Release #12.35
August 9, 2012

Capt. Everett Reese Receives ALPA’s Aviation Security Award
ExpressJet Airlines Pilot Recognized for Leadership

WASHINGTON—The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), will recognize Capt. Everett Reese, an ExpressJet Airlines pilot, with its Aviation Security Award for 2011 for leading efforts to identify and mitigate potential threats. The award, which is the Association’s highest aviation security honor, will be presented today during ALPA’s 58th Air Safety Forum in Washington, D.C.

“As professional aviators, we stand constant guard against the ever-increasing threats—both at home and abroad,” said Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s president. “Capt. Reese’s efforts to ensure a safe and secure working environment, particularly for flight crews operating in areas of unrest in Latin America, spurred an industry-wide movement among pilot groups and air carriers to establish similar security protocols for operating in hostile foreign environments.”

Since joining ALPA in 2005 as a pilot for ExpressJet Airlines, Capt. Reese has been heavily involved in the Association’s security activities. He was elected to serve as the ExpressJet pilot group’s Security Committee chairman in fall 2006, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to advancing security. Capt. Reese also assumed increasingly active roles at the national level and was appointed the National Security Committee’s director for operations.

Recognizing the increasing threats to the overall safety and security of international flight crews, Capt. Reese cultivated a relationship and coordinated closely with the U.S. State Department’s Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) to determine specific aviation security threats and solutions for operations in Afghanistan and Latin America. His advocacy efforts led the way for many other pilot groups and their airlines’ corporate security departments to develop similar operating policies and procedures.

Due to his expertise in foreign security threats and solutions, he was selected to help lead an ALPA-hosted seminar on terrorism and situational awareness in Herndon, Va., in March 2009. The event, which was precipitated by the horrific terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, during November 2008, was designed to establish an increased awareness throughout government and industry of the potential dangers of traveling internationally.

“Capt. Reese’s expertise in addressing a myriad of aviation security issues and threats is invaluable to the Association, its members, and the industry as a whole,” concluded Capt. Moak. “He is a leading authority in advancing security, particularly as it relates to foreign operations, and I am pleased to present Capt. Reese with ALPA’s 2011 Aviation Security Award.”

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilots union, representing more than 53,000 pilots at 37 airlines in the United States and Canada.

# # #

Contact: ALPA Media, 703/481-4440, or media@alpa.org