Contact: Dan Hubbard, 202-783-9360, dhubbard@nbaa.org
Charlotte, NC, March 10, 2020 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) will present longtime business aviation scheduler Jeanie Friscia with the Schedulers & Dispatchers (S&D) Outstanding Achievement and Leadership Award at the 2020 Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC2020), taking place March 10-13, 2020 in Charlotte, NC.
Over the course of her 31-year career with PepsiCo., Friscia has proven to be the gold standard in international corporate dispatching. She joined the flight department from corporate headquarters and quickly made a name for herself through professionalism and attention to detail. Her dedication to meaningful innovation – recognized with the PepsiCo Chairman’s Award for Outstanding performance – has seen her integrate a fatigue management tool into scheduling procedures, craft a new onboarding system to quickly and efficiently bring new team members up to speed, revolutionize the department’s data gathering and analysis program to better serve customer needs and develop her personal knowledge of international traveling to become one of the organization’s go-to sources for global security planning.
Friscia’s natural leadership is exemplified by her fierce advocacy for the flight crews, who she ensures are utilized properly through painstakingly documented health and safety procedures. This dedication to her colleagues’ well-being often means long days and late hours – a responsibility she takes on gladly.
“At PepsiCo, Jeanie has consistently been a model for ethical conduct, and an advocate for establishing and following procedures,” said Pat Cunningham, CAM, director of aviation with PepsiCo, Inc. “When members of her team have to work an issue late into the night, Jeanie insists that they stay home, or come in later the following day. She makes our crew duty rules abundantly clear to our customers, and often explains their purpose to them.”
Friscia’s passion for excellence extends to the industry at large. In addition to volunteering to coordinate the department’s participation in the Corporate Angel Network, she eagerly shares her vast scheduling knowledge with colleagues across the industry. She is a member of the Dispatch Leads Group out of White Plains, NY, and is a valuable presence at NBAA’s annual Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference.
“Jeanie has always been a leader who is eager to share knowledge with others,” said Cunningham. “She has never enclosed herself in a capsule to keep her information to herself – anytime an industry colleague reaches out for advice/information, she is the first to raise her hand to help.”
Friscia is the 12th winner of this award, which was created in 2008 and recognizes individuals who have shared their business aviation industry expertise, provided extraordinary service, exhibited leadership and made significant contributions to the scheduling and dispatching function.
“Jeanie is the perfect example of data-driven professionalism, constantly searching for ways to improve not only her own craft but also every component of the operation,” said Tyler Austin, NBAA’s senior manager, certification. “That kind of leadership transforms a flight department and, through her generous commitment to developing colleagues, elevates the industry as a whole.”
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Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The association represents more than 11,000 companies and professionals and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), the world’s largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at www.nbaa.org.
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