NATA Industry Excellence Awards Continued from page 17 “My father really wanted me to be an engineer. We had airplanes all my life, so I was always drawn to avia- tion,” she said. “I chose the FAA right out of college because it would give me a broad exposure to the avia- tion industry and enable me to contribute to improving aviation safety.” Her career with the FAA also included stints in Brussels, Seattle, and Kansas City, as she worked her way up to positions including Manager of AIR’s Small Airplane Directorate and Deputy Director of AIR. Along the way she also served on a detail to the Association Administrator of Aviation Safety, where she led the Comprehensive and Proactive Safety Management Approach Integrated Product Team for the interagency Joint Planning and Development Office for the Next Generation Air Transportation System. “I was fortunate to have a lot of great mentors and support at a time when a young woman in this business was a rare thing,” Baker said. She was named Executive Director of AIR in 2009, leading a professional workforce of more than 1,300 employees working at the FAA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., in more than 35 field offices through- out the United States, and in two international offices in Belgium and Singapore. “Aviation safety became my life’s mission,” Baker said. “I’m proud to have worked closely, not just with everyone at the FAA, but also with foreign civil aviation authorities and industry.” She worked with the aviation authori- ties of countries such as China, with emerging avia- tion industries, and with the quadrilateral Certification Management Team comprised of Certification Directors from the United States, Europe, Canada, and Brazil, that oversee well-established aviation industries. “We worked collaboratively and closely to bring the aviation safety standards up all around the world and maintain those high standards.” Baker’s early career was in part shaped by the response to the 1988 Aloha Airlines Flight 243 accident, which happened just as she was starting at the FAA. She went on to help develop the FAA’s Aging Aircraft Program and its Aging Airplane Safety Rule (AASR), in response to the Aloha accident. Other achievements from her career include lead- ing the charge to rewrite Part 23, replacing prescriptive requirements with performance-based standards. She worked closely with NATA and other associations throughout her career. “I found that it is very beneficial to work with NATA and the other associations. It is criti- cal to understand the needs of each of the communities and to leverage the associations support in developing rules, and communicating messages to their members, their customers, the public and to Congress,” Baker explained. “The associations have really served a great role in improving the safety of the aviation system, so I am pleased to be receiving this recognition from NATA.” Reflecting on her career, Baker says her many col- leagues stand out among her best memories. “I think the most important thing is that I did not do it myself,” Baker said. “I was very fortunate to have a lot of people help me along the way, including people who preceded me in winning this award. I was well supported throughout my entire career by my managers, colleagues and my staff. The dedicated professionals that work in AIR are all passionate about aviation safety. The safety mission is clear, that’s what’s rewarding about the job. It was a tremendous honor to have had a role in that work.” Safety 1st Award: Scott Seber Scott Seber, recipient of the 5th annual NATA Safety 1st Award, is being recognized for his 20-year career as a line service technician at Naples Aviation. He has since moved to a new role as Duty Officer for the Naples Airport Authority and has been a 18 Aviation Business Journal | Summer 2019
