Dr. Mary Niemczyk of Arizona State University recently assumed the University Aviation Association’s (UAA) top elected position as president for 2014-15.
As one of her first official duties, Niemczyk (pictured) announced the election of Dr. Suzanne Kearns to a one-year term as president elect and Dr. Samuel Pavel to a two-year term as treasurer. Members elected to three-year terms on the Board of Trustees include: Dr. John B. Bridewell and Dr. John R. Griffin II as Educator trustees, and Capt. Michael McCasky as a Corporate trustee.
Kearns is a tenured Associate Professor at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada.
Pavel has 13 years of experience as an Air Traffic Control Specialist in two VFR towers, a TRACON, and the Denver ARTCC. He earned his Doctorate in Economics from the University of Notre Dame and spent 15 years teaching a variety of graduate and undergraduate economic courses at Notre Dame, Denver University, Kalamazoo College, Western Michigan University, and Purdue North Central.
Bridewell is Professor of Aviation at the University of North Dakota (UND).
Griffin is a member of the University of Oklahoma’s “Troika Project” team, a consortium with Scott Foresman Publishing Company. The project assisted in the development of a three-level aerospace education program incorporated into middle and high school level science, mathematics, and English programs evaluated in the Texas and California school systems.
McCaskey became the Managing Director of Flight Training for United Airlines in October of 2013 following a two-year assignment as Director of Flight Training Support.
The University Aviation Association (UAA), a nonprofit organization, represents more than 525 members consisting of educators, students, high schools, two- and four-year collegiate institutions offering aviation degree programs, and organizations and industry representatives that support collegiate aviation. UAA also serves as the voice of collegiate aviation education to government, industry organizations and the general public.