Piedmont Pilots Elect Interim Leadership

ATLANTA –This week, the Piedmont Master Executive Council (MEC), represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), elected interim officers to serve the remainder of the current term, which ends February 22, 2027.

The voting members of the Piedmont MEC elected Capt. Ryan Higgins as chair and Capt. Davis Bunting as vice chair. Capt. Andy Derrick retains his role as secretary-treasurer.

Capt. Ryan Higgins—MEC Chair

Capt. Higgins previously served as MEC vice chair. He has been a line pilot at Piedmont Airlines since April 2022. In August 2023, he was elected as Local Executive Council (LEC) representative. In December 2023, he was elected MEC vice chair and was reelected to a second term in January 2025. Higgins lives in Hellam, Penn., with his wife.

“I’m humbled by the opportunity to serve as the Piedmont MEC chair,” said Capt. Higgins. “I know the challenges ahead will require us to work together and make the most of the many resources available to our pilot group. I plan to work alongside our committees to tackle issues head-on and build a stronger Piedmont for every pilot.”

Capt. Davis Bunting—MEC Vice Chair

Capt. Bunting currently serves as LEC chair and as chair of the Communications Committee. He has been a line pilot with Piedmont since January 2022. Bunting has also served on the Government Affairs and Family Awareness committees. He lives in Lexington, N.C., with his wife.

Capt. Andy Derrick—MEC Secretary-Treasurer

Capt. Derrick will retain his role as MEC secretary-treasurer after being elected to the position in January 2026. He has been a line pilot with Piedmont since March 2018. He previously served as MEC secretary-treasurer from December 2021 to July 2022 and as LEC vice chair from March 2021 to April 2022, when he was elected chair and served in that role until July 2022. In 2021, Capt. Derrick served as Membership Committee chair and has also served on the Negotiating, Scheduling and Preferential Bidding System (PBS) committees. He lives in Irmo, S.C.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world, representing more than 80,000 pilots, including the more than 700 Piedmont pilots, at 42 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org or follow ALPA on X @ALPAPilots.

CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org