API In the News

Business Aviation Leadership: From the Traits to the Trenches is a ground-breaking examination of business aviation leadership from an established leader and researcher in the industry. Using his 2019 research on the impact of leadership traits on personnel retention as an outline, Dr. Chris Broyhill illustrates those traits through the stories of over 50 industry leaders, including Sheryl Barden, the President and CEO of Aviation Personnel International. In Chapter 13, Barden talks to Broyhill about using "grace and humility" as ways to engage employees and bring them closer together. Her first line of defense is to take care of her employees. "If you treat people well and if they have a passion for what they do, they'll stay engaged," she said.

API's Jenny Showalter was quoted in the March 2020 issue of NBAA's Business Aviation Insider magazine regarding the fall 2019 launch of the Central Florida Business Aviation Association (CFBAA). "We are looking forward to focusing on the issues and challenges in our area of Florida, while still collaborating with the other regional aviation groups in the state on legislative issues." Jenny is a Board member for CFBAA, and her husband, Matt Olafsen, is a vice president for the organization. Find the article on page 10 of the March/April issue.

    Sheryl Barden, an NBAA Advisory Board member and president and CEO of API, a business aviation recruiter, says solutions to the problem are only just beginning to emerge, yet she’s concerned. “I’m worried that we’re going to miss an entire generation of pilots because it’s very hard for someone in their 30s to turn down a lucrative airline contract. [They’re thinking], If I join the airline, I’m furlough-proof,” Barden says. “We need to bring pilots into these [Part 91] organizations earlier and partner up to create a career path similar to what’s in place at the airlines.”   Read the full article here

Aviation Personnel International promoted Jennifer Pickerel to director of client and candidate services and Jenny Showalter to client services manager. The firm also named Debbi Laux candidate services manager. Pickerel has provided talent identification and placement services to API’s clients and more recently assumed responsibility and oversight of the company’s Candidate Services division. Showalter is transitioning to client service delivery, where she will assist with project management, including the intake of a new search project, candidate identification and selection, and the offer and placement of a hired candidate within a Part 91 or 135 flight department. Laux joined API in a part-time capacity as a candidate specialist and is expanding her role to full-time. To see the original article listing People in Aviation, visit AINonline.com. To view the original press release, click here.

Employers are using benefits and incentives as creative retention tools to hold on to business aviation professionals. As some business aircraft pilots continue to pursue what they believe to be greener pastures with the airlines, business aviation employers are increasingly looking to new incentive programs and implementing other job-related benefits to attract and retain qualified industry professionals. “Companies are getting creative,” said Sheryl Barden, president and CEO of the recruiting firm Aviation Personnel International. “One company recently purchased a small airplane for employees to use on a recreational basis, while others now offer company cars to their pilots. Another is looking at how to help employees pay off their student loans.” Business aircraft operators may also counter perceived airline perks, such as guaranteed days off and fixed schedules, by appealing to those with a sense of entrepreneurialism who appreciate a diverse and ever-changing work environment. This article was originally featured in the Nov/Dec 2019 issue of NBAA’s Business Aviation Insider magazine. Please visit NBAA.org or download a copy here.

Five women industry professionals shared actionable career advice for younger women during a spirited and affirming education session held during NBAA-BACE. Each of the panelists shared pivotal moments from their careers in an effort to illustrate how younger women determined to succeed can move forward. Sheryl Barden, president and CEO of Aviation Personnel International, urged all career-minded professionals to advocate for themselves, but also to find a mentor to help them, suggesting that individuals need to discover ways to grow by identifying possible gaps in their skillsets. “I think the most important thing that anyone needs to do is to allow themselves to become vulnerable,” said Barden. “If we’re going to grow, we have to get a little out of our comfort zone.” To view the full NBAA article, click here.

New Board Leaders Take Office at NBAA’s Annual Meeting

Las Vegas, NV, Oct. 23, 2019 – The voting members of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today re-elected two individuals to the association’s Board of Directors during an annual meeting held during NBAA’s Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE).

Additionally, Elizabeth Dornak, of DuPont Aviation, succeeded Gen. Lloyd “Fig” Newton, of L3 Harris Technologies, Inc., as chair; also, Monte Koch, of Falconshare LLC, will serve as NBAA’s new vice chair/treasurer. Leadership on NBAA’s Advisory Council, formerly known as AMAC, also changed today, with Sheryl Barden, of Aviation Personnel International, replacing Todd Duncan, of Duncan Aviation, as chair, and David Davenport, of FlightSafety International, becoming vice chair. As leaders of the Advisory Council, Barden and Davenport will serve as the Business Member Advisors on the board of directors. Sheryl Barden has spent a lifetime in aviation, having grown up in and around the business aviation recruiting firm Aviation Personnel International, where she now serves as the company’s president and CEO. Barden is a leading authority on hiring and leadership development practices, and is a frequent industry speaker. She is an active member of the Society for Human Resources Management, Flight Safety Foundation, Women in Corporate Aviation and the International Women’s Forum. She earned an MBA from the Masagung School of Business at the University of San Francisco and a bachelor of science degree in management, with an emphasis in personnel management, from Pennsylvania State University. She has been a member of the board since 2017, and her term as Advisory Council chair will conclude in 2021. See full press release