NBAA2011 Opening General Session to Feature Major Leaders in Industry, Government

/

An unprecedented lineup of five outstanding leaders from the aviation industry and government will be featured speakers at the Opening General Session for the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA’s) 64th Annual Meeting & Convention (NBAA2011) in Las Vegas, Nev. 

The full Convention will be held Monday, October 10 through Wednesday, October 12, 2011. 

The action-packed Opening General Session kicks off at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, October 10, with the following speakers: 

  • U.S. Senator Joseph “Joe” Manchin III (D-WV)
  • Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator J. Randolph “Randy” Babbitt
  • National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairwoman Deborah A. P. Hersman
  • John Deere & Company Agricultural and Turf Division President Dave Everitt
  • Doctor, pilot and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee

“NBAA is proud to host such an exemplary group of leaders from the public and private sectors, who are not only outstanding in their respective fields, but also in their understanding of the many contributions business aviation has made and continues to make every day to citizens, companies and communities nationwide,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.

“The business aviation community is delighted to include Senator Joe Manchin and former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who have been tremendous advocates for business aviation,” Bolen said. “Additionally, we’re pleased to welcome Randy Babbitt and Debbie Hersman, who will have interesting insights to share, given their ongoing work on aviation operations, safety and security. And we can be sure that, in discussing the importance of business aviation to John Deere, Dave Everitt will highlight the industry’s importance to companies across the U.S. 

“We look forward to welcoming these individuals to NBAA2011, as our Members gather with Attendees from around the world, and across the spectrum of business aviation, to hear updates about important topics, conduct business and network,” Bolen said.

  • Manchin, when he served as governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010, was among the first state leaders to issue a proclamation recognizing business aviation as a valuable contributor to the state’s economy and communities.
  • FAA Administrator Babbitt will be returning to NBAA’s Convention for the second consecutive year. In his Opening General Session presentation during NBAA2010 in Atlanta, GA, Babbitt emphasized the need for a continuing partnership between the industry and government regulators.
  • Hersman’s appointment to lead the NTSB was welcomed by NBAA in 2009, as she is an experienced transportation policy professional who served on the staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation from 1999 to 2004.
  • Everitt, who talked about the benefits of business aviation to John Deere in a presentation at the NBAA’s Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference in 2010, recently discussed the competitive advantage he finds in using business airplanes to expand global markets for his company. "My territory is the world, and I couldn't get my job done as effectively if I didn't have access to John Deere Aviation,” he told NBAA’s Business Aviation Insider.
  • Former Senator Frist is an esteemed physician, pilot and a true citizen-legislator. As the recipient of NBAA’s 2011 Al Ueltschi Award for Humanitarian Leadership, Frist will be recognized for his life-saving efforts worldwide, and the importance of business aviation to those endeavors.

In addition to the Opening General Session lineup, NBAA2011 will feature exhibits at the Las Vegas Convention Center, a Static Display of Aircraft on Henderson Executive Airport, over 100 education sessions and over 25,000 business aviation professionals who are interested in seeing and learning about all that is new in the world of business aviation.