Professional Development Group Meetings Foster Cross-Committee Collaboration

ALPA’s Professional Development Group (PDG) committee chairs met January 20–21 to review and coordinate activities across the Education, Elevate, Leadership, and Membership Committees. Following a review of 2025 accomplishments, the chairs assessed progress toward the goals outlined in ALPA’s 2024–2026 Strategic Plan.

PDG chair F/O Kaori Paris (United) praised the committees’ efforts, noting, “The dedication of these committees to engage and promote ALPA to our members and the public, and to train and support our leaders, is exceptional.”

The Leadership Committee’s signature event, the Leadership Training Conference for newly elected Local Executive Council (LEC) officers will be held February 3–5 at ALPA headquarters in McLean, Va. Meanwhile, the Education Committee continues to expand its outreach through participation in dozens of grade school career fairs, engagement with college students on ALPA’s role in the industry, and Project Takeoff events throughout the year.

Following the PDG meeting, the Membership and Elevate Committees conducted their respective annual planning meetings. A joint discussion focused on increasing ALPA’s presence at 2026 affinity events, including the National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA), Women in Aviation (WAI), Professional Asian Pilots Association (PAPA), Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, Latino Professionals in Aerospace, and RTAG. Panels are currently being planned for both NGPA and WAI, along with an expanded presence of furlough mentor program volunteers.

The Membership Committee reviewed plans for upcoming Membership and Veterans Seminars, scheduled for April 14–16 in the United States and June 16–18 in Canada. ALPA’s Veterans Affairs Committee plans to attend several military career fairs in 2026 and noted increased interest from Canadian veterans, which will be explored further.

Briefings from Capt. Erik Gott, Furloughed Pilots Support Network coordinator, highlighted recent enhancements to the furlough mentor program. “In addition to the information available on the furloughed pilot website, a series of networking channels now provide furloughed members with real-time interaction and access to resource information,” Gott said.

The Elevate Committee also met to review its plans for the coming year, including potential collaboration with the Education Committee on school outreach, particularly in underserved regions, and expanded efforts in Canada. Elevate chair F/O Hunter Chumbley (FedEx Express) said, “We look forward to collaborating with the Education Committee to visit schools in areas that have never had a pilot visit and to help make a career as a pilot a viable option for anyone who wants to pursue it.”

Following the meeting, Chumbley hosted a new member training for representatives from Elevate Committees across the Association. The two-day session featured presentations from several ALPA departments and was designed to better equip committee members to support pilots at their respective airlines.

Up Next for PDG: NGPA Industry Expo

Come out and meet members of the Professional Development Group next week at the NGPA Industry Expo in Palm Springs, Calif. Find us at booth #510.