On Sept. 22 and 23, the FAA hosted its 8th Annual Global Leadership Meeting. The event focused on “Restart and Recovery” and was presented online; session recordings are available for review on the agency’s YouTube channel.
In addition to the usual safety and engagement talking points and acknowledgments of duty to the global traveling public, the meeting included detailed substantive discussion of pandemic recovery, career development, and sustainability – all issues closely followed by ARSA and its members.
“Don’t let the lessons of the past prevent us from thinking of the solutions of the future,” said Clive Brown, chief of the CDC’s Quarantine and Boarder Health Services Branch. Speaking during the panel on public health and pandemic response, Brown explained that future health safety challenges will increase complexity for international transportation. The lesson is applicable across the aviation regulatory chain: Experience should not be a limiting factor against innovation.
See Brown’s presentation as well as participants from the FAA, ICAO, aviation companies and trade associations by accessing the recorded sessions (find specific panels and presentations by reviewing the agenda):
Click the cover image to view the agenda.
May 8, 2019
On May 7, the FAA hosted industry members for the first day of its 6th Annual Global Leadership Meeting in Washington, D.C.
The event included a full day of panels discussions, “chats” and presentations covering the agency’s global engagement. The agenda included both general content covering worldwide strategy and initiatives as well as regional panel discussions, each with a specific focus determined by key regional needs:
(1) Strategic Engagement and Leadership at ICAO
Thomas Carter, U.S. Ambassador, ICAO
Don Ward, U.S. Air Navigation Commissioner, ICAO
Carl Burleson, Acting Deputy Administrator, FAA [Moderator]
(2) Chat with the Administrator
Dan Elwell, Acting Administrator, FAA
Bailey Edwards, Assistant Administrator for Policy, International Affairs and Environment, FAA [Moderator]
(3) Opportunities for Innovation: Asia Pacific Region
Mimi Dobbs, Director, Asia Pacific and Global Harmonization, MITRE Corporation
Nancy Graham, President, Graham Aerospace International
Alissa Lee, Country Manager, East Asia and Indo-Pacific Regions, U.S. Trade and Development Agency
Winsome Lenfert, Deputy Associate Administrator for Airports, FAA
Carey Fagan, Director, Asia Pacific Region, Office of International Affairs, FAA [Moderator]
(4) Resilience and Recovery: Disaster Preparedness and Response in the Western Hemisphere
Melvin Cintron, Director, ICAO North America, Central America and Caribbean Region
Katherine Dueholm, Director, Office of Caribbean Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Javier Venagas, Director, Civil Air Navigation Services Organizations, Latin America and Caribbean Office
Nari Williams-Singh, Director General of Civil Aviation, Jamaica and Chair, Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security Oversight System
Christopher Barks, Director Western Hemisphere Region, Office of International Affairs, FAA [Moderator]
(5) Priorities & Engagement: Opportunities in Africa, Europe, Middle East Region
Walter L. Desrosier, Vice President, Engineering & Maintenance, General Aviation Manufacturers Association
Keith Glatz, Vice President, International Affairs, Airlines for America
Susan Walsh, Director, Commercial & International Programs, Pratt & Whitney
(6) U.S. Global Leadership
Will Ris, Former Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, American Airlines
Wayne Schatz, Associate Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, U.S. Air Force
Brian Wynne, President and Chief Executive Officer, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International
Bailey Edwards, Assistant Administrator for Policy, International Affairs, and Environment [Moderator]
The key theme from the day’s discussion was the need for “data driven decision making” and intense scrutiny of procedures and processes at both the agency and stakeholder levels. In his “chat” during the morning session, Acting Administrator Elwell pushed back on breathless media reports regarding the FAA’s purported loss of standing as an international leader. He noted that leadership was not about timing of an action, i.e., being first to ground an aircraft, but taking action based on deliberate, fact-based critical analysis.
“We don’t rest on our laurels and I think the world needs to know that,” Elwell said, highlighting the FAA’s need to continually improve.
From the industry perspective, this need for critical analysis was brought into focus by U.S. Ambassador to ICAO Thomas Carter. Carter described the dizzying flow of information, pages of reports and analysis and lineups of industry experts seeking assistance from the air navigation commission. This constant demand for attention makes it nearly impossible for commissioners to parse needed details.
“Keep it simple,” Carter implored industry members communicating with ICAO. Through a broader lens, this guidance is instructive for any engagement with the any government or stakeholder body. Assist in data-driven decision making and critical scrutiny by providing clear input and direct requests. Perfect a question before asking and participate in the process of answering.
Carter also provided a moment of levity, riffing on a familiar office quip by noting that “[At ICAO], the meetings will continue until morale improves.” The joke was ironic, of course, coming during a presentation at an industry-government collaboration meeting, but fit in the flow of the day’s discussion and purpose, which was further underscored by Elwell: system safety depends on useful collaboration.
The event continued with a government attendee-only day of discussions on March 8 (click here to see the agenda for Day Two). There is no website or publicly-available resource for the conference, for more information contact ARSA.
April 11, 2017
On April 7, the FAA hosted the 4th Annual Global Leadership Meeting at Gallaudet University. The conference consisted of two panels: regional directors providing observations on recent trends and industry representatives sharing insights into the struggles facing certificate holders.
Discussions included Brexit and the proliferation of open skies legislation as well as cyber security, the pace of technological innovation and lagging regulatory systems. While none of these issues would be solved in a single meeting, one thing was clear: Maintaining open lines of communication and engaging regulators is key future growth and success.
Regional Leadership Panel
Christopher Barks, Regional Director, Western Hemisphere, FAA
Catherine M. Lang, Regional Director, Europe, Africa & Middle East, FAA
Mark Reeves, Regional Director, Asia Pacific, FAA
William R. Voss, Air Navigation Commissioner, International Civil Aviation Organization
Moderator: Carl Burleson, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Policy, International Affairs and Environment, FAA
Industry Stakeholder Panel
Cecelia Bethke, Airlines for America (A4A), Managing Director for International Affairs
Paul H. Feldman, General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Vice President Government Affairs
Melissa Sabatine, American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), Senior Vice President, Regulatory and International Affairs
Lex den Herder, International Operator’s Committee Member, National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and Vice President, Government and Industry Affairs, Universal Weather and Aviation Inc.
Moderator: Karlin Toner, Director of Global Strategy, Office of International Affairs, FAA
There is no website or publicly-available resource for the conference, for more information contact ARSA.
