Kenneth Emerick elected chairman, Jeffrey Lee voted vice
chairman, treasurer
The Board of Directors
of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has announced
the election of Kenneth E. Emerick of GM Worldwide Travel Services
as chairman. The Board also announced the election of current
Treasurer Jeffrey W. Lee of IBM Corporation to additionally fill
the post of vice chairman.
Both elections took place Friday, September 17 during a regular
quarterly meeting of the Board and are effective immediately.
Emerick and Lee will serve in their roles through the Board's
November 2005 meeting.
The elections were held
to fill vacancies created by the departure of Board Chairman Donald
E. Baldwin (photo, right), who has resigned to pursue career
interests. Board Members Durwood J. Heinrich and John E. "Jeff"
Frank also have resigned from the Board concurrent with their
retirements, respectively, from Texas Instruments and AT&T
Wireless.
"Ken Emerick and Jeff Lee are proven leaders who have brought
their time, talents and energy to furthering the goals of our
organization," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "I'm looking
forward to working with them to build on our efforts to serve our
Members and help NBAA become an even more powerful advocate for the
business aviation community."
Emerick is director of
aviation for GM Worldwide Travel Services, a company he joined
early in his career after graduating from Wayne State University.
Before joining the Board, he served as chairman of the NBAA
Corporate Aviation Management Committee. He was first appointed as
vice president of the NBAA Board to fill a vacancy in January 2000.
He was elected for his first three-year term in October 2000, and
reelected for a second term in October 2003.
"It has been my privilege to contribute to NBAA's work for the
past several years, and I'm honored that the Board has chosen me to
serve as chairman," Emerick said. "Ed Bolen and the rest of the
NBAA staff are off to a tremendous start, and I'm joined by my
fellow Board members in pledging to them my continued support."
Lee is the director of flight operations for IBM Corporation,
which he joined in 1980 as a copilot. He earned a Bachelor of
Science in Engineering from the USAF Academy and was an Air Force
flight instructor from 1974 to 1980. Prior to joining the NBAA
Board in 2001, he served first as vice chairman and then chairman
of NBAA's Corporate Aviation Management Committee.
"NBAA's Board and staff
bring combined talent, experience and knowledge of the industry to
the leadership of the organization," Lee said. "I'm confident that
this effective partnership will continue to strengthen as we
address challenges that lie ahead, and strive to serve the
interests of our Membership."
Outgoing Board Chairman Donald Baldwin thanked his fellow Board
members for their support. "I am deeply grateful to NBAA's Board of
Directors for the support they have given me, and for the
incredible amount of time, energy and leadership they have invested
in the interests of our Members," Baldwin said. "Ken Emerick and
Jeff Lee have been critical to the Board's work, and -- with the
support of the other Board members, and a talented staff led by Ed
Bolen -- I know that the organization will be in good hands and
will be capably led in the years to come."
Bolen thanked Baldwin for his service to NBAA: "I am profoundly
grateful to Don Baldwin for his outstanding contributions as NBAA
Board Chairman. His significant personal contributions during a
time of transition went well beyond what was required.
Because of Don's steady leadership, NBAA has remained focused on
the needs of our constituency. While Don will be missed, we wish
him the best in all of his future endeavors."