NBAA to Present Pillar of the Association Award to Retired Executive Doug Carr After 28 Years
Why It MattersThe award recognises a career that shaped fractional ownership rules, flight-and-rest provisions and international preclearance, signalling how much of business aviation's regulatory and safety framework rests on long-serving association staff.
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) will present its Pillar of the Association Award to Doug Carr on October 21, 2026, during the opening of the Military Connect programme at the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE). Carr served six years in the U.S. Navy before a career in aviation policy. The award, previously known as the Staff Lifetime Achievement Award, recognises sustained contributions by current or former NBAA employees and is given selectively rather than every year.
Carr retired in August 2026 after 28 years at the Washington-based association. His most recent role was senior vice president for safety, security, sustainability and international operations. He joined NBAA in 1998 as manager of domestic operations and took on progressively wider responsibilities in safety, government affairs and international regulation. Initiatives associated with his tenure include development of the U.S. regulatory framework for fractional aircraft ownership, the FAA's work on flight-and-rest provisions, and leadership of the Takeoff and Landing Performance Assessment aviation rulemaking committee. He also contributed to business aviation safety management system standards and the establishment of the International Standards for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO).
After the September 11 attacks, Carr helped establish NBAA's Security Council and developed the security programme that enabled business aviation operations to resume at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he worked with the FAA on operational difficulties created by limits on recurrent training and medical certification. Internationally, he represented the association at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and engaged with aviation authorities across Europe and Asia. He helped establish the U.S. business aviation preclearance programme in Shannon, Ireland, allowing participating operators to complete certain U.S. border formalities before departure, and served as corporate secretary of the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and as chair of the NGPA.
Dan Hubbard, NBAA's interim chief operating officer, described Carr as a dependable resource when members faced complex safety requirements, security problems or obstacles to flying internationally. Before NBAA, Carr worked in government and industry affairs at the National Air Transportation Association. He is a graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and is a commercial, multi-engine, instrument-rated pilot and certificated flight instructor.
