THE 11th NATCA NATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD
Committed to Making NATCA Stronger Through Unity, Enthusiasm, and a Commitment to the Values We Share
NATCA President Paul Rinaldi and Executive Vice President (EVP) Trish Gilbert were re-elected last week to an unprecedented fourth, three-year term. No other president or EVP in NATCA's 31-year history has served more than two terms. Rinaldi and Gilbert won with the most votes ever received for president and executive vice president of NATCA. 

During this period of significant legislative uncertainty, they have led NATCA through a highly successful period of collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other aviation stakeholders and have fostered new heights of growth and activism in the Union.

There will be seven new members of the National Executive Board (NEB) when the term begins Sept. 1: Curt Howe (Region X), Aaron Merrick (Central Region), Rich Santa (Eastern Region), Drew MacQueen (Great Lakes Region), Mick Devine (New England Region) Eddie DeLisle (Northwest Mountain Region), and Joel Ortiz (Western Pacific Region). Devine, Howe, and Ortiz won their respective regional elections, while Merrick, Santa, MacQueen, and DeLisle ran unopposed.

Incumbents who ran unopposed during this election and are returning to the NEB with Rinaldi and Gilbert are Clint Lancaster (Alaskan Region), Jim Marinitti (Southern Region), and Andrew LeBovidge (Southwest Region). All three will be serving their second terms. 
RETURNING NEB MEMBERS
President
Paul Rinaldi

"We want to express our profound gratitude to the NATCA membership for participating in the election process," Rinaldi said. " Our new NATCA National Executive Board is comprised of an amazing group of NATCA leaders anxious to get to work on your behalf. It is now time for us to rally as one Union, with one voice, united with the NEB-elect to ensure we keep moving forward.

"In NATCA's 31-year history, we have accomplished a great deal with our collective spirit." Read more


Executive Vice President
Trish Gilbert

"Just as we have for the last nine years, we stand ready to face the challenges ahead," Gilbert said. "With our talented, enthusiastic members and a NATCA staff who are second to none, we are uniquely positioned for success.  Working together with the NEB, we will continue to endeavor to improve your lives and work environments, and to give you reasons to be proud of this great Union. 

"We are honored and humbled to serve this membership for the next three years and we thank you for this opportunity." Read more
Alaskan Region
Clint Lancaster

"I'm honored to once again serve the Alaskan Region and NATCA for another term as RVP," said Lancaster, who ran unopposed and won a second term.  "I'm excited about the influx of new members to the National Executive Board," he added. "The new energy and new ideas of this NEB, combined with the leadership of Paul and Trish, will push our Union to even greater heights in the next three years."

Lancaster has worked his entire 12-year career at Anchorage Center (ZAN). 
Southern Region
Jim Marinitti
"It always makes me proud to see our members participate in the election process," said Marinitti, who ran unopposed and won a second term as Southern Regional Vice President.
"The credibility and respect we have earned is a direct result of the vision and actions of our leaders. Over the years, each NEB has had to face unique challenges and the new Board will be no different. I'm glad election season is over and we can all come together and focus on the important issues at hand. We are one Union." Read more
Southwest Region
Andrew LeBovidge

"I am deeply honored to be able to continue to serve my brothers and sisters of the Southwest Region for another term," said LeBovidge," who has spent his entire career at Houston Center (ZHU).  "Our new National Executive Board will be facing a challenging landscape over these next three years, but I am certain that the passion, talents and energy that is already evident, combined with the vision and leadership of Paul and Trish, will bring ever greater successes to the membership."
NEW NEB MEMBERS
Central Region
Aaron Merrick

"I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the hard-working members of the Central Region and carry on the tradition of the great leaders that have served before me, representing NATCA members from Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas," said Merrick, who served as Central Region Alternate Regional Vice President since 2014.

Merrick has spent his entire 19-year FAA career at Kansas City Center (ZKC), first in the Trails Area and then, since 2006, in the Ozark Area. He was born and raised in Sedalia, Mo.
Eastern Region
Rich Santa

"I want to thank the membership for trusting me to help write the next chapter for the Eastern Region," Santa said. 

"Our history is filled with individuals like Paul and Dean (Iacopelli) who worked tirelessly to lay a foundation that would stand the test of time and prepare us for the future. The legacy of training, equipping and empowering new leaders in the region must continue to ensure their work has not been in vain. 

"Together we will strengthen our Union as we represent, communicate with, and benefit our membership." Read more
Great Lakes Region
Drew MacQueen

"I am extremely humbled and honored by the trust that's been placed in me to lead our great region," said MacQueen, who has served as Alternate Regional Vice President for the last two years and was Cleveland Center (ZOB) FacRep from 2010-2017. "I am fully committed to working tirelessly on their behalf to ensure our beloved region continues to thrive and flourish for many years to come. 
 
"I'm eager to bring new ideas, more member involvement, and an increased level of enthusiasm to the Great Lakes Region and the National Executive Board." Read more
New England Region
Mick Devine

"Being able to serve this great organization is quite the honor," Devine said. "It has been a humbling experience being elected by my brothers and sisters to represent New England members on NATCA's 11th National Executive Board."

Devine was elected Boston ATCT (BOS) FacRep in 2015 and served for three terms. He also served as the Alternate Regional Vice President. " As a leader," he says,
"find your people, educate, empower and trust them. Finally, allow them to own their successes while I as the leader own our failures." Read more
Northwest Mountain Region
Eddie DeLisle

"During the next three years as a member of the National Executive Board, I will be focused on moving our region and our Union forward," DeLisle said. "Together, we will advance the Northwest Mountain Region (NNM) and NATCA as a whole.  

"I am honored and humbled that NNM members have placed their trust in me. I especially want to thank the individuals who endorsed me, and those who provided me with guidance and support. Thank you for the opportunity to serve and represent our region and our Union. We did not come this far to only come this far."


Concerning the campaign for Region X Regional Vice President, Howe said, "I was so inspired by the several members that nominated me to run for regional vice president. That level of support showed up as a 46 percent voter turnout and truly energized me.

"With years of local and national Union experience, I look forward to bringing a fresh narrative about Region X to the National Executive Board. The campaign was not about me. It was about Region X." Read more

Western Pacific Region
Joel Ortiz

"Being elected RVP of the Western Pacific Region was an enormous honor and one of the most humbling experiences in my life," said Ortiz, who has served as the FacRep of Southern California TRACON (SCT) for the past two years and has worked at SCT since 2011. He was born and raised in Corona, Calif., where he now lives.

"Now that the election is over, it's time to get to work. Representing the Western Pacific Region on the National Executive Board is a commitment I do not take delicately." 
Deadline for One Step of CFS Registration Approaching

Hosted annually by NATCA, Communicating For Safety (CFS) is the aviation industry's leading conference focusing on safety, technology and building relationships. This three-day conference is unique in that it's the only conference of its kind to focus specifically on the air traffic needs of all members of the aviation community who are affected by the National Airspace System (NAS). This year, CFS will take place October 22-24 at Bally's Hotel in Las Vegas.

If you've attended before, you know that CFS is informative and educational. CFS 2018 will be no exception. We are working on an educational agenda full of great presentations and dynamic speakers during the three-day safety conference.

There are three steps for NATCA members to register for CFS 2018. On or before Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018, any NATCA member wanting to attend CFS must submit the national Excused Absence Request Form. For more information about this process and answers to other questions, please click here.

(Next in a series.)
GREAT LAKES REGION - Daniel Rak, Indianapolis Center (ZID): On April 9, 2018, the pilot of a Beechcraft Baron BE-55 departed Portage County Regional Airport in Ravenna, Ohio (POV) on an instrument flight rules flight plan to Allendale County Airport in South Carolina (AQX). The pilot didn't plan on having to make a life-saving pit stop a little more than an hour into the flight. As the aircraft approached mountainous terrain and below-freezing temperatures east of Charleston, W.Va., it began accumulating icing.

Indianapolis Center (ZID) NATCA member Daniel Rak was handling the airspace above Charleston approach (CRW) when they called needing assistance with the pilot at 8,000 feet, trying to get out of the adverse icing conditions. 
Read how Rak worked to ensure a safe outcome to this event.
ALPA Air Safety Forum


NATCA's President delivered the event-closing keynote address at the annual Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA) 2018 Air Safety Forum last week in Washington, D.C.  The event brings airline pilots, subject-matter experts, and government and industry partners together for in-depth discussions to drive improvements in aviation safety, security, and pilot health in the U.S. and Canada. Read more

"In air traffic control, at the rate that we are training people and the rate that we are losing experienced controllers, if something is not trained correctly, it's never learned correctly," Marosvari said. 

To combat this, he said, NATCA and the FAA develop recurrent training and provide it to controllers to keep them well-trained and fluent in the operation. Read more
NATCA Solidarity

Great smiles, great times, close family and friends, and incredible Union solidarity were on display recently as NATCA members and their families gathered at these locations for solidarity events:
NATCA Members Helping in Their Communities: 
Back-to-School Drive 2018!

NATCA members' great generosity and commitment to their local communities has been on full display this month. Please click below to learn more about these special efforts.
NATCA at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018: A Great Success!

NATCA enjoyed its most successful presence ever at the recently completed Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Oshkosh 2018 fly-in event in Wisconsin. NATCA expanded the size of its booth next to the control tower and drew overflow crowds to its daily pilot briefings. NATCA m ember volunteers from around the country   welcomed and interacted with pilots and other visitors, and also worked at the popular KidVenture to help introduce the profession of ATC to a new, younger generation. Relive all the highlights in our photo album here. (Pictured above: Portland, Ore., ATCT [PDX] FacRep Richard Kennington leads a briefing for pilots.)

Labor had a very good week, highlighted by a big win in Missouri on Tuesday when voters rejected "right to work." They voted no on Proposition A to reverse right to work legislation.  NATCA members were hard at work on this important effort, including Boots On The Ground team members Rick Schmidt (pictured above last Monday with AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler) and Jeff Cox. Read more


Alaskan Regional Vice President Clint Lancaster: "I had a good visit recently to Nome Flight Service Station (FSS) to see how our NATCA brothers and sisters work in the Alaskan remote FSS sites.  These FSS stations are an integral part of aviation in the remote parts of Alaska where the only mode of transport is airplane."  Read more
FAA Employees Proud to Bring Weather Radar Back to Puerto Rico

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017, air transport was the fastest way to get much needed supplies and rescue support to the area. FAA employees worked tirelessly in the hours and days following to restore the air traffic towers, radars, navigational equipment and airport facilities in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In a new FAA video, which includes San Juan CERAP FacRep Woody Camp, those efforts are highlighted. 

Are you looking to upgrade that old, dusty laptop, tablet, or computer? Good news: You can get a brand-new Lenovo electronic device at a substantial discount! NATCA members can save up to 30 percent on Lenovo laptops, tablets, desktops, all-in-ones, workstations, servers, and accessories. Thanks to the partnership between NATCA and Lenovo, you can get monthly eCoupons, free shipping, and more.
Visit Lenovo's special website for NATCA members here for more details . It's a perfect time to check out back-to-school gear.
The NATCA Store Featured Item: Large Sticker

Back by popular demand! This 13-inch diameter white vinyl sticker with adhesive backing features the NATCA logo with full wrap-around text. Show your NATCA pride. It's ideal to decorate just about any surface. Available for immediate shipment. Union made in USA.  Price: $ 6 .

For more information and ordering: Please click here . Select USPS or UPS as your shipping preference on your orders. To check on stock availability or for further assistance, call 800-266-0895 or email natcastore@natcadc.org .

While you're on The NATCA Store website, check out our trendy new items, including:
  • Brooklyn Pen (1 doz., $14.95)
  • Passport Case ($3.00)
  • Stylus Twist Pen (1 doz., $16.00)
  • Tech Taco Wrap ($3.00)
  • Pocket Coolie (new design) ($9.95 for pack of 10)
FAA WorkLife Solutions: Support Systems - What's in Your Kitbag?

Whether it is a family (social) support system or a support system at work, everyone agrees that having support systems can make your life easier or more manageable. Having a social support system is a positive step to reducing depression and anxiety. Read more
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