Brett Levanto & Ryan Goertzen
Brett Levanto, Vice President of Operations, Aeronautical Repair Station Association
Brett Levanto is vice president of operations of Obadal, Filler, MacLeod & Klein, P.L.C. managing firm and client communications in conjunction with regulatory and legislative policy initiatives. He provides strategic and logistical support for the Aeronautical Repair Station Association. Mr. Levanto has experience with organizational and policy issues in both aerospace and government sectors. He obtained a bachelor’s degree from the George Washington University and a Master of Public Policy from the College of William and Mary.
Ryan Goertzen, Vice President, Maintenance Workforce Development, AAR
Ryan Goertzen, Vice President Maintenance Workforce Development, AAR, a leading aviation services provider to commercial airlines and governments worldwide. He oversees AAR’s various workforce based initiatives and was responsible for the development the EAGLE Career Pathway Program. Mr. Goertzen is also the President of Choose Aerospace, whose purpose is to unite the aerospace industry to implement solutions to the workforce shortage.
Mr. Goertzen started with Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology in 2011, holding the positions of vice president of education, president of Spartan’s Tulsa campuses and corporate officer. Goertzen previously spent three years at AAR Corp managing the training and ASAP programs in Oklahoma City. He began his career as a pilot instructor for Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation where he was responsible for Air Wisconsin’s first learning management system and e-learning content used in recurrent pilot training. In 2005 Mr. Goertzen transitioned to the maintenance side of the airline as Air Wisconsin’s Manager of Maintenance Training and ASAP Manager.
Goertzen was ATEC president from 2014-2018. He holds a B.S. in Aviation and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Goertzen is married to the love of his life Jenny and has three sons Jacob, Joshua, and Jack.
Remembering Where We Were
The pandemic and related aviation business crisis has caused some to question whether we need no longer worry about the industry’s workforce. Furloughs, layoffs, early retirements and other reductions have allowed employers to worry less about finding new talent while instead trying to keep current employees on the payroll. While key stakeholders – including the US government, thanks to mandates from Congress and FAA focus – have remained committed to long-term aviation career development, here’s a challenge for anyone with doubts: Remember where we were when all this started.