviation recruiter. He then joined NBAA as a YoPro Council member in December 2022. Now, he’s with PPG in Pittsburgh, where he helps promote a technology for work-saving, pre-formed sealants.

“I owe a major part of my career to YoPro,” Gallagher said. “I was able to build a network of like-minded professionals to help propel me to my next opportunity.”

The growth of YoPro also helps remedy the problem of ageism, which “works both ways,” Gallagher said. “Just because we are young does not mean we are not capable.” And while YoPro helps industry veterans see what the new generation has to offer, the program’s emphasis on mentoring helps young people hone their professional skills.

Life-Changing Effects

“This program can literally change a young professional’s life,” said Ashley Granada, senior marketing manager at NBAA. “YoPro directly changed my career path.”

The YoPro mentorship network program, she said, “was the turning point. The experience and insights I gained directly from an industry professional in my field were invaluable. It really was life changing.”

Granada noted that this year’s third annual Capitol Hill fly-in brought nearly 70 YoPros to Washington, DC “to meet with congressional representatives and discuss the importance of business aviation.

“Key topics such as workforce development, emerging technologies and CLIMBING. FAST. were at the forefront of our discussions,” she said. The industry’s CLIMBING. FAST. initiative calls attention to the societal benefits of business aviation, and to the industry’s significant environmental initiatives.

“This really was an incredible event, and inspiring to see so many young professionals ready to be the voice of the next generation of business aviation,” Granada said.

“We’re being heard and seen at the legislative level,” said Yarborough. “Making a difference and effecting change.”

Inspiring, Volunteering, Leading

“The YoPro community continues to inspire everyone in the industry,” said Jo Damato, CAM, NBAA senior vice president for education, training and workforce development.

“YoPros have a strong sense of volunteerism and a commitment to mentoring. They demonstrate leadership from every seat.

“I saw this in the early YoPro days with Sierra Grimes and Brian Koester,” Damato continued, “and I continue to see it today with everyone involved. The industry is all the better for their presence and success.”

“It’s the future,” said Harrington, the incoming YoPro Council co-chair. “It’s the future of business aviation.”

Learn more about the Young Professionals in Business Aviation (YoPros) at nbaa.org/yopro.