Contact: Dan Hubbard, (202) 783-9360, dhubbard@nbaa.org
Washington, DC, Sept. 20, 2017 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today announced that an outstanding lineup of aviation industry leaders and legends will be featured speakers at the Opening General Session, taking place on Oct. 10, to kick off the association’s 2017 Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE).
At the session, held on the show’s exhibit floor at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, attendees will hear from Rep. Dina Titus (D-1-NV), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta, newly confirmed National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Robert Sumwalt and famed NASA Apollo 13 commander, Capt. James A. Lovell.
“NBAA’s convention always brings together top leaders to share their perspectives, and that will clearly be the case this year, when we’ll have an opportunity to hear from speakers with long-standing service to the country, and from all corners of the aviation and aerospace industries,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We are very excited to welcome this group, and we look forward to hearing their insights about the policies and issues shaping business aviation today.”
Rep. Dina Titus
Titus is making a return appearance at NBAA’s convention, having delivered the official welcome at the 2015 event. She represents Nevada’s 1st congressional district, which includes McCarran International Airport.
She is in her fourth term in Congress, where she has a strong record of achievement as a supporter of the nation’s aviation system. Titus is a member of the Aviation Subcommittee of the House’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and also a member of the House General Aviation Caucus.
Michael Huerta
Huerta, who spoke at NBAA’s 2014 Asian Business Conference & Exhibition, was confirmed as the FAA administrator in January 2013. There, he is responsible for the largest aviation system in the world and oversees 47,000 employees, and its NextGen air traffic control modernization program.
Before his confirmation, Huerta was the FAA deputy administrator. His career spans both the public and private sector, including a tenure as managing director of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. He also served as the executive director of the Port of San Francisco from 1989 to 1993 and as commissioner of New York City’s Department of Ports, International Trade and Commerce from 1986 to 1989.
Robert Sumwalt
Sumwalt, who was confirmed to lead the NTSB in August, is a former member of NBAA’s Safety Committee and managed a small flight department for a utility company in South Carolina before being appointed to the NTSB in August of 2006. He has more than two decades of experience with Piedmont Airlines and US Airways, including serving on the company’s Flight Operations Quality Assurance monitoring team and completing a special assignment to the flight safety department.
Sumwalt is a regular facilitator and presenter at NBAA events, sharing his wealth of knowledge with attendees and focusing on safety leadership, voluntary adoption of safety programs and proactive safety management at the National Safety Forum and participating in NBAA Safety Committee’s Risk Assessment meetings.
James A. Lovell, Commander, NASA Apollo 13 and Other Missions
While serving in the U.S. Navy, Captain Lovell held numerous aviator assignments, including a four-year tour as a test pilot at the Naval Air Test Center and as program manager for the F4H Phantom Fighter. He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1962.
While with NASA, he served as a backup pilot for the Gemini 4 flight and backup commander for the Gemini 9 flight. In 1965, he was launched into space on the Gemini 7 mission. He completed four missions as spacecraft commander of the Apollo 13 flight, and became the first man to journey to the moon twice. He has logged a total of 715 hours in space.
NBAA-BACE, which runs Oct. 10-12 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Henderson Executive Airport, is business aviation’s most important annual event, where participants have an unequaled opportunity to view the latest business aircraft, products, technology, and services the industry offers, as well as take part in numerous education sessions and networking events.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.