Airlines for America (A4A) President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio received the 2025 Business Government Relations Award at the 44th annual Bryce Harlow Foundation Awards reception on April 30, 2025. The Bryce Harlow Foundation is dedicated to advancing the integrity of government advocacy and increasing understanding of its important role in the development of sound public policy. Calio was honored along with Senator Chris Coons (D-DE).
Calio was introduced by his daughter, Jessie Calio, who has followed in her father’s footsteps and built a successful career as a lobbyist and advocate.
“One of the foundation’s core principles is bipartisanship – an attribute my dad wholeheartedly believes in,” Jessie Calio said. “His ability to work across the aisle, starting with his work for the first Bush Administration and manifesting itself in almost every career victory he has had is central to his belief that bipartisanship must be front and center in this line of work.”
The ceremony also included a video featuring Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), former Speaker of the House John Boehner and Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD). The leaders lauded Calio for his bipartisanship and ability to build strong coalitions that bring about consensus.
“What I did have was some of the fundamentals in my life – how to prepare and ‘know your stuff;’ how to treat people as I wanted them to treat me; how to collaborate; and how to give and take to get something done,” said Calio. “If you build meaningful, genuine relationships built on honesty and maintain them with integrity, then you can negotiate in good faith and trust and reach consensus, even among some of the most challenging and divergent groups.”
