Feb. 15, 2017 // NATCA Announces 2017 Archie League Medal of Safety Award Recipients
National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA)
For Immediate Release
Feb. 15, 2017
Contact: Doug Church, 301-346-8245
NATCA Announces 2017 Archie League Medal of Safety Award Recipients
WASHINGTON – NATCA is proud to announce its 2017 Archie League Medal of Safety Award recipients. Named for the first air traffic controller, the Archie League Medal of Safety Award honors air traffic controllers who have performed life-saving work in the previous calendar year.
Air traffic controllers juggle a variety of variables and complex scenarios. Their ability to adapt to ever-changing situations while keeping their composure is a skill they have mastered. As a result of their commitment to perfection, the National Airspace System is the safest in the world.
Each honoree faced a unique situation in which their ability to think quickly and remain calm under pressure was tested. Although each of these remarkable individuals will say they were “just doing their job,” their work is extraordinary and NATCA honors it with this prestigious award.
NATCA will honor the recipients on March 22, during the Archie League Medal of Safety Award banquet that closes NATCA’s annual Communicating For Safety conference.
A judges panel consisting of aviation and air traffic control experts, this year featuring NATCA Director of Safety and Technology Jim Ullmann, Experimental Aircraft Association CEO & Chairman of the Board Captain Jack Pelton and Air Line Pilots Association, International, Aviation Safety Chairman Captain Steve Jangelis, selected one event from each of NATCA’s nine geographical regions based on peer nominations.
The 2017 honorees are:
Alaskan Region: Jessica Earp, Anchorage Center
Central Region: Andrew Cullen and Jeffrey R. Volski, Kansas City Center
Eastern Region: Jaymi Steinberg and Richard Wallace, Washington Center
Great Lakes Region: David Stempien, Cleveland Center
Great Lakes Region: Eric Vanstrom, Fort Wayne ATCT
New England Region: Eric J. Knight and Ross Leshinsky, Boston ATCT
Northwest Mountain Region: Aaron Grijalva, Denver TRACON
Southern Region: Mason Braddock, Patrick Burrows, Nichole Surunis, Clay Sutton, and Keith Tyus, Atlanta TRACON
Southwest Region: Patrick Armstrong, Dallas/Fort Worth TRACON
Western Pacific Region: Brian Bond, Aaron Fones and Carlton Wickstrom, Phoenix TRACON
Read more about the Archie League Awards and its history.
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Certified in 1987, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association represents nearly 20,000 highly skilled air traffic controllers, engineers, and other aviation safety-related professionals.
