NBAA has announced the formation of the Dr. Tony Kern Aviation Professionalism Award to recognize those in business aviation who embody the concept of professionalism. The award is named after Kern, who is a co-founder of the consulting firm Convergent Performance. The goal of his company is to “apply the latest in human factors research to high-risk industries wanting to reduce error, increase professionalism and optimize the human/machine interface.”
According to NBAA, Kern is one of the world’s foremost leading authorities on human performance. The NBAA Safety Committee has named professionalism as one of its top focus areas. This award aims to highlight individuals working in business aviation who actively pursue “excellence through discipline, ethical behavior and continuous improvement.” Anyone within business aviation may be nominated for the award, with multiple annual recipients possible each year. The nomination period is expected to open in January.