ARW Volunteers Gather in Herndon

Recognizing the importance of their committee volunteers and the work that they do, Air Wisconsin’s MEC officers called together all 21 of their standing and special committee chairmen for a meeting in Herndon, Va. This was the first of what the officers hope will become an annual meeting.

“Many of our successes in defending and advancing the careers of our pilots are the result of our hard-working volunteers,” says ARW MEC Chairman Richard Swindell. “By coming together face-to-face, we were able to fully engage with our core group of volunteers and collaborate on methods for addressing current and future challenges. This will help strengthen our communications efforts internally and with the pilot group, as well as build a solid framework for the next generation of ALPA volunteers.”

With a packed agenda, each committee chairman provided a briefing, highlighting specific projects, tasks, and recent successes. This information exchange led to a commitment by the volunteers to coordinate and work jointly on projects and initiatives to better serve the pilot group.

Meeting participants discussed the state of the union and met with the Association’s four national officers—Capt. Lee Moak, president; Capt. Sean Cassidy, first vice president; Capt. Bill Couette, vice president–administration; and Capt. Randy Helling, vice president–finance.

In addition, ALPA’s Government Affairs Department briefed participants on aviation-related legislative and regulatory issues, the work of ALPA-PAC to protect pilot careers, and how to support these efforts. These discussions were beneficial in demonstrating the depth of the resources available.