The Newsmakers Awards Luncheon at the 2026 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) made headlines on several critical industry issues, including comments from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on safety, certification and advanced air mobility (AAM), and an insightful panel discussion on the importance of changing the culture around mental wellness.
Moderated by NBAA Senior Vice President, Government Affairs Kristie Greco Johnson, Duffy and BETA Technologies CEO Kyle Clark discussed the day’s big news – an FAA special airworthiness certificate enabling BETA to fly potential customers with its ALIA A250 eVTOL.
“We want America to lead in innovation – lead in safety, and this is part of the next iteration of air travel that's very unique,” said Duffy.
Clark said he has seen tremendous progress in the FAA’s certification process in the AAM space. “It’s an important step – this progressive authorization to fly in a research and development environment, fly in exhibitions and have the ability to fly with potential customers.”
Duffy also shared comments on efforts to build a new air traffic control system, specifically the administration’s recent request for an additional $30 billion in funding from Congress.
“I want the Congress to invest in air traffic control towers,” Duffy explained. “We want to help mid-sized airports get some additional funding, bigger airports. ... We need new software to get better efficiency out of the airspace, and it's going to also help us with safety.”
Duffy said he wants to look closely at the current timelines for FAA certification. “We have to do a deep dive in certification and start kicking tires on how we can truly improve the process,” Duffy said. “And I think it will start with us, but we'll have to bring all our partners in to get their feedback on how we can improve the process.”
“I don't think more time means more safe,” he said. “Those two things don’t always go together.”
“It’s all about the certification,” said Clark.
Mental Wellness in Business Aviation
The fireside chat was preceded by a panel discussion on mental wellness in aviation, which addressed the need to foster a culture in which pilots and other aviation professionals feel comfortable talking about mental health concerns.
Leaders should rethink the old “open door policy” and work harder to change the culture in their organizations, said panelist Xyla Foxlin, an engineer, pilot and content creator. “Someone in a leadership role above you, if they're not showing empathy or humanity, you're never going to walk [through] that door because you don't really know what you're going to find on the other side.”
“Talking about what matters to you is something that I would challenge all of us to do,” said panelist Laila Stein, NBAA flight operations manager, “whether that's on the flight deck and being open about something you're struggling with or maybe not struggling with, or whether it's being a leader and opening that door within your team.”
Whyte Honored With NBAA’s Doswell Award
The luncheon also honored former business aircraft executive and constant industry advocate Roger Whyte by presenting him with the association’s John P. “Jack” Doswell Award for lifelong individual achievement in business aviation.
Accepting the award, Whyte said the honor served as a tribute to “all the people in business aviation who have mentored, supported, championed, guided and allowed me to achieve things that I thought I would never be able to do.”
2026 Business Aviation Top 40 Under 40
The industry’s next generation of leaders was also recognized. NBAA Young Professional (YoPro) Council liaisons Ashley Granada and Elayna Hall recognized the 2026 class of the Business Aviation Top 40 Under 40.
“These 40 outstanding young professionals were nominated by their peers in the industry for their unwavering leadership, their selfless volunteerism, their innovative spirit, and their dedication to the business aviation community,” said Granada, NBAA senior marketing manager.
“From excelling in career milestones to making meaningful contributions to their communities, these YoPros represent the best and brightest across business aviation and are helping to lead the future of our industry,” said Hall, NBAA manager, professional development.
NBAA’s Al Ueltschi Award for Humanitarian Leadership
Also, Signature Aviation and the Sun Gate Foundation were presented with NBAA’s Al Ueltschi Award for Humanitarian Leadership, for their work to help the aviation industry identify and report human trafficking.
“We wanted to ensure our team members could recognize when something was not right, know what to do, and feel empowered to act,” said Amy Alexy, chief people officer, Signature Aviation. “Most training focused on commercial aviation, so we built training for business aviation, and we knew we could not do it alone. The American Association of Airport Executives helped us strengthen the training and share it across the industry.”
“Thanks to all of you for recognizing the importance of these efforts,” said Sun Gate Foundation CEO Shamere McKenzie, a human trafficking survivor. “I had to use my voice to bring awareness, train professionals on how to identify and respond, and let other survivors know there is hope and a future that they are worth fighting for, and that they are valuable.”