NBAA-BACE 2017 – Las Vegas, Nevada -- Conklin & de Decker, in association with the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) announced that the tenth annual Al Conklin and Bill de Decker Business Aviation Management Scholarship winner is Michelle Bennett of Vienna, Virginia. This scholarship is being awarded at the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (BACE) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
As a Senior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, Ms. Michelle Bennett is majoring in Global Business and concentrations in Aviation/Aerospace, and Arabic. Michelle aspires to begin her career in business aviation and dreams of pairing her love for transportation with cutting-edge technology. In addition to two summer internships at The Boeing Company, Michelle has been a research assistant in the College of Aviation at ERAU. She is an active member of Women in Aviation International and Women in Corporate Aviation, and plans to pursue an MBA once she acquires professional experience in the aviation industry.
“It is an honor to award our 10th annual scholarship to this bright young woman with such impressive credentials,” stated Bill de Decker, chairman and co-founder of Conklin & de Decker. “The entire staff at Conklin & de Decker congratulate Michelle Bennett and wish her all the best as she nears graduation and looks forward to her career in the business aviation industry.”
The scholarship was initially created to honor the memory of Al Conklin, a U.S. Air Force veteran and business aviation leader for more than 60 years. In 2015, the scholarship was renamed to also recognize Bill de Decker for his contributions to business aviation, for which he was honored with NBAA’s John P. “Jack” Doswell Award in 2014. Conklin’s career took him to business aviation where he sold aircraft for several companies before meeting Bill de Decker and creating the first Aircraft Cost Evaluator program. Then in 1984 they founded what became Conklin & de Decker. Each year, NBAA Charities and Conklin & de Decker annually award $5,000 to an undergraduate student who is officially enrolled in an aviation management program at a University Aviation Association (UAA) member school.
About Conklin & de Decker
Conklin & de Decker, celebrating more than 30 years in business, is a leader in aviation research, consulting and education with offices in Massachusetts, Texas and Arizona. The mission of Conklin & de Decker is to enable the general aviation industry to make more informed decisions when dealing with the purchase, operation and disposition of aircraft by furnishing objective and impartial information. Founded in 1984, Conklin & de Decker focuses on fixed- and rotary- wing aircraft operating cost, performance and specification databases, maintenance management software, financial management, fleet planning, market research, aviation tax issues, and financial, tax and management seminars. Conklin & de Decker consults with numerous individuals, corporations and government agencies worldwide. More information on their products and services, copies of articles published, and a unique “Members Only” section can be found on their website, www.conklindd.com.
About NBAA
Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The Association represents more than 11,000 companies and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention, the world's largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at www.nbaa.org.
