Vice-Chair, Three BoD Members Also Selected

National Air Transportation Association (NATA) President James K. Coyne announced Wednesday that Kurt Sutterer, president of Midcoast Aviation, Inc., recently assumed the chairmanship of the association.

Sutterer (right) replaced Dennis Keith, president, Jet Solutions, LLC. He became chairman of the association during the last NATA Board of Directors meeting on March 11, 2009. Sutterer was appointed president of Jet Aviation's new maintenance and completions organization in North America in March 2006, when Midcoast Aviation was acquired by the Jet Aviation Group.

The association also named its new vice-chairman, James Miller, executive vice president from Flight Options. Miller oversees the management of the Flight Options fleet, Aircraft Management, Whole Aircraft Sales & Acquisitions, and Aircraft Completion & Refurbishment.

Miller started his career as an engineer and programmer with IBM Federal Systems Division, having responsibilities for various avionics and ship-board systems design and development efforts. In 1968, he founded Miller Aviation and later Miller Avionics and Miller Information Technologies, serving as their president and CEO.

"The last 12 months have been an incredibly volatile time for the general aviation industry," said NATA's Coyne. "We were extremely fortunate to have had Dennis Keith as our chairman to help us navigate through these rocky waters. We now look forward to having Kurt, with Jim as our vice chairman, do the same as the general aviation industry looks to rebound from a dismal 2008."

In addition to announcing the new leadership, the association also elected three new members to its board of directors. Those three new members include Todd Duncan, chairman, Duncan Aviation, Kenneth Forester, CEO, Meridian Air Charter and Mark Willey, CEO, Bridgeford Flying Services.

"We are delighted to have such an outstanding and talented new class of NATA board members," Coyne concluded. "It is critical that the NATA Board of Directors guide the association, ensuring continued economic growth and financial viability while reinforcing that safety is the highest priority for all of its members. Todd, Ken and Mark clearly recognize these core values and will guide our association accordingly."

FMI: www.nata.aero