D. Richard Meikle, Executive Vice President, Operations and Safety Richard joined FlightSafety International in March 2020 and is currently responsible for oversight of the safety program and learning center operations. His background includes more than 20 years of safety leadership roles. Richard holds a Master of Science degree with a minor in safety program management from Embry Riddle University and type ratings in multiple aircraft. |
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Captain Chris Lutat, Managing Partner, Convergent Performance Captain Lutat is a leading expert, author and speaker on flightdeck automation, cockpit procedures and contemporary aviation human factors. He is the author of Automation Airmanship: 9 Principles for Operating Glass Cockpit Aircraft (McGraw-Hill Education, 2013), as well as several industry papers on human factors and automation. Captain Lutat has been a leader in helping organizations worldwide adapt to the demands of highly automated aircraft, and he originated the concept of Automation Airmanship® in 2004. He has presented on automation and other contemporary human factors topics at industry forums in North America, South America, Europe, and Australia. As a U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue pilot, instructor, and check airman, he accumulated over 3,000 flight hours in the Dassault Falcon 20G “Guardian.” Since 1995, Captain Lutat has accumulated over 7,500 hours serving as a crewmember on the flight deck of the McDonnell-Douglas DC-10, Boeing 727 and as a Captain, Check Airman, and FAA Designee on the Boeing MD-11. He is currently a Captain on the Boeing 777 for a major global airline. He has designed safety courseware, advanced technology flight crew interfaces, and procedures for civil and military customers since 1995. In 2003, he was among the original founding partners of Convergent Performance, LLC, where he holds the title of Managing Partner. He has served on the Bombardier Safety Standdown Advisory Council since 2015 and was the 2018 Advisory Council Chairman. Captain Lutat is an avid health and fitness enthusiast, enjoys all outdoor sports, and resides in Connecticut with his wife, Faith. |
Part 91 Implementation |
| Steven Bruneau, Vice President, Polaris Aero Steve Bruneau is the Vice President of Aviation at Polaris Aero responsible for expanding the company’s suite of safety management solutions. Prior to joining Polaris, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Pulsar Informatics delivering Fatigue Risk Management Systems to Aviation organizations of all FAR types, including their maintenance and ground handling departments. Steve is the Secretary of the NBAA Safety Committee, Co-Chair of the AIA Safety Committee, and has over 25 years of process consulting experience helping organizations meet regulatory requirements and achieve new levels of performance by blending people, process, and technology. Steve has a BS in Mechanical Engineering, an MS in Aerospace Engineering, and has been a leader of three successful startup companies prior to joining Polaris. |
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| Sarah Zimmerman, Manager of Aviation Safety and Business Compliance, Citigroup Inc. Sarah Zimmerman is the Manager of Aviation Safety and Business Compliance for Citigroup Inc. where she is tasked with developing and elevating safety within Citigroup Inc.’s flight department. Sarah began her aviation career working for the Bridgewater State University flight center as she earned her bachelor’s degree and her flight ratings. She then spent nearly a decade with Tradewind Aviation, holding various roles within the organization. For the last several years of her tenure with Tradewind, Sarah held the position of Director of Safety and Regulatory Compliance. In this role she managed their SMS program which included their active ASAP program. Sarah was instrumental in standing up and achieving Active Conformance of Tradewind’s Safety Management System in compliance with the FAA’s 14 CFR Part 5 SMS Program. Sarah earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management from Bridgewater State University and her Master of Science degree in Aviation Safety from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Sarah holds a Private Pilot license with an Instrument rating and is an active member of the Westchester Chapter of Women in Aviation, International, and the Connecticut chapter of the Ninety-Nines, Inc. |
What Gives Insurers Sleepless Nights? |
| Colin Bruno, Senior Vice President, Underwriting Director, Global Aerospace Colin Bruno joined Global Aerospace in 2009 as an Underwriter in the Northeast Regional Office. He was promoted to his current position of Senior Vice President, Underwriting Director in April 2023 assuming responsibility of the company’s US General Aviation, Complex Risks, Latin American and US Airline underwriting units. Prior to joining Global Aerospace, Colin worked as a broker with Crystal & Company in New York City. Colin is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University with a B.S. in Aviation Management and also holds a Private Pilot License and Instrument Rating. Colin is also a Licensed Insurance Producer in the State of New York and New Jersey for Property, Casualty and Personal Lines. |
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 | Mark E. Larsen, CAM, Director, Safety and Flight Operations National Business Aviation Association Mark E. Larsen, CAM is the director of safety & flight operations at the National Business Aviation Association. In this position, he is actively involved in NBAA safety and flight operations education and policy initiatives and rulemaking efforts with the FAA, Department of Transportation, and National Transportation Safety Board. He serves as the staff liaison to the NBAA Safety Committee and is also active in aviation medical and mental health support initiatives in business aviation. His responsibilities include working with the NBAA Safety Committee to identify safety issues in the business aviation community, develop resources that aid NBAA members in mitigating those safety concerns in their operations, and create opportunities to educate the business aviation community on these identified safety topics and safety best practices. He was part of the team of NBAA Safety Committee members, NBAA staff, and industry partners that developed a Business Aviation Safety Manager Certificate program to educate individuals running the Safety Management Systems of business aviation organizations. He now leads quarterly safety webinars to continue the engagement with the professionals in that program. He represents NBAA on the FAA’s Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee, the FAA Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) program’s General Aviation Issues Analysis Team, the FAA’s General Aviation Joint Safety Committee’s (GAJSC) Safety Analysis Team, and the FAA’s Air Carrier Training Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ACT ARC) Steering Group. Mark also serves as a member of the Board of Governors of the Air Charter Safety Foundation, Bombardier Safety Standdown Advisory Council, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott Aerospace Advisory Board. Mark began his NBAA career in 2004. His responsibilities over the years have included researching and answering incoming questions from NBAA Members on a wide range of operational and administrative issues; conducting many analyses of business aviation operations; addressing several domestic operations challenges such as improving RVSM authorization processes, Part 135 and Part 125 training, checking and authorizations; and serving on NBAA’s website team. He graduated from the University of North Dakota with a bachelor of business administration degree in aviation management. During his education at UND, Mark earned his commercial pilot certificate with airplane instrument, single- and multi-engine ratings, and a flight instructor certificate. In addition to working full-time at NBAA, Mark was a flight instructor at Dulles Aviation in Manassas, Virginia, from 2005-2009. He earned his Certified Aviation Manager certification from NBAA in 2015 and his Mental Health First Aid certificate in 2023. |
| Dr Harriet Lester, FAA, Eastern Region Flight Surgeon Dr. Harriet Lester is Eastern Regional Flight Surgeon for the Federal Aviation Administration since 2001, with aeromedical oversight responsibility for New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia; and was Acting Senior Regional Flight Surgeon during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Harriet is on the FAA Eastern Runway Safety Governance Council, and co-chairs the Eastern OSHA workgroup. She serves on national groups involving ICAO, laser strikes, air traffic hiring, and other special projects. Board certified in Ophthalmology, Dr. Lester is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (FAsMA), the Aerospace Medical Human Factors Association (FAsHFA), the Civil Aerospace Medical Association (FCAMA), and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (FAOA). She earned her medical degree from New York University Medical School, following graduation with honors from Cornell University, College of Arts and Sciences. Harriet serves on the Advisory Council of York College Aviation Institute, City College of New York (CCNY); and on the Wings Club, History and Education Committee. She is the current President of the Aerospace Medical Association Human Factors Association. Some of Dr. Lester’s innovations include the award winning Virtual Site Visit (VSV), with approximately 2500 international designee site visit audits to date without travel; core 30 Airport Runway Safety Human Factors collaborative training; and promoting understanding of aerospace vision and ophthalmology challenges in multiple venues, such as joining with vestibular and hearing experts to present panels on “Making Sense of Special Senses.” Harriet completed 10 marathons and 1 ultramarathon, and is an exhibiting artist. |
| Dr. Quay Snyder, President/CEO, Aviation Medicine Advisory Service (AMAS) Dr. Quay Snyder is President/CEO of Virtual Flight Surgeons, [Aviation Medicine Advisory Service] providing medical certification and aviation safety guidance for pilot and air traffic controller unions as well as business and general aviation pilots. Dr. Snyder has been the Air Line Pilots Association, International Aeromedical Advisor since 2010, after serving as Associate Aeromedical Advisor since 1994. Since 2015, he has served as the FAA / ALPA HIMS Program Manager and has over 20 years experience sponsoring and monitoring substance addicted pilots Quay holds board certification in Aerospace Medicine, Addiction Medicine, Family Practice and Occupational Medicine. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Duke University School of Medicine and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He served in the USAF, USAF Reserve and Colorado Air National Guard for 25 years as a flight surgeon, glider instructor pilot and in leadership roles. Dr. Snyder is active in many aviation safety committees and organizations, both nationally and internationally. He is an AsMA Fellow and member of several of AsMA’s Constituent and Affiliate organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine and on the Board of Trustees of the National Aviation Hall of Fame from 2014-2020. He has chaired the National Business Aviation Associations Safety Committee’s Fitness for Duty Working Group and served on both the medical expert group for the FAA’s 2015 Pilot Fitness Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) and as the Medical Lead for the 2024 FAA Mental Health and Aviation Medical Certification ARC. He co-chairs AsMA’s Pilot Mental Health Working Group. Dr. Snyder also serves on several ICAO working groups including Problematic Use of Psychoactive Substances (PUPS), Mental Health, Medical Certification and Standards and CAPSCA. He is a member of the Flight Safety Foundation’s Business Advisory Council and is on the faculty of the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering in the Aviation Safety and Security Program teaching in Fatigue Risk Management and Human Performance, Resiliency and Leadership courses. Dr. Snyder has been an FAA Certified Flight Instructor (Gold Seal) since 1975 and actively serves as a Designated Pilot Examiner since 1998 and FAA Safety Team representative since 2003. He received the Soaring Society of America’s World Distance Award for 40,000 km (Earth’s circumference) of solo cross country flight in his ASK-24B glider. He is also active in triathlons qualifying for the 2016, 2020 and 2022 Ironman Hawaii World Championships and in 2020, qualified for the International Triathlon Union’s World Championships representing Team USA in every triathlon distance from sprint to long course as an age group amateur. |
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