Washington, DC, May 6, 2025 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today announced that Sheryl A. Barden, CAM, CEO of Aviation Personnel International (API), will receive the 2025 John P. “Jack” Doswell Award at NBAA’s Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas.
The Doswell Award honors lifelong achievement and service to business aviation. Barden fully embodies that spirit —a visionary leader, exceptional mentor to generations of professionals, effective industry advocate and champion for forward-thinking workforce initiatives.
“Sheryl is the rare leader who doesn’t just contribute—she transforms,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “She brings bold ideas, inspires action and elevates everyone around her. Her impact reaches every corner of our industry.”
Her aviation journey began in childhood, listening at the dinner table as her mother, Janice K. Barden—API’s trailblazing founder—shared stories about the industry’s inspiring culture and shared purpose. Sheryl attended her first NBAA convention at age 16 and has missed only two since. Inspired by those early experiences, she eventually left a successful 17-year corporate career to join API. Since 2001, she has steadily transformed the company into a premier talent identification and workforce-consulting firm.
Building on API’s five decades of experience and work with more than 1,000 FAA Part 91 flight departments, Barden and her team help companies of all sizes develop resilient, culturally-aligned teams. Each match is thoughtfully tailored to fit both the organization and the candidate. One of Barden’s greatest strengths is helping people discover their potential, often far beyond what they ever imagined possible.
Known for her bold thinking, Barden has been a driving force in elevating aviation’s workforce conversation. Long before “retention” and “culture” became industry buzzwords, she led efforts to address a pending talent shortage, compensation, outplacement and leadership development—laying the groundwork for many of today’s best practices.
Her contributions extend far beyond API. As a Certified Aviation Manager and one of NBAA’s inaugural CAM Fellows, Barden has served on the NBAA Board of Directors, chaired its Advisory Council and played a key role on the Business Aviation Management Committee. Her leadership has shaped policy, strategy and inclusion across the industry.
Time and again, Barden has been a proven leader in mobilizing people across the industry to become grassroots advocates on policy priorities. As just one example, she activated her professional network to provide countless letters alerting Congress to business aviation’s strong opposition to air traffic control privatization when lawmakers clashed over the issue while debating FAA reauthorization.
In addition to her work with NBAA, Barden serves as a monthly AINsight columnist and frequently speaks on leadership and workforce topics. Her affiliations include the International Aviation Women’s Association, Women in Corporate Aviation and the International Women’s Forum, where she previously served as president of the Northern California chapter. She also supports multiple regional aviation organizations, including the Northern California Business Aviation Association, Georgia Business Aviation Association and Carolina Aviation Professionals Association.
Barden earned a management degree from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from the University of San Francisco McLaren School of Business.
This year’s Doswell honor marks a deeply personal milestone. Both her mother, Janice K. Barden, and stepfather, Chuck McKinnon, are past recipients. With Sheryl’s recognition, the Barden family becomes a three-time Doswell legacy.
Recipients of the peer-nominated Doswell Award include leaders from every part of the business aviation community. See past Doswell Award recipients.
NBAA-BACE, taking place Oct. 14-16 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Henderson Executive Airport (HND), is the world’s most powerful business aviation event of the year. It’s the only place to find business aviation’s most inspiring visionaries, most advanced innovations and most important thinkers—all redefining what’s possible. Learn more about NBAA-BACE.
About NBAA
Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The association represents more than 10,000 company and professional members and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), the world’s largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at nbaa.org.
Medial Contacts:
NBAA: Dan Hubbard, 202-431-5970, dhubbard@nbaa.org
API: Jill Henning, 602-502-6206, jill@forwardstmarketing.com