In the Fall of 2020, Sheryl Clarke, Jet Linx Director of Safety and Security, was recognized as a recipient of the annual Dr. Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award, which honors individuals in the business aviation industry for outstanding professionalism and leadership in support of aviation safety.

The award was first established in 2015 to honor Dr. Tony Kern, co-founder of Convergent Performance, distinguished U.S. Air Force veteran and author of five books on human performance. The peer-nominated award recognizes individual pilots, maintenance technicians, flight attendants, dispatchers and other aviation professionals who excel in leadership, professional ethics, vocational excellence, continuous improvement, professional engagement, professional image and selflessness. Clarke and eight others received the award, all vetted by a panel of the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA) Safety Committee Professionalism Working Group members.

“[The 2020] Tony Kern Professionalism Award winners are committed to excellence in all areas and point to a strong future in the business aviation industry,” said Mark Larsen, NBAA Senior Manager of Safety and Flight Operations. “We are proud to honor these individuals for representing the high level of professionalism championed by Dr. Kern.”

Clarke joined Jet Linx in 2019, bringing a plethora of aviation experience stemming from her decade-long career as an Air Force pilot, followed by 18 years with Continental Express where she helped manage growth from an 800-pilot carrier to over 3,500 when they merged with Atlantic Southeast Airlines in 2010. From there, Clarke assumed a role as Managing Director of Safety and Quality for ExpressJet Airlines, and then served as Managing Director for Airport Operations at United Airlines before coming to Jet Linx.

In terms of safety pedigree, Clarke holds certifications from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Department of Transportation (DOT), and is certified in Human Factors Analysis (HFACS) and Safety Management Systems (SMS). Clarke quickly put her background to work to expand the already industry-leading safety program at Jet Linx.

Clarke’s lead role in initiating an industry-wide private aviation Safety Symposium in September 2019 stands as a noteworthy accomplishment. The Safety Symposium, created, planned and organized by Clarke in conjunction with Jet Linx leadership, is now an annual event that invites a wide range of industry professionals to come together for valuable, honest conversations to improve safety at the industry-level. With Clarke’s leadership skills inside and outside the organization, Jet Linx is viewed as a leader in safety throughout the private aviation industry.

“The Safety Symposium invites a focused working group to tackle specific issues facing our industry, such as fatigue, SMS scaling, outsourcing and more,” Clarke explained. “Where big industry safety meetings are valuable on a macro-level, our initiative is focused on conversations between companies in the charter operations space to collectively standardize and advance safety on a micro-level. We learn from each other, work together on issues and leverage collective resources.”

“It’s no surprise to see Sheryl Clarke honored with this award,” said Jamie Walker, Jet Linx President and CEO. “Since day one, she has continued to strengthen and improve our SMS. But beyond that, her calling on industry partners and competitors to improve safety across the board serves as a sterling example of her leadership and her dedication to safety – not only for our clients, but for anyone who chooses private aviation. That’s something we can be really proud of.”