By Gina Kvitkovich Zuccaro Retires as HAI President and CEO Tenure marked by financial growth and safety advocacy. I


T’S THE END OF AN ERA AT HAI, as the association bids farewell to its sixth president, Matthew S. Zuccaro. Matt officially retired on Jan. 15, 2020, although he will still attend HAI HELI-EXPO 2020 as a consultant for the HAI Board of Directors.


Matt joined the HAI professional staff in November 2005, after a


long career as a pilot, operator, and aviation executive, including a stint as chairman of the HAI Board of Directors in 1991 (turn to p. 40 for more on Matt’s career prior to 2005). As president and CEO, he was responsible for executing the vision of the HAI Board of Directors and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the association. Since 2005, under Matt’s leadership, the association has grown HAI HELI-EXPO® into the world’s largest helicopter trade show. When


36 ROTOR WINTER 2020


HAI outgrew its headquarters, Matt led the effort to purchase a four- story office building in Alexandria, Virginia, where the association is headquartered today. Both moves were part of a strategy to provide the association with a stable financial foundation that would underwrite its membership services. During Matt’s tenure, HAI has been a forceful advocate for its


members on regulatory and legislative issues. When topics such as veterans’ flight-training benefits, air traffic control privatization, user fees, and the safe integration of drones into the airspace were debated, Matt and his team were there—frequently as the only ones representing the helicopter industry’s concerns. HAI has also actively worked across the entire aviation spectrum


to improve safety in helicopter operations. From brokering the suc- cessful launch of ADS-B services in the Gulf of Mexico in 2009, to


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