The Alliance for Aviation Across America announced Betsy Huber, president of the National Grange, has joined its board of directors.
"We are thrilled that Betsy Huber has joined the Alliance Board of Directors,” said Ed Bolen, president and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and the President of the Alliance’s Board of Directors. “Betsy brings a wealth of invaluable experience and perspectives on behalf of rural communities and our agricultural sector, which rely extensively on general aviation, local airports, and our aviation infrastructure."
Huber has been president of the National Grange since 2015. Previously she was on the National Grange’s executive committee from 2007-14. Huber also serves on the board of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s program Safety in Agriculture for Youth and as Executive Secretary of the Pennsylvania Young Farmers Association. In 2017, she was appointed to the Federal Communications Commission’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee.
Huber has also served as a Trustee of The Pennsylvania State University from 2005-17 and served 24 years as a Supervisor of Upper Oxford Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania. She was born and raised on a dairy farm in Chester County.
“I am honored to serve on the Board of Directors for the Alliance for Aviation Across America,” Huber said. “General aviation is critical for agriculture, access to services like medical care and disaster relief, our nation's food supply, and the economy as a whole.”
Many agricultural operators use general aviation to transport goods, personnel, and oversee and treat crops and land. There are about 5,000 public-use airports in towns across the country, yet the majority of airline traffic goes through 30 of them. All told, general aviation supports over 1.1 million jobs and over $246 billion in economic impact, according to a 2018 PricewaterhouseCoopers study.
Huber continued, "As our nation continues to recover, we are also pleased to support the commitments of the general aviation industry in critical areas of growth, such as the development and use of sustainable fuel and emerging technologies.”
Recently, the Alliance for Aviation Across America, the Grange, and many other national and local groups partnered to launch futureofaviation.org, which highlights the importance of general aviation and the benefits of the development and use of sustainable fuel and potential new technologies, such as vertical and landing aircraft, which have the potential to transport goods and people between rural and urban areas in a more efficient manner.
The Grange strengthens individuals, families, and communities through grassroots action, service, education, advocacy, and agriculture awareness.
The Alliance for Aviation Across America (AAAA) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, national grassroots coalition of over 6,000 aviation and non-aviation groups and individuals across the country, including businesses, FBOs, small airports, elected officials, agricultural and charitable organizations, and leading industry and aviation groups. Formed in 2007, the organization is dedicated to spreading awareness and educating the public about the value of general aviation and local airports.
