ICNS 2026 Day 1 Overview

Mr. David S. Burkholder, Acting Executive Director, Office of International Affairs, Federal Aviation Administration

Mr. David S. Burkholder serves as the acting executive director for the Office of International Affairs at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In this role, he is the principal adviser to FAA leadership on international policy, global affairs, foreign training and technical assistance, and strategic international engagement in support of agency and broader U.S. aviation priorities and policies. He oversees FAA international engagement to ensure consistency with U.S. foreign positions and priorities and leads a staff of approximately 70 foreign affairs specialists and senior foreign affairs officers in Washington, D.C., and at strategic locations worldwide.

Mr. Burkholder chairs the FAA International Governance Board, which develops and executes annual FAA international strategic plans to advance U.S. leadership and influence and improve global aviation safety, efficiency and the integration of innovative new technologies and concepts. He also oversees the FAA Crisis Response Working Group, which assesses safety-of-flight risks to U.S. civil aviation operations in foreign airspace and develops risk mitigation recommendations.

Mr. Burkholder has spent his entire FAA career, beginning in November 1999, strengthening the agency’s international outreach, cooperative engagement and partnerships to improve the safety of air travel worldwide for U.S. citizens and stakeholders.

Dr. Chip Meserole, Manager, Airspace Operational Efficiency Team, Boeing

Dr. Chip Meserole manages the Airspace Operational Efficiency team in Boeing Technology Innovation. The team advances new capabilities in air traffic management and airline flight efficiency services to enhance system safety, capacity, efficiency and sustainability globally. Its work emphasizes airline fleet efficiency, emissions reduction for aviation sustainability, and the integration of autonomous aircraft into the airspace.

The team executes Boeing’s contracts with the Federal Aviation Administration, NASA and SESAR in this domain; develops flight services capabilities for the Boeing Global Services Digital Services division; and conducts research and development in air-ground integration and trajectory-based operations. It has activities in Seattle; Washington, D.C.; Spain; Brazil; India; Australia; and China.

Meserole joined Boeing in 1984 and worked on space systems and launch vehicle development before moving into the company’s air traffic management initiative in 2001. He is an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, a master’s degree from Cornell University, and a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in aerospace and mechanical engineering.

Mr. Luc Emberger, Communication & Connectivity Senior Expert, Airbus

Luc Emberger has worked on data link projects and connectivity at Airbus for more than 20 years. As communication and connectivity senior expert, he contributes to air-ground communications road maps and connectivity strategy at the aircraft level. He also supports research and technology activities to mature future air traffic management concepts and pave the way for a more connected aircraft.

He represents Airbus in several standardization bodies, including AEEC, RTCA and EUROCAE. He has served as chairman of EUROCAE Working Group 78 on Air Traffic Services since 2021, is co-chairman of AEEC HYCON, and is a member of the AEEC Executive Committee. He also contributes to frequency and spectrum coordination across all Airbus divisions and chairs the Frequency Commission of the French aeronautical and space industry group.

Mr. Greg Saccone, Technical Fellow, Airspace Operational Efficiency, Boeing

Greg Saccone is a technical fellow at Boeing in the Airspace Operational Efficiency group. He has more than 30 years of experience in aeronautical datalink communications and works on advanced air traffic management concepts, research, operational trials and implementation, specializing in datalink communications, trajectory-based operations and flight data processing.

He leads and participates in numerous industry and ICAO standardization groups related to datalink and trajectory-based operations. He is the focal for internet protocol suite projects at Boeing, leading both internal and joint industry research efforts. He also serves as co-chair of the Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee Internet Protocol Suite for Aviation Safety Services and Hyperconnected Air Traffic Management groups, and he has been active in the ICAO Aeronautical Communications Panel and RTCA Special Committee 214 NextGen Data Link group, including serving as co-chair of the Validation Subgroup.

Before joining Boeing, he was technical director of datalink research and development projects at Raytheon Canada, focusing on the implementation and integration of datalink applications into flight data processing systems for commercial and military air traffic control.

Mr. Andrea Berti, Program Manager – Research Projects, Frequentis AG

Andrea Berti is program manager for research projects at Frequentis AG in the OneATM Market Unit Networks. In this role, he leads research activities in datalink communications, including Future Communication Infrastructure projects in SESAR and ESA Iris.

At Frequentis, he previously served as development project manager for ED-137 VoIP gateways, which convert legacy voice radio and telephony interfaces to ED-137C Voice over IP.

Before joining Frequentis, he was responsible for system design and system requirements for the multimode ground station developed by Leonardo for ENAV, supporting VDL Mode 2 and POA, as well as interoperability qualification testing with major avionics vendors and VDL Mode 2 and ACARS communication service providers.

He began his career in 1998 as a digital signal processing engineer in air traffic control ground radio development, implementing digital signal processing firmware for AM voice and VDL Mode 2, VDL Mode 3 and VDL Mode 4 modems. Raised in Florence, Italy, he entered the aviation communications field at the start of his career.

Mr. Jerry Hancock, Director of Aviation Safety Solutions and Cybersecurity, Viasat

Jerry Hancock is director of aviation safety solutions and cybersecurity at Viasat, where he has spent the past seven years supporting aviation safety, operational and cybersecurity solutions for ground networks and air-ground data connectivity across commercial aviation and uncrewed mobility markets.

He has worked in aviation for more than 20 years across private and government sectors, specializing in cybersecurity, network architecture and telecommunications design. Before joining Inmarsat, now part of Viasat, Hancock spent 15 years at the Federal Aviation Administration supporting programs across the National Airspace System and NextGen, including cybersecurity protections for FAA networks and future cybersecurity architecture and planning.

Hancock also participates in multiple industry groups and organizations, working with ICAO and aviation regulators globally and as a member of RTCA, EUROCAE, GSMA, ACJA and others. His work supports the development and integration of information security across the end-to-end aviation ecosystem for commercial and uncrewed civil aviation.

Ms. Corinne Lefebvre, Senior Datalink Expert, SITA For Aircraft

Corinne Lefebvre is senior datalink expert at SITA For Aircraft in the Engineering and Technology, Compliance, Regulatory and Datalink Innovation team. After a decade in the technical customer support group, she returned to work focused on performance and innovation, with one foot in the current datalink service and the other in the future datalink infrastructure.

She is responsible for the continuous improvement of end-to-end performance and participates in EUROCAE, RTCA, ICAO and AEEC working groups, as well as in SESAR projects related to ATN/OSI and ACARS services. She is also involved in SITA initiatives aimed at enhancing the capabilities and performance of the air-ground network and developing next-generation solutions to handle the ever-increasing volume of safety and operational data traffic.

She holds a postgraduate degree in aerospace engineering and an advanced master’s degree in space telecommunications. She also holds a private pilot license, now expired.

Mr. James A. Sherman, Senior Director, Aeronautics, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Mr. James A. Sherman has more than 30 years of experience developing technology for aerospace, automotive, military and consumer products. Sherman joined the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in August 2022 as senior director for aeronautics. He is also responsible for executing the aerospace domain development vision.

Previously, Sherman served as director of strategic development for the Vertical Flight Society, where he led more than 100 virtual events and authored more than 20 technical articles. He has spoken at CES, Aviation Week, HAI, SAE, ACI and many other events. Before joining the Vertical Flight Society, he held a similar role at SAE International.

Sherman received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Penn State, as well as a master’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA from Binghamton University.

Ms. Lisa Bee, Director of Air Traffic Services, Viasat

Lisa Bee brings more than 30 years of experience in air traffic services, including 20 years with the FAA, to her role as director of air traffic services at Viasat and to her position as co-chair of the CANSO CNS Work Group. Bee also co-chairs the CANSO TBO Readiness Task Force and serves as CANSO’s member on the ICAO Operational Data Link Working Group.

Dr. Michael Garcia, Chief Innovation Scientist, Aireon LLC

Michael Garcia is chief innovation scientist at Aireon LLC. He is responsible for the company’s strategy and execution for space-based ADS-B and VHF innovation, system architecture, and leadership in industry technical forums. His responsibilities also include engagement with air navigation service providers (ANSPs), standards and recommended practices groups, subcontractors and investors. He participates in several international standards organizations, including the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA), EUROCAE, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).

Before joining Aireon, Garcia served as an associaste principal engineer at ITT/Exelis, now L3Harris, and worked primarily on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and Wide Area Multilateration programs. He managed a variety of projects to enhance system performance, earning several awards, and many of his innovations have resulted in patents and publications. Garcia received a doctorate in electrical engineering from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from George Mason University. In addition to his

Mr. Chris Baur, CEO, Hughes Aerospace Corporation

Chris Baur is CEO of Hughes Aerospace Corporation, one of the largest and most experienced globally credentialed air navigation service providers. He also serves as industry co-chairman for the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team and as a member of the Vertical Aviation International Board of Directors. He is a pioneer in performance-based navigation.

Baur has more than 45 years of experience in aviation and is a dual-rated airline transport pilot with 13 type ratings in airliners, business aircraft and rotorcraft, as well as unmanned aerial systems. He is also an FAA-certified flight instructor, dispatcher, and instrument flight inspection and procedure evaluation pilot.

As a retired military aviator, Baur is uniquely qualified as a pilot in the U.S. Army, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Air Force for both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, with operational experience in search and rescue, special operations and law enforcement. His helicopter background includes flying the longest oceanic rescue mission in history. During his tenure as a pilot with the U.S. Treasury Department, he received the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Medal of Valor for heroism from Attorney General Janet Reno.

Mr. Tim Murphy, Senior Technical Fellow, The Boeing Company

Tim Murphy has more than 40 years of experience in radio communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) systems for civil aviation. He works on CNS and spectrum issues related to air traffic management across Boeing products. His current focus is on new avionics developments and the development of standards for emerging technologies.

His primary expertise is in navigation systems, including satellite navigation systems such as GPS, GPS augmentations, GPS modernization and GPS landing systems, as well as conventional navigation systems such as VOR, distance measuring equipment and instrument landing systems. He also has extensive expertise in communications systems, including satellite and ground-based communications systems, antennas, RF systems, and related modeling and simulation.

Murphy is very active in the development of domestic and international standards for the use of satellite navigation, communications and surveillance by commercial aviation. He is the panel member nominated by the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations (ICCAIA) to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Navigation Systems Panel. He is also a member of the ICAO Integrated Communications, Navigation, Surveillance and Spectrum Task Force.

Sponsorship Appreciation

11:55 – 12:00

Networking and Lunch

12:00 – 13:00

Technical Program

Sponsors and Exhibitors Reception

17:30 – 18:00
Rivanna D

Evening Keynote

18:00 – 18:30

Greg Bowles, Chief Policy Officer, Joby Aviation

Greg Bowles brings more than two decades of experience in aviation regulation and policy to Joby Aviation as chief policy officer. His career spans nearly every aspect of aviation, from the advanced design and certification of business jets to championing legislation and regulatory reforms that have helped pave the way for a new form of daily air mobility. He is a trustee of the National Aviation Hall of Fame, a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and an accomplished commercial airplane and helicopter pilot.