Washington, DC, May 6, 2021 – Today, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) announced the recipients of its 2019-2020 Industry Excellence Awards. The award winners will accept their respective honors virtually and be featured across NATA’s online channels.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our members have served as leaders assisting both their customers and their communities. We are honored to highlight aviation professionals who promote a safety-first culture, provide superior service, and strive for industry excellence — no matter the circumstance,” stated NATA President and CEO Timothy Obitts. “We applaud the five awardees for 2019-2020 and look forward to honoring deserving individuals and organizations across all Industry Excellence Awards categories for 2020-2021.”
NATA is pleased to honor the following 2019-2020 recipients:
| The Airport Executive Partnership Award recognizes an airport manager for outstanding efforts to nurture the relationships between aviation businesses and airport operators. |
 Winner: Diane Crews, President & CEO, Orlando Sanford International Airport |
| The Excellence in Pilot Training Award recognizes an individual or organization that has made outstanding contributions in safety, professionalism, leadership, and excellence in the field of pilot training. |
 Winner: Todd Shellnut, CFI Academy Standardization Manager, ATP Flight School |
| The NATA Safety 1st Certified Line Service Professional Award recognizes achievements of certified line service professionals on an annual basis thereby raising awareness of the positive impact that they have on safety, service and business success. |
 Winner: Ernest Felix, Line Service Technician, Bohlke International Airways |
| The NATA FBO Customer Service Representative Award recognizes the valuable impact FBO CSRs have on the success of our industry. |
 Winner: Betsy Santos-Torres, Customer Service Supervisor, Bohlke International Airways |
| The NATA Future Leader Award recognizes an individual who has shown outstanding promise, passion, and professionalism within the general aviation community. |  Winner: Jessica Naor, COO, GrandView Aviation |
“NATA is proud to recognize the accomplishments of these dedicated and talented individuals. These peer-nominated awardees serve as role models, contributing daily to help the general aviation community thrive. They truly epitomize the industry’s highest standards in safety, service, and professionalism,” added Obitts.
NATA is accepting award nominations for the 2020-2021 award period until June 30, 2021. For more information, please click here. To submit an online nomination form, click here.