The General Aviation Awards (GAA) Board of Directors has announced that effective October 1, 2024, Lauretta Webb became the Board Chair of the GAA Program. She succeeds long time, dedicated Board Chair, Sandya Narayanswami, who will remain on the Board as the Fundraising Director.
Lauretta comes to GAA with a 32-year career in general aviation (GA) marketing communications and public relations (PR). She initially came into GA to manage print production for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). From there she moved into membership marketing then onto product management where she was responsible for overseeing the AOPA Insurance Program. This experience led her to begin a 15-year stint with the Avemco Insurance Company, where she worked her way to Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations Director.
Following her time with Avemco, Lauretta moved on to direct marketing communications at the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) for seven years. It was there that she first became acquainted with GAA, spending three years on the board doing fundraising and PR. After her time on the Board, she continued to support GAA through co-producing the annual GAALive broadcast, a live seminar highlighting the knowledge and ability of each year’s Honorees.
Since then, Lauretta entered semi-retirement, doing project work, and taking on GA volunteer opportunities. Starting in April 2024, she served as the AirVenture Point-of-Contact for the GAA 2024 National Honorees. That successful experience led to her permanent role with GAA.
“I cannot tell you how much I honor your trust in me to take on this role!” said Lauretta to the GAA board.” She continued, “Thanks to Sandya’s outstanding efforts, GAA is a ‘well-oiled machine’ giving me the opportunity to take our organization to greater heights,” adding, “Ours is a singular goal; work with FAASTeam leadership to identify, recognize, and honor the best-of-the-best flight instructors, mechanics, and safety reps in General Aviation.
Sandya Narayanswami served as Board Chair for five years (2019-2024), successfully leading the organization to improved operational efficiency and financial stability. She said, “It has been a pleasure and an honor to collaborate with the GAA Board as Chair, and I hope to continue to do as the Fundraising Director.” She added, “Lauretta and I have become close colleagues and friends over the years, so I know she is the right person to grow awareness, participation, and continued operational efficiencies for our organization.”
