The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) will present longtime Schedulers & Dispatchers (S&D) Committee volunteer Aymie Thornton with the Schedulers & Dispatchers Outstanding Achievement & Leadership Award at the 2017 Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC2017), set for Feb. 7-10 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Created in 2008, the award recognizes individuals who have shared their business aviation industry expertise, provided extraordinary service, exhibited leadership and made significant contributions to the scheduling and dispatching function.
Thornton is the flight operations manager for the JCPenney aviation department in Dallas, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. In addition to JCPenney, where she has worked since February 2013, Thornton has worked for several Fortune 500 companies in the Dallas area during her more than 20-year career in business aviation. She currently serves on the JCPenney aviation department’s leadership team, and acts as its corporate liaison while handling passenger and air crew travel scheduling, budgeting, fuel negotiations, and tax and legal reporting. She is also a key member of the company’s corporate response team. In 2016 Thornton was recognized by JCPenney with its highest honor, the Warrior Coin for loyalty, passion, courage and service.
“I’ve always considered Aymie the brain and heart of our operation,” said Vincent Simone, aviation director for JCPenney and Thornton’s supervisor. “She makes everything happen, from maintenance to our pilot group. It all starts with her.”
Thornton has been heavily involved with S&D Committee activities, including her work on the Educational Development Subcommittee and its Advisory Council, and is working toward receiving her NBAA Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) credential this year. She is also a founding member and past chair of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Texas Corporate Aviation Schedulers group, which since its creation in 2003 has grown to around 200 members.
“Aymie came up through the S&D Committee as one of our most dedicated volunteers,” said Jo Damato, CAM, NBAA director of educational development and strategy. “She spearheaded one of the key projects to mark the S&D 20th anniversary conference by creating a yearbook on the committee’s history, which was a detail-intensive task. She takes on an action item and just crushes it. As someone who calls her both colleague and friend I’m excited to see her receive this award in her own backyard, where so many other supporters, including her family and coworkers, can be there to see her receive it.”
In addition to her many contributions to business aviation, Thornton also coaches the Special Olympics’ Fort Worth regional cycling team.
