The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) congratulates industry veterans and lifetime aviation advocates Pete Bunce and Mary Miller on receiving the 2025 Donald D. Engen Aero Club of Washington Trophy for Aviation Excellence.
The awards were bestowed upon Bunce and Miller as part of a June 26 Aero Club luncheon.
Bunce retired in April after serving 20 years as president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). Miller also retired recently as vice president of industry and government affairs for Signature Aviation, capping more than 40 years working in fixed-base operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
“It’s very fitting that Pete and Mary have been selected this year for the Engen Trophy, which recognizes extraordinary contributions to the aviation industry,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “Their decades of tireless service have left an indelible mark, not only for those of us in general aviation, but for people across the aviation community. We congratulate them both on receiving this prestigious honor.”
An active pilot, Bunce joined GAMA in March 2005 after retiring from the United States Air Force, following a 26-year career in which he flew F-15 fighter and A-10 ground attack aircraft while commanding several large operational units.
Under Bunce’s leadership, GAMA collaborated with NBAA and other organizations on multiple priorities, ranging from aircraft safety, security and taxation to the development of advanced air mobility technologies and the investments needed to grow the industry’s workforce. In March, NBAA recognized Bunce for his years of industry leadership.
Miller began her career in 1981 with Butler Aviation at DCA. When that company merged with Page Avjet to form what ultimately became Signature Aviation, Miller was promoted to vice president of customer relations.
In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Miller kept Signature’s DCA facility operational as a central base for its network, later playing a pivotal role in the reinstatement of general aviation operations at the airport. Earlier this year, NBAA presented Miller with its Silk Scarf Award in recognition of her decades of industry advocacy.
Established in 1993, the Engen Trophy is awarded for “a record of lifetime achievement; or a single event; or a series of acts by an individual; a team; or by a corporation or organization that reaffirms the Wright Brothers’ standard of excellence in aviation.”
The permanent trophy resides in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
