Members of Helicopter Association International have elected two new members to its board of directors. Both new members will serve a three-year term beginning July 1, 2021.
Elected this year were Brian Jorgenson of Timberline Helicopters, Inc., Sandpoint, Idaho; and Rick Kenin of Boston MedFlight, Bedford, Massachusetts. This will be the first time serving on the HAI Board for both individuals, and both were elected to fill commercial operator vacancies. Board members are elected by HAI membership representatives from the association’s member helicopter operating companies.
HAI also announced Monday the lineup of officers for the term July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, including: Incoming Chair Randy Rowles, of Helicopter Institute, Inc., Fort Worth, Texas; Vice-Chair Jeffery Smith, of R.O.P. Aviation, Teterboro, New Jersey; Treasurer Jack Matiasevich, Southern California Edison, Chino, California; and Assistant Treasurer B. Adam Hammond, Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville, Tennessee.
Leaving the Board this year are Douglas Barclay, Kachina Aviation, Nampa, Idaho, and Jan Becker, Becker Helicopter Services, Marcoola, Queensland, Australia.
“Coming out of a pandemic year, we have a very ambitious slate of projects ahead of us, and it’s good to know that we now have new directors to help guide HAI as we move forward,” said James Viola, president and CEO of HAI. “We’re constantly working to improve our safety programs, doing everything we can to reduce accident rates. We also want to focus on extending our outreach to more international members and help our organization and members transition to the advanced air mobility platform. We haven’t rested on our laurels during the pandemic, and we’re not going to rest going forward, either.”
Jorgenson is a helicopter pilot with over 17,000 flight hours and more than 20 years of industry experience. He is currently serving as Chief Operating Officer at Timberline Helicopters, Inc., which he owns with his wife. They began Timberline in 2004 with a single Kaman K-MAX helicopter and built the company into a utility helicopter company operating a fleet of eight helicopters ranging from an MD 500 to the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.
Kenin has flown helicopters for over 20 years, both in the U.S. Coast Guard and in the civilian sector. A longtime member of HAI, he works to give back to the industry, currently serving as the Chair of the HAI Safey Working Group, leading its 25 members as they strive to improve safety across the industry. He also works for Boston MedFlight as the Chief Operating Officer, managing the operational aspects of a patient-focused, safety-minded, critical care medical transportation company.
