Contact: Dan Hubbard at (202) 783-9360 or dhubbard@nbaa.org
SAN ANTONIO, TX, January 26, 2006 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and its Schedulers & Dispatchers Committee today granted $40,000 in scholarship funds to nine individuals seeking to advance their aviation careers through continuing education. Eight corporate sponsors each contributed $5,000 to the 2006 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Scholarship: ExxonMobil and the Avitats, Signature Flight Support, Universal Weather and Aviation, ChevronTexaco Global Aviation, Atlantic Aviation, Air BP Aviation Services, Jeppesen DataPlan and Jet Aviation.
The 2006 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Scholarship recipients are as follows:
- Patricia Marks, Tavistock Aviation, Inc., Windermere, FL – After 11 years in the accounting division of the company, Marks continues to be introduced to scheduling opportunities within the flight department and would like to earn her dispatch license.
- Lisa Balch, Aircraft Dispatching Services, Litchfield, NH – Balch has experience in most areas of general aviation and would like to attend the Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference.
- Bill Phelan, United Parcel Service, Kearny, NJ – Phelan developed an interest in dispatching aircraft after attending a scheduler and dispatcher course. He would like to use his award to obtain his dispatch license.
- Shelly Porter, PrivateSky Aviation Services, Inc., Fort Myers, FL – An interest in aviation and a change in careers eventually led Porter to PrivateSky, and she would like to obtain her dispatch license with her award.
- Misty Ferguson, Associated Aircraft Group, Inc., Wappingers Falls, NY – Currently dispatching eight Sikorsky helicopters for the company, Ferguson will be obtaining her dispatch license with this award.
- Gregory Voos, Home Depot, Atlanta, GA – Following a career in the airlines in which he worked closely with dispatchers, Voos became interested in dispatching as a career and will use his award to obtain his dispatch license.
- Mark Maasik, Associated Aircraft Group, Inc., Wappingers Falls, NY – Maasik started his career with AAG as a scheduler and will be earning his dispatch license to further prepare him for his recent promotion to senior flight coordinator.
- Karrie Shank, student, Athens, OH – On a commercial flight to visit a college to study architecture, Shank promptly changed career plans by enrolling in EAA’s Young Eagles. She will use her funds to build flight time.
- Michael McKenna, Aspen Executive Air, Aspen, CO – A commercial pilot and CFI, McKenna made a decision to pursue aviation as a career during an internship with the NTSB. He plans to begin work on his dispatch license and ultimately to obtain NBAA Certified Aviation Manager status.
These scholarship recipients were announced during the Opening General Session of NBAA’s 17th Annual Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, held this week in San Antonio, TX. Applications for the 2007 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Scholarship will be available in the summer of 2006.
The scholarship awards are offered in the form of cash grants through the Schedulers & Dispatchers Scholarship Program, and can be used for a variety of professional development initiatives. Since 1997, more than $200,000 has been awarded to schedulers and dispatchers through this program. In 2005, the program was expanded to provide cash awards specifically to Canadian schedulers and dispatchers.
In addition to its monetary scholarships, NBAA’s Schedulers & Dispatchers Committee offers separate but related awards through the Schedulers & Dispatchers Training Scholarship Program. These training awards, which were first offered in 2004, offer opportunities for recipients to have access to hands-on teaching initiatives. Seven training award recipients were announced at NBAA’s 17th Annual Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference.
For more information about scholarships offered by the Schedulers & Dispatchers Committee, contact NBAA Director, Operations Jay Evans at (202) 783-9353 or jevans@nbaa.org. For information about NBAA’s Schedulers & Dispatchers Committee, contact NBAA GA Desk Manager Jo Damato at (703) 356-3879 or jdamato@nbaa.org.
In addition to the scholarships offered by the Schedulers & Dispatchers Committee, NBAA offers a number of other scholarships and programs to promote professional development and business aviation careers. For more information contact NBAA at (202) 783-9286, or to download application forms, visit www.nbaa.org/scholarships.
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Founded in 1947, NBAA serves more than 7,000 Member Companies by promoting the aviation interests of organizations utilizing business aircraft in the United States and worldwide. The association provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention, the world’s largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at www.nbaa.org.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.