AAAE ACCREDITATION UPDATE: The Myth Buster Session

July 12, 2011

Ms. Danette M. Bewley, A.A.E.Chair, AAAE Board of Examiners Assistant Director, Airport Economic Development Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority

Mr. Mike N. Williams, A.A.E.Board of Examiners, Regional Examiner for the Southwest Chapter Director of Airports, County of San Bernardino

Panel

Danette M. Bewley, A.A.E.

What is the Myth?There is a secret program with secret rules, a secret password, and only certain people with access to all the secrets can enter

Let’s bust this myth!

There is no myth, there are no secrets

There is a challenging program for dynamic individuals with the desire to achieve

AAAE Board of ExaminersThe Certified Member and Accredited Airport Executive programs are governed by AAAE's Board of Examiners (BOE).The BOE is comprised of six regional examiners, three at-large examiners and one chairman.

AAAE Board of Examiners

Chair: Danette Bewley, A.A.E.Great Lakes Chapter: Craig Williams, A.A.E.Northeast Chapter: Tim Edwards, A.A.E.Northwest Chapter: David R. Ulane, A.A.E.South Central Chapter: Joe Medici, A.A.E.Southeast Chapter: Scott Brockman, A.A.E.Southwest Chapter: Mike Williams, A.A.E.At-large: Bruce Goetz, A.A.E.At-large: Efren Gonzalez, A.A.E.At-large: Chuck Farina, A.A.E.

AAAE Board of Examiners

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Role of the Board of ExaminersProgram Development and Oversight

Recommend Program changes to AAAE Executive Committee and AAAE Board of Directors

Grade Papers, Case Studies, and Proctored Essays

Mentor Executive Candidates

Conduct Final Interviews

Accreditation Program OverviewThree-Step Process:• Written Exam:

A 180-item multiple-choice examination

• Writing RequirementManagement Research PaperCase StudyProctored Essay ExamAdvanced Degree Waiver

• Final InterviewPanel Interview

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Accreditation Program OverviewWritten Exam:

• The exam is designed to document that the Executive Candidate has mastered, to an acceptable degree, the body of knowledge essential to carrying out airport management responsibilities

• The written exam evaluates the following Body of Knowledge subject areas:

Finance and AdministrationPlanning, Construction and EnvironmentalAirport Operations, Security and MaintenanceLegislative Affairs, Marketing and Communications, and Air Service Development

Accreditation Program OverviewWriting Requirement:

• Management Research Paper or Case Study:Allows the Executive Candidate to fulfill the writing requirement at a pace of their choosingAdded benefit of permitting your paper to be pre-screened for grammar, mechanics, punctuation, usage and style before it is submitted to the Board of Examiners for evaluation

• Proctored Essay: Requires you to develop a well-defined response to two industry-related questions in a 4-hour time limitTo be successful, you will need to have a broad understanding of the aviation industry and must be able to organize and present a comprehensive written response, with a minimum of 600 characters per response to each question within the allotted time

Accreditation Program OverviewWriting Requirement:

• Advanced Degree WaiverYou are exempt from this requirement if you have received a master’s or doctorate degree from an accredited college or university

Accreditation Program OverviewFinal Interview:

The Final Interview is designed to evaluate the extent of your knowledge in the following subject areas:• Finance and Administration• Planning, Construction and Environmental• Airport Operations, Security and Maintenance• Legislative Affairs, Marketing and

Communications, and Air Service Development

Accreditation Program OverviewFinal Interview:

• Conducted in a panel format3-Member Panel Usually consists of the Regional Examiner (Lead) and two other panel membersAll panel members must be an active A.A.E. Consistent interview format

• Interview takes approximately 2 hours

• Executive Candidates will be informed immediately of their status (pass/fail)

Mike Williams, A.A.E.

Perspectives

CEO Level Perspective

AAAE Policymaker Perspective

CEO Level PerspectiveSenior TeamManagement HiringSuccession PlanningFuture Professional DevelopmentIndustry Goals• Requirement to serve on AAAE Board of Directors• Requirement to serve on AAAE Board of Examiners• Requirement to serve on AAAE Executive Committee

Policy Level PerspectiveAAAE Executive Committee Support

The A.A.E. credential is an integral part of AAAE’s success story

Through the tailored A.A.E. study curriculum, AAAE is able to match knowledge base and benefits of the Accreditation Program with the present-day professional requirements of airport officials

Policy Level PerspectiveThe A.A.E. designation certifies that the candidate has successfully proven his or her knowledge of all aspects of management at both large and small airports

Demonstrates a commitment to the airport management industry

The value of the A.A.E. designation continues to grow as the responsibilities of the airport manager continue to expand

Policy Level PerspectiveIn 2008, AAAE policymakers implemented the Incentive Program, an exciting new program designed to attract greater participation in the Accreditation Program

If an airport enters into an AAAE Accreditation Agreement, AAAE will match the Airport’s contribution of up to $1,500 per candidate upon successful completion of the Accreditation Program

At RNO, this means the successful candidate can earn $3,000 ($1,500 from AAAE / $1,500 from RNO)

Policy Level PerspectiveOther personal incentives include:• One complimentary registration that can be

used during a 12-month period for any conference

• A.A.E. Scholarship ProgramA.A.E.’s and their children are eligible for this program to offset the cost of higher education

Accreditation, Your Airport and Your Career

Value of Accreditation• To yourself

Sense of pride and accomplishment• To your airport

Demonstrates high caliber achievement and management excellence

• To your careerPositions you for new opportunitiesOpens the door to fantastic networking opportunities

Accreditation, Your Airport and Your Career

Professional Achievement• A candidate who earns their A.A.E. designation

becomes part of a small and elite group of professionals. These individuals are dedicated to the field of aviation and work together to share knowledge and educate others for the benefit of our industry as a whole

• Earning the A.A.E. designation is highly respected, and for those who are interested in continuing to move upward in this industry, it is essential

Accreditation, Your Airport and Your Career

Paying it Forward

• To help you to earn your Accreditation• Why?• To promote the aviation industry to your

airport, your policy makers and business leaders

• To demonstrate that the A.A.E credential of leadership is earned, respected and highly regarded

Accreditation, Your Airport and Your Career

What can you do?

• Go online to learn more about the Accreditation Program

• Contact your Regional Examiner• Talk to other A.A.E.s at your airport or in your

region• Network!

Website: aaae.org/professional development

Final Interview WorkshopSeptember 17, 2011National Airports Conference, Tucson, AZ

Join us as we discuss:

• Final Interview topics• Preparation guidance• Participation in question and answer sessions, and mock

interview process

Questions