Kentucky Aviation Association
Office of the President
MEMORANDUM

To: KAA Members and Partners
From: Tristan Durbin, President, Kentucky Aviation Association
Date: April 18, 2025
Subject: 2025 Organizational Update

Dear Members and Partners,

I hope this message finds you well. As we fly through 2025, I want to take a moment to thank each of you for your continued support of the Kentucky Aviation Association. This marks our first correspondence of the year, and I’m excited to share updates on the progress we’ve made and the work ahead.

New Year, New Board, Strong Momentum

We are pleased to welcome the newly elected KAA Board of Directors. This team brings fresh energy, valuable expertise, and a shared commitment to strengthening aviation across Kentucky. The board has already met several times this year, laying the groundwork for what we expect to be a productive and impactful year. You can find a detailed list of elected officials an board members by region here.

Organizational Infrastructure and Committees

To better serve our mission and our members, we have established four key committees:

• Finance
• Communications
• Legislative
• Search

These committees are actively engaged and will be critical to ensuring the association’s long-term success.

The Finance Committee has met three times so far. In that time, they have:

• Developed a working budget for the year,
• Recommended a one-time assessment to support initial operations,
• And are now developing a recommendation for a sustainable dues and sponsorship structure.

Building Our Future: Web & Leadership

We have received a proposal for a complete redesign of the KAA website, which will enhance communication, streamline access to resources, and improve member engagement. This site will allow members to see all meeting agendas, minutes, and reports. Monthly communications will begin soon, as we know, transparency is a must in the days ahead.

Additionally, we’ve received at least one strong recommendation for a professional search consultant to help guide future leadership efforts.

Membership Support & Financial Commitments

We’ve taken the next step in advancing our five-year leadership plan-shoring up the funds to attract and maintain executive leadership by invoicing the airports that initially committed to supporting this important initiative. If you received an invoice and are still considering your support, please let me or your respective board members know so we may follow up on any unanswered or lingering questions.

I’m pleased to report that the majority have either completed payment or are actively processing it, including the three state-owned and operated airports. Your support in this effort lays the foundation for growth, and success and we are grateful for your trust in our renewed direction.

Upcoming Meetings & Member Engagement

Our next KAA Board Meeting is scheduled for April 30th. We will provide future board meeting dates in the coming weeks to ensure members have ample time to plan for engagement.

We strongly encourage you to connect with your regional board representative to share any topics, ideas, or concerns you would like addressed in upcoming meetings. Your voice matters, and we want to ensure that KAA reflects the needs and priorities of the aviation community across the Commonwealth.

We’ll continue to keep you updated on important milestones, committee progress, and opportunities for engagement. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out with questions, suggestions, or if you’d like to get involved with any of our committees. We are actively seeking volunteers for our Conference Committee. Please let us know if you are interested.

Thank you for your commitment to aviation in Kentucky. We are excited about the direction we are headed in, and we hope you are too.  Here’s to a successful and high-flying 2025!

Sincerely,

Tristan Durbin
President
Kentucky Aviation Association