- News
- Nov 11, 2026
- 7 min read
Ed Bolen’s 22-year tenure ends as aviation group seeks successor
After 22 years leading the business aviation association, Ed Bolen retires for health reasons; an acting CEO oversees operations during the search.
Batuhan Altindag
Ed Bolen is retiring as president and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association after 22 years leading the organisation. NBAA announced his departure on November 6, 2026, citing health concerns following his earlier medical leave.
Dan Hubbard will continue overseeing daily operations as acting CEO while a committee chaired by NBAA board vice chair Matt Byrd searches for a permanent successor. The transition comes as business aviation faces ongoing debates over airport access, safety, workforce development and air traffic control modernisation.
A Leadership Transition, With Operations Continuing
Dan Hubbard keeps day-to-day operations running. He continues as acting CEO and senior vice president of communications, according to NBAA’s November 2026 announcement. A special executive search committee, chaired by NBAA board vice chair Matt Byrd, will seek a permanent successor.
The arrangement keeps two jobs separate. Hubbard handles immediate operational responsibilities while the committee undertakes the longer task of selecting the association’s next leader. Representation needn’t wait for that search.
Bolen’s own message takes a personal turn.
“It is the privilege of a lifetime to have served NBAA and the aviation community. I am incredibly proud of everything NBAA is, and of what we have accomplished together over the years,” he says in NBAA’s November announcement. “I regret having to step down because of my health, and I have been touched by the outpouring of your support. Business aviation is at its best when we come together, and I have never been more confident in NBAA’s brilliant future.”
From Kansas Airports to Federal Aviation Policy
His aviation policy career started earlier. The NBAA tenure alone spans 22 years.
NBAA’s executive biography records that Bolen took the association’s helm on September 7, 2004, after eight years as president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. He’s worked both sides of that relationship: aircraft manufacturers and the owners and operators who put their products to work.
The aviation connection began at home. NBAA’s November 2026 account describes Bolen as a private pilot and native Kansan whose father, a Salina Regional Airport board member, introduced him to flying.
Bolen’s legislative work produced a concrete result. As an aide to Kansas Senator Nancy Kassebaum, he helped secure passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, according to NBAA’s November announcement. NBAA’s December 2023 remembrance of former FAA administrator David Hinson explains that GARA limited the duration of manufacturers’ aircraft product liability.
That record helps frame his career. Bolen’s work concerns the conditions under which manufacturers build aircraft and operators fly them, rather than the machines alone.
His federal advisory work continued alongside it. NBAA’s December 2024 biography records his chairmanship of FAA Management Advisory Council from 2000 to 2004 and his 2001 appointment to the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry.
The Successor’s Real Brief
NBAA board chair John Witzig delivers his assessment in the association’s November 2026 announcement: “Business aviation is an immeasurably stronger, safer, more dynamic industry because of Ed’s unwavering commitment.”
Recognition extends well beyond the boardroom. NBAA’s November account records Bolen’s 2021 induction into the San Diego Air & Space Museum’s International Air & Space Hall of Fame and a planned Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame induction in 2026.
Owners and investors have clear markers to watch. The succession process should reveal candidates’ policy experience, operational understanding and capacity to hold the industry together through competing demands. The title is only part of it. Bolen’s replacement must translate private aviation’s priorities into a credible public voice—and sustain it.
Sources
Ed Bolen is retiring as president and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association after 22 years leading the organisation. NBAA announced his departure on November 6, 2026, citing health concerns following his earlier medical leave.
Dan Hubbard will continue overseeing daily operations as acting CEO while a committee chaired by NBAA board vice chair Matt Byrd searches for a permanent successor. The transition comes as business aviation faces ongoing debates over airport access, safety, workforce development and air traffic control modernisation.
A Leadership Transition, With Operations Continuing
Dan Hubbard keeps day-to-day operations running. He continues as acting CEO and senior vice president of communications, according to NBAA’s November 2026 announcement. A special executive search committee, chaired by NBAA board vice chair Matt Byrd, will seek a permanent successor.
The arrangement keeps two jobs separate. Hubbard handles immediate operational responsibilities while the committee undertakes the longer task of selecting the association’s next leader. Representation needn’t wait for that search.
Bolen’s own message takes a personal turn.
“It is the privilege of a lifetime to have served NBAA and the aviation community. I am incredibly proud of everything NBAA is, and of what we have accomplished together over the years,” he says in NBAA’s November announcement. “I regret having to step down because of my health, and I have been touched by the outpouring of your support. Business aviation is at its best when we come together, and I have never been more confident in NBAA’s brilliant future.”
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From Kansas Airports to Federal Aviation Policy
His aviation policy career started earlier. The NBAA tenure alone spans 22 years.
NBAA’s executive biography records that Bolen took the association’s helm on September 7, 2004, after eight years as president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. He’s worked both sides of that relationship: aircraft manufacturers and the owners and operators who put their products to work.
The aviation connection began at home. NBAA’s November 2026 account describes Bolen as a private pilot and native Kansan whose father, a Salina Regional Airport board member, introduced him to flying.
Bolen’s legislative work produced a concrete result. As an aide to Kansas Senator Nancy Kassebaum, he helped secure passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, according to NBAA’s November announcement. NBAA’s December 2023 remembrance of former FAA administrator David Hinson explains that GARA limited the duration of manufacturers’ aircraft product liability.
That record helps frame his career. Bolen’s work concerns the conditions under which manufacturers build aircraft and operators fly them, rather than the machines alone.
His federal advisory work continued alongside it. NBAA’s December 2024 biography records his chairmanship of FAA Management Advisory Council from 2000 to 2004 and his 2001 appointment to the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry.
The Successor’s Real Brief
NBAA board chair John Witzig delivers his assessment in the association’s November 2026 announcement: “Business aviation is an immeasurably stronger, safer, more dynamic industry because of Ed’s unwavering commitment.”
Recognition extends well beyond the boardroom. NBAA’s November account records Bolen’s 2021 induction into the San Diego Air & Space Museum’s International Air & Space Hall of Fame and a planned Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame induction in 2026.
Owners and investors have clear markers to watch. The succession process should reveal candidates’ policy experience, operational understanding and capacity to hold the industry together through competing demands. The title is only part of it. Bolen’s replacement must translate private aviation’s priorities into a credible public voice—and sustain it.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
- Why is Ed Bolen retiring as NBAA president and CEO?
- Bolen is retiring because of health reasons, after leading NBAA since 2004.
- Who is leading NBAA while it searches for Ed Bolen’s successor?
- Dan Hubbard is overseeing day-to-day operations as acting CEO and senior vice president of communications. A special executive search committee is seeking a permanent successor.
- What will Ed Bolen’s successor at NBAA be responsible for?
- The next leader will represent business aviation in Washington, advance the industry’s priorities, and maintain continuity during a period of growth and change.
