NATA Names Jenny Ann Urban Managing Director of Air Charter and Maintenance, Thanks Ken Thompson for Service to the Association and Industry

Jenny Ann Urban joins the NATA (National Air Transportation Association) team as managing director of Air Charter and Maintenance. In this role, Urban monitors executive branch agency activities and serves as the team liaison to NATA’s Air Charter and Maintenance committees. She also represents the association at industry and government meetings, hearings and events, as well as plays a crucial role in advancing NATA’s mission and advocacy efforts through industry engagement, project management and stakeholder collaboration.

“We warmly welcome Jenny Ann to the NATA team and look forward to her work in advancing Association and industry efforts to recruit and foster aviation talent, combat illegal charter activities, protect the interests of Part 135 and 145 members, collaborate on new opportunities, and support an environment for aviation business leadership and growth,” says NATA president and CEO, Curt Castagna. 

Urban is an international aviation attorney with expertise in regulatory matters, government affairs, crisis management, security, and emerging technologies. She recently repatriated to the U.S. after serving as a manager in Transport and Logistics for PwC Middle East. In this role, Urban acted as a subject-matter expert advising high-level government officials on topics covering legislative drafting, regulations and compliance, data privacy, and new mobility throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Prior, Urban served as the director of Aviation Relations and Compliance for a biometric identity platform where she led emergency management and incident response for the company’s 36 airport locations. In this role, Urban spearheaded opportunities for team members to become trained on anti-human trafficking campaigns, including leading the company’s partnership with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the Transportation Security Administration on the anti-human trafficking initiative prior to Super Bowl LII.

Additionally, Urban was an associate at the international law firms of Cozen O’Connor and K&L Gates LLP, counseling airlines, air charter companies, trade associations, airports, and other aviation-industry stakeholders on compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, and Transportation Security Administration policies and regulations.

“Jenny Ann’s striking breadth of industry knowledge and experience, along with her unique ability to rally diverse stakeholders around a common goal, are invaluable to elevating NATA’s continued influence and progress in the air charter and maintenance sectors,” says NATA COO, Keith DeBerry.

Urban is also an internationally acclaimed public speaker, an award-winning aviation author, and a 2019 Airport Business Top 40 Under 40 honoree. A strong advocate for introducing the next generation to aviation, she serves as an adjunct professor at Eastern New Mexico University.

An avid Ole Miss Rebels fan, Urban earned a B.A. in public policy leadership and political science, as well as an M.B.A., her J.D., and an LL.M. in Air and Space Law, all from the University of Mississippi.

Urban will take over as Maintenance Committee team liaison from Ken Thompson, NATA’s managing director of Regulatory Affairs, who will step down from his full-time position on Feb. 1, 2024. Thompson joined NATA’s regulatory team in June 2022 as senior advisor before being promoted to managing director, specializing in business-aviation maintenance issues in both roles. Thompson will continue to assist NATA and its membership on supply chain, illegal charter, and other critical matters.

“It’s rare to find someone like Ken with the perfect blend of enthusiasm, energy and aviation expertise,” says Castagna. “It has been a pleasure witnessing Ken’s success in inspiring our members and those aspiring to join the aviation community. We can’t thank him enough for his work as managing director of Regulatory Affairs and look forward to continuing to work with Ken on several key initiatives in his new capacity.”