WASHINGTON, DC – The Board of Directors of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has selected Ambassador Edward W. Stimpson, former U.S. representative to the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as the recipient of the 2005 NBAA Award for Meritorious Service to Aviation. Ronald J. Guerra, president of KaiserAir, Inc., will receive the 2005 NBAA John P. “Jack” Doswell Award.
The Award for Meritorious Service to Aviation is presented annually to an individual who, by virtue of a lifetime of personal dedication, has made significant, identifiable contributions that have materially advanced aviation interests. The Doswell Award is granted for lifelong individual achievement on behalf of and in support of the aims, goals and objectives of business aviation.
Edward W. Stimpson
Edward W. Stimpson, recipient of the Award for Meritorious Service to Aviation, was nominated in July 1999 by President Clinton to serve as the U.S. representative to the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), at the rank of ambassador. Following confirmation by the United States Senate, he assumed his duties there in October 1999. He served until he retired in December 2004.
In February 2005, Ambassador Stimpson was elected chairman of the Board of Governors for the Flight Safety Foundation, an international organization dedicated to the continuous improvement of aviation safety.
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Ambassador Stimpson was highly involved in the expansion of ICAO’s aviation security program. In addition to representing the United States on the 36-member Council, Ambassador Stimpson led U.S. delegations to a number of important international meetings, including three ICAO Assemblies. At the most recent session of the Assembly in September 2004, he was elected first vice president of the Assembly.
Prior to his ICAO service, Stimpson served as president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) for 25 years. In 1996, he became GAMA vice chairman and chairman of the “Be a Pilot” program.
Throughout his career, Stimpson has served on numerous government and industry advisory boards. For more than 20 years, he was on the board of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and served as chairman for seven years.
He has received the FAA’s Extraordinary Service Award and was the 1998 recipient of the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, one of aviation’s most prestigious awards.
Stimpson graduated from Harvard College and received a Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington. He and his wife, Dorothy, maintain their permanent residence in Boise, ID.
Ronald J. Guerra
Ronald J. Guerra, the recipient of the 2005 John P. “Jack” Doswell Award, is the president of KaiserAir, Inc. He joined the company in 1960 as a captain on a DC-3. That was the extent of the company’s flight department. He was elected to his current position in 1979, when he and other senior pilots purchased the organization following the voluntary liquidation of Kaiser Steel Corporation. KaiserAir today, under Guerra’s leadership, is an independent company with sales exceeding $30 million annually and a staff of 150 employees.
With 25,000 hours of flight time, he has flown to six continents including trips into Russia and China. He has flown all of the Gulfstream products, from the GI to the GV, over a period of more than 40 years.
Guerra served as a member of the NBAA Board of Directors from 1967 to 1976. He was chairman of the NBAA Safety and Awards Committee from 1968 to 1973. He also served on the boards of Aeronautical Radio Inc. and ARINC Research. He was a member of the Gulfstream Pilots Advisory Board. In 2004, he accepted the NBAA 50 Year Safe Flying Achievement Award on behalf of KaiserAir.
Prior to joining KaiserAir, Guerra was a pilot for various airlines including Resort Airlines and World Airways in Oakland, CA, during which time he became, at the age of 23, the youngest four-engine airline captain in the United States. For the past 50 years, he has been and continues to be totally involved in the flying industry.
Ron and his wife, Russey Jane, reside in Pleasanton, CA. They have three adult age children and five grandchildren.
NBAA Gala Presentation
The NBAA Meritorious Service to Aviation and Doswell Awards will be presented on Thursday, November 10, 2005, at the NBAA Gala event during the Association’s 58th Annual Meeting & Convention in Orlando, FL. (Note new date and location.) For more information about the Convention or the Gala, visit www.nbaa.org/conventions/2005.
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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.