SDC2025 Raises the Curtain With High-Spirited Keynote

March 26, 2025

Inspiring speakers emphasizing the value of pursuing excellence, teamwork and perseverance opened the NBAA 2025 Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC2025) in New Orleans, amid the festive fanfare of a traditional, second-line brass band.

The theme of the three-day conference, which includes education sessions, product and services exhibitors and networking opportunities, is “Let the good times fly, navigating tomorrow, today.” The phrase offers a reminder about the importance of achieving excellence in a world where the pace of change is accelerating, offering new opportunities and ways of thinking.

NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen praised attendees at the 36th annual event – as well as the overall scheduler and dispatcher profession – for consistently focusing on their best professional selves, while helping each other along the way.

“This week, as we’re all together and we’re focusing on letting the good times fly, navigating tomorrow today, we know that the best way for us to promote and foster an environment that allows business aviation to thrive, attract, develop and retain the next-generation workforce, and bring to market exciting new technologies is we’ve got to work together,” Bolen said. “We’ve got to be safe. We’ve got to learn from each other. We’ve got to communicate, coordinate, collaborate. We’ve got to be a community.”

As the keynote kicked off, NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Committee Co-Chair Jennifer Dow said “navigating tomorrow today” also refers to the necessity to look ahead and confront new challenges. “We know that the aviation industry is changing rapidly,” she said. “New technologies, evolving safety standards in an always-demanding global market are pushing us to innovate faster than ever.”

Other factors surrounding sustainability and geopolitics also impact flight operations and the movement of people, noted Co-Chair Andrew Stylianou. “These challenges affect us all, but I firmly believe that it is the schedulers and dispatchers on the front line who will lead the charge.”

Although aviation remains the safest mode of transportation, the conference comes after several recent, tragic accidents and incidents that have sparked questions and concerns.

“We know the overall accident trends have been going down,” said Bolen. “We know the number of fatal accidents has been going down. But we also know it’s not enough to be safe; we’ve got to be perceived to be safe. And being safe isn’t a destination – it’s a journey that we are on, with the destination being perfection. What we do requires constant vigilance, constant communication, constant collaboration, constant support.”

Gold-Medal Advice on Achieving Excellence

Headlining the keynote with a message of encouragement and inspiration was seven-time Olympic medalist Shannon Miller, who gained fame as a member of the “Magnificent Seven” U.S. gymnastics team that won gold at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

“When you talk about navigating tomorrow today, what we have to realize is that tomorrow is already here,” Miller said. “Greatness starts with, ‘What did I do today to further those goals?’”

Miller acknowledged that at some point everyone hits a proverbial wall. “There will always be a reason why we cannot succeed,” said Miller. “But our job every single day is to find all of those reasons why we will succeed. Cling to those. I built my career on this belief that often, success goes to those who simply refuse to give up.”

Miller has also survived cancer, after being diagnosed in 2011. While searching for a way to navigate her recovery, she reached out for help from others – a life lesson she continues to share. “Having a positive attitude is a choice and we make it every single day,” she said. Her inspiring story was met with a standing ovation by the conference audience.

Awards and Scholarships

Also, during the keynote, Joy Buoncuore, supervisor of transportation scheduling for Constellation Energy, accepted this year’s S&D Outstanding Achievement & Leadership Award, thanking the committee for the privilege of following in the footsteps of previous recipients. “This award is not just for myself,” Buoncuore said. “It’s for every person who has helped mentor me, guide me and support me throughout the crazy journey that I’ve had.”

Read more about the award.

Also recognized were a number of SDC scholarship recipients and sponsors.

Learn more about the Schedulers & Dispatchers Training Scholarships.

Learn more about the Schedulers & Dispatchers Scholarship Awards.