In the new role, Shea will track at the state and federal levels all legislative development related to the helicopter industry. He will report to Vice-President of Government Affairs Cade Clark and meet with US congressional staff to advocate for HAI members on helicopter and general aviation issues.

“By bringing him on, HAI has expanded our advocacy bandwidth tremendously,” Clark said.

Shea brings with him a wealth of experience: previously Director for Government Relations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in 2019 (he was Interim President in 2018) and a congressional staffer several years, where his legislative portfolio included commerce, financial services, homeland security, trade and transportation.

“HAI’s advocacy efforts have resulted in big wins for our industry, such as when we successfully advocated against the privatization of air traffic control. But we can’t rest on past accomplishments,” said HAI President and CEO Matt Zuccaro. “Hiring John Shea is one way to communicate to the world at large that we intend to fight for our members.”