Georgia State, VanAllen Launch New Business Aviation Leadership Program

August 5, 2013

The first in a new series of leadership development programs tailored specifically for business aviation begins next month in Atlanta, GA.

The program is a partnership between the Georgia State University’s (GSU) J. Mack Robinson College of Business and business aviation management consulting firm VanAllen, and is intended for currect practitioners, such as directors of aviation, chief pilots, heads of scheduling and maintenance managers. It’s also appropriate for individuals preparing to move into those roles.

“The GSU program is independent from, yet complements, the highly regarded Darden courses,” said VanAllen Group Chairman Pete Agur. “We have a strong focus on strategic and operational leadership designed to help anybody already in – or preparing for – management responsibilities in business aviation.”
Agur said the industry prepares individuals well on the technical side, but perhaps not as well when it comes to management or leadership skills.

“The curriculum gives attendees specific leadership knowledge and skills to help them succeed in their daily business environment,” noted Agur, adding that there is a focus on how aviation departments can create their greatest value by supporting the unique needs of their company.

“We look at how to integrate aviation services into the value creation of the corporation that these functions serve,” said GSU professor Steve Olson. The rest of the program’s faculty includes a number of Robinson School professors who are leading experts in innovation, strategy and leadership development, as well as VanAllen Group business aviation experts.

The four-day program, to be held from Sept. 17 to 20 at the GSU Buckhead Center, is split into back-to-back, two-day sessions. The program begins on Monday evening with a kick-off dinner followed by the two-day Business Aviation Leadership Summit, with presenters from the Robinson School and industry covering strategic thinking, leadership excellence, global business aviation trends, how to lead talent and more.

The second two days are the hands-on Business Aviation Leadership Certificate Program. Working within teams of four to six people, participants will delve into topics of innovation, accelerating performance and strategy execution.

“We will also have executives from a global company share their challenges delivering real-time performance in a complex environment,” said Agur.

A key feature of the Business Aviation Leadership Certificate Program is that the learning doesn’t stop when the attendees go home. Those attending all four days will receive post-session coaching, a personalized leadership development plan, weekly two-minute videos with reminders of key concepts for six months and monthly one-hour webinars that dig deeper into important subject areas.

For information on the Business Aviation Leadership Program, contact Dan Stotz at (404) 413-7407 or dstotz@gsu.edu. NBAA Members may also call The VanAllen Group for more information at (770) 507-5001.