Speakers – 2025 NBAA Aircraft Transactions Workshop

• Jeff Agur, The VanAllen Group
• Amanda Applegate, Soar Aviation Law, LLC
• Joanne Barbera, Barbera & Watkins, LLC
• Lee Brewster, Thoroughbred Aviation
• Mary Comazzi, Barnes & Thornburg LLP
• Katie DeLuca, Harper Meyer
• David M. Hernandez, Vedder Price PC
• Josh Mesinger, Mesinger Jet Sales
• David T. Norton, Shackelford, McKinley & Norton, LLP

Jeff Agur

Chief Executive Officer, VanAllen

Along with his leadership role at VanAllen, Jeff Agur is responsible for various client projects including strategic fleet planning, aircraft selection, and aircraft transaction projects. Over recent years, Agur has supported the detailed planning and various transactions of over a half billion dollars in jets, turboprops, helicopters and fractional shares. His adept ability to help clients navigate all the strategic, economic and operational considerations is universally appreciated. Agur’s client-focused and detailed approach gives them confidence in their decisions.

Agur joined VanAllen in 2003 and was promoted to his current role in 2013. Prior to joining VanAllen, Jeff had a successful career in engineering and manufacturing undertaking responsibilities that spanned from strategic to technical.

Agur holds a Masters of Business Administration (EMBA) from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is regular contributor to the industry holding several volunteer positions including past Chair of the Board of the Georgia Business Aviation Association (GBAA) and past Chair of the NBAA Access Committee. He is currently a member of the NBAA’s Tax Committee and member of the National Aircraft Finance Association.

Agur is also a private pilot and a guest speaker on many aviation-related topics around the country.

Amanda Applegate

Founding Partner, Soar Aviation Law

As a founding partner at Soar Aviation Law, LLC, Amanda Applegate brings her outstanding legal expertise as well as impressive negotiating skills and business savvy to the service of the firm’s clients. Ms. Applegate has been in private practice since 2011. She specializes in whole aircraft transactions and has successfully closed hundreds of sales and purchases for all types of business aircraft around the world. Additionally, she has unique and comprehensive understanding of fractional ownership due to her previous experience in that industry.

Prior to going into private practice, she served as Associate General Counsel and Vice President of NetJets Services, Inc., where she spent twelve very productive years with the company that pioneered fractional jet ownership. As the company’s Associate General Counsel, Applegate directed a diverse range of business, including multimillion-dollar contract negotiations, contract enforcement, fractional ownership and leasing, and daily business matters. She also worked with NetJet’s sister company, Executive Jet Management, and gained insight and experience into the field of whole aircraft ownership, management and operations.

During her first few years of private practice, Applegate represented 25 Avantair fractional owner groups, comprised of nearly 300 fractional owners, following the grounding of the Avantair fleet and subsequent bankruptcy proceedings. She managed the disposition and assessment of all planes and parts and devised sales opportunities for aircraft and associated equipment, including “as-is” live auctions and recertified brokered sales. More recently Ms. Applegate represented 14 Jet It fractional owner groups, comprised of over 100 fractional owners, when Jet It ceased its operations in May of 2023. She facilitated the sale of all 14 aircraft and handled the necessary tasks including working with lienholders, coordinating inspections, hiring aircraft brokers, records retrieval and distribution of sale proceeds.

Applegate was admitted to the State Bar of Ohio after graduating from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1998.

Applegate is ranked by Chambers & Partners as one of the premier aviation attorneys worldwide. She speaks frequently on business aviation topics for organizations including the NBAA. Since 2012 she has been a featured columnist for BusinessAir Magazine, writing monthly on key topics regarding the acquisition, ownership and operation of business aircraft.

Joanne M. Barbera

Founding Partner, Barbera & Watkins, LLC.

Since 1993, Joanne M. Barbera has practiced in business and general aviation law, including aviation regulatory and tax matters.

She has extensive experience in the areas of the purchase, sale, leasing, financing and management of corporate aircraft (including domestic and foreign registration) and related insurance, regulatory and federal and state tax issues.

Barbera is a past chair of the NBAA Tax Committee, a current member of the Advisory Group to the Tax Committee, vice chair of the Regulatory Issues Advisory Group and serves on the NBAA Operational Excellence Strategic Focus Team. She has authored numerous articles on business aviation regulatory and tax topics.

Barbera has been recognized by the Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers for excellence in the practice of law, is a member of the International Aviation Women’s Association and is board chair of Angel Flight Central.

Barbera often speaks at NBAA tax events, NBAA Regional Forums and other legal and business aviation programs across the country. She has presented on a variety of topics including personal use of aircraft, state tax issues, carriage of elected officials, depreciation, passive activity loss limitations, business aviation transactions and aircraft ownership and leasing.

Barbera is a 1993 graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, and received her B.A. with honors from the University of Notre Dame. She completed her masters of law degree in taxation (LL.M.) at the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 2006. Joanne is a member of the Missouri and Kansas Bar and is licensed to practice in both states.

Lee Brewster

Vice President, Thoroughbred Aviation

Lee Brewster’s career started in an FAA Part 147 school, where she was active in career advisement and compliance. She was a founder of and served as the Executive Director of NCATT, which evolved into the ASTM NCATT Certifications and are now recognized as an alternate means of compliance for obtaining the FAA Repairman’s certificate. Her career naturally progressed to FlightSafety International as the Product Sales Manager for the DFW Center’s maintenance training. Her responsibilities encompassed the full line of Falcon Jets, Gulfstreams, Honeywell engines/avionics, and the Pratt & Whitney Canada engine line. Next, Brewster took her experience and passion for people and optimizing operational performance to Flightdocs, where she was named the Vice President of Marketing and Engagement after the acquisition by ATP. In 2022, Brewster joined Thoroughbred, where she works directly to enhance and optimize internal operations and build a unique customer experience in the aircraft transaction space.

Brewster holds a bachelor’s in business administration and a master’s in Education, Technology Leadership. She is chair of the Tarrant County College Aviation Advisory Board, vice-chair of the NBAA Maintenance Committee, co-chair of the International Aviation Womens Association’s Career Growth Committee, and active member of other regional aviation groups.

Mary Commazzi

Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Co-Chair of the Aviation Practice Group at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Mary Commazzi has extensive experience structuring aviation transactions, including domestic and foreign-based aircraft purchases and sales, aircraft leasing agreements, timeshare and interchange agreements, joint and fractional ownership agreements, personal and executive use policies, FAA registrations, Cape Town Convention and International Registry matters, hangar rental and ownership arrangements, airport lease agreements, management and charter matters, and customs compliance.

Commazzi also helps clients craft, negotiate and document mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, joint ventures, and other complex commercial transactions in the aviation space. She assists clients in enforcement and protection of their intellectual property rights, with employment matters, and with export compliance issues.

Commazzi spent nearly six years as in-house counsel with CHI Aviation, a Michigan-based helicopter services company. There, she developed, implemented and managed programs involving virtually all aspects of its business including human resources, import/export regulatory compliance, Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) compliance, and facility and employee security clearances. She also handled multifaceted corporate transactions, asset purchases and sales, contract review and negotiation, and finance-related matters

Katie DeLuca

Partner, Harper Meyer LLP

Katie DeLuca specializes in business and general aviation law, and has assisted clients in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia and Europe with all aspects of their aviation transactions, both routine and complex, domestic and cross border. She has had the opportunity to represent public and private corporations, financial institutions, manufacturers, charter operators and management companies, flight departments and high net worth individuals in connection with the acquisition, sale, registration, structuring (including tax structuring), financing, leasing and management of aircraft.

DeLuca is active in a number of aviation related organizations including the NBAA, the National Aircraft Finance Association (NAFA), the International Aviation Women’s Association (IAWA), and the L2B Aviation Group. She is also a member of the NBAA Tax Committee and as a member of the NAFA Regulatory Committee.

DeLuca often speaks at aviation and other legal conferences, such as the TTN Transaction Tax Conference, IAWA’s General Aviation Conference, and the ILS forum on International Law, on a variety of aviation matters including the export and import of aircraft, foreign aircraft registries, special considerations in international transactions, tax and regulatory issues for non-U.S. citizen owners/operators of U.S. registered aircraft, and other similar topics.

DeLuca received her J.D. from the University of Florida and is a member of the Florida Bar Association.

David Hernandez

Shareholder, Vedder Price

David M. Hernandez was recognized in Private Aircraft (Global-wide) in Chambers High Net Worth as one the world’s leading high net worth business aircraft advisers, he was ranked “Band 2” 2016 through 2021 and ranked “Band 1” in 2022. Vedder Price was named Airline Economics Aviation 100 Law Firm of the Year in 2015, 2017 and 2018.

Hernandez frequently advises clients on new and used aircraft purchase/sale agreements, fractional program documents, aircraft management agreements, aircraft registration, aircraft use policies, cross-border transactions, personal use of company aircraft and aircraft use agreements to ensure compliance with FAA, SEC and IRS regulations. He represents a wide variety of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, high net worth individuals, corporate flight departments, charter operators, some of the largest aerospace manufacturers and suppliers, airlines, defense contractors and airports. He also has considerable experience assisting clients with aircraft operational issues, financing, leasing and regulatory matters, complex government investigations, aircraft and part
certifications, and FAA, DOT, BIS/OFAC (export controls), IRS and SEC enforcement matters.

Hernandez recently represented various clients in several aircraft transactions, including the purchase a Bombardier Global 7000, two Bombardier Global 6000s, a Gulfstream G650, Global 3500, Dassault Falcon 7X, Falcon 2000, and the sale of a Gulfstream G550, a Gulfstream 450 and a Cessna 560 XLS.

Josh Mesinger

Vice President, Mesinger Jet Sales

Josh Mesinger has been deeply immersed in the business aviation industry since his college years, attending NBAA conventions and contributing to their family company. After graduating from George Washington University in 2000, he joined Mesinger Jet Sales full-time, embarking on a career that has spanned over two decades.

Through collaboration with diverse clients, including both small and large flight departments, industry leaders, and principals with varied priorities, Mesinger has cultivated a deep understanding of successful strategies and effective leadership. This insight guides their daily work.

Mesinger’s expertise encompasses sales and acquisitions, business development, negotiations, contract review, regulatory compliance, import/export processes, pre-purchase inspection oversight, and closings. He regularly liaises with brokers, dealers, aviation attorneys, clients’ legal and tax advisors, maintenance facilities, and aviation authority representatives worldwide. His extensive experience has built a global network of trusted industry resources that consistently delivers value to clients.

Having navigated the industry through significant economic fluctuations, Mesinger has demonstrated resilience and strategic foresight, strengthening the company during challenging times. His global perspective is enriched by studying abroad in Kathmandu, Nepal, living in multiple U.S. cities—including Houston, Santa Fe, Missoula, Washington, DC, and Boulder – and extensive international travel. These experiences have honed his ability to manage diverse personalities and cultural nuances effectively.

An active contributor to the industry, Mesinger is a member of the International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA), NBAA’s Leadership Council and has served on NBAA’s Business Aviation Management Committee (BAMC). His contributions include co-chairing the NBAA Leadership Conference, founding and co-chairing the NBAA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Working Group, and helping develop key sections of the NBAA Management Guide. His has also served on multiple customer advisory boards, including currently for Jet Aviation and Aviation Research Group/US.

David Norton

Partner, Shackelford, McKinley & Norton, LLP

David T. Norton is a partner and head of the aviation practice at the law firm of Shackelford, McKinley & Norton, LLP, in Dallas, Texas. He received his B.A. from the United States Air Force Academy, his M.B.A. from Louisiana Tech University, and his J.D., cum laude, from Southern Methodist University, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Air Law & Commerce, published by the SMU Law Review Association.

While his firm offers a broad array of legal services, Norton focuses solely on aviation law, having an internationally recognized practice that encompasses a broad range of business aviation regulatory, risk management, transactional, tax, and commercial dispute resolution matters. Norton is Board Certified in Aviation Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Norton is a frequent speaker at various business aviation conferences addressing current hot-topics in the industry, and actively participates in many business aviation industry-related committees and groups, including previously serving as: Manager of the 2015 Fair Sales Tax Initiative for Texas Aircraft, LLC, a coalition that interfaced with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and resulted in new statutory provisions designed to bring much more clarity and fairness to the assessment of sales/use taxes on aircraft in Texas; Industry Co-Chair of the joint FAA/Industry RVSM LOA Process Enhancement Team of the Performance based Advisory Rule Marketing Committee and the subsequent related efforts to re-write AC 91-85; a member of the Applicability Working Group of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 135/125 Advisory Rulemaking Committee; and as the founding Chair of the National Business Aviation Association’s Domestic Operations Committee.

Norton currently serves as a member of the American Bar Association’s General Aviation Committee; the National Air Transportation Association’s Air Charter Committee and Illegal Charter Task Force; the NBAA’s Tax Committee and Regulatory Issues Advisory Group; and as a member of Texans for General Aviation.

Norton is a past Chair of the Aviation Section of the State Bar of Texas, and is an advisory board member for the Journal of Air Law & Commerce, published by the Law Review Association of the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

Norton is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. He is also active in many community organizations, previously serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Challenge Air for Kids & Friends, Inc., as well as the Frontiers of Flight Museum, located at the Dallas Love Field Airport.