Francis S. Heming, Jr.
Francis S. Heming, Jr. is an independent consultant specializing in the testing and certification of aircraft seating systems, including dynamic test planning, implementation, and witnessing. For nearly 25 years, he worked for Goodrich Interiors, retiring as Chief Engineer for Certification in 2015. While working for Goodrich Interiors, he served as Vice Chair and Chair of the SAE Aircraft Seat Committee, which is responsible for the development of aircraft seat systems design and performance standards in conformance with FAA and international regulations. He is an FAA Designated Engineering Representative for aircraft seats and interior arrangements. Before joining Goodrich he worked for 20 years for the U.S. Department of the Air Force, retiring as program manager in 1990. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering mechanics from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a master’s degree in applied mechanics from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
Kevin L. Hiatt
Kevin L. Hiatt is a safety practitioner who consults on the application of safety management systems in the transportation industry. He is a retired airline pilot and executive. He has more than 40 years of aviation industry experience, including in the areas of flight operations, safety and security, and environmental administration. From 2015 to 2017 he was Director of Flight Safety for JetBlue Airways, where he oversaw flight operational safety issues and aided in the development and implementation of the airline’s safety management system. Prior to joining JetBlue, he served as Senior Vice President of Safety and Flight Operations for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) where he was responsible for six worldwide operational and safety divisions with more than 100 team members. Before joining IATA, he was President and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, an international non-profit organization that provides independent expert safety guidance and resources for the aviation and aerospace industry. Prior to joining the Flight Safety Foundation, he was Vice President of Safety and Security at World Airways and worked for 26 years as a pilot for Delta Air Lines. He retired from Delta as Captain and Chief Pilot for International Operations. He is the recipient of several aviation safety awards, including the Flight Safety Foundation’s President’s Award, Royal Aeronautical Society Fellow, the SAFE Industry’s General Spruance Award for outstanding safety education program. He earned a bachelor’s degree in aviation from Purdue University.
Katharine M. Hunter-Zaworski
Katharine M. Hunter-Zaworski is an Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Construction Engineering at Oregon State University, where she also serves as chair of the Subcommittee on Gerontology for the Center on Healthy Aging Research. Her area of expertise is in rehabilitation and transportation engineering for accessible transportation. From 2003 to 2014 she was Director of the National Center for Accessible Transportation and from 2003 to 2009 she was Director of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Accessible Public Transportation. During her 40-year career, she has authored numerous journal papers and served as principal investigator for dozens of studies on improving bus, rail, and airline accessibility for persons with disabilities; wheelchair securement and restraint in public transportation vehicles; and the barriers and safety risks for transportation-disadvantaged air travelers. She has consulted extensively on accessible transportation, including on projects for rail and transit systems in Vancouver and elsewhere in British Columbia and Canada. She has worked on making train and aircraft lavatories more accessible. She is Emeritus Member of TRB’s Committee on Accessible Transportation and Mobility, a member of the TRB Rail Rolling Stock and Motive Power Committee, and a past member of the TRB Airport Terminals and Ground Access Committee. She was principal investigator for Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 171, “Use of Mobility Devices on Paratransit Vehicles and Buses” and TCRP Report 189, “Manual to Improve Rail Transit Safety at Platform/Train and Platform/ Guideway Interfaces.” She is currently principal investigator for the Airport Cooperative Research Program synthesis project on Escalator Falls. She earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of British Columbia, a M.S. in engineering science and mechanics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Oregon State University.
Auturo Jackson
Auturo “Art” Jackson is Senior Director for Contracted, Paratransit, and Vanpool for METROLift, a shared-ride public transit service that is part of the Metropolitan (METRO) Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas. Having worked at METRO for more than 25 years, his current responsibilities include overseeing the more than 125 employees who provide accessible, shared-ride services for persons with disabilities who cannot board, ride, or disembark from a METRO fixed-route bus. He is a longstanding member of the United Airlines Advisory Board for Accessible Travel. He also serves on the Planning and Zoning Commission of the municipality of Stafford, Texas and on the municipal school board. His other community services include President of the Stafford Municipal School District Board of Trustees, Fort Bend YMCA Board Member, and member of the Houston Mayor's Commission for People with Disabilities. He earned a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of North Texas.
George A. Lesieutre
George A. Lesieutre is Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University. From 2004 to 2016, he was Head of the Department of Aerospace Engineering, and from 2005 to 2018 he was Director of the Center for Acoustics and Vibration. His expertise is in the structural dynamics of aerospace systems. He joined Penn State in 1989 after having worked in Rockwell International’s Satellite Systems Division, where he was responsible for analysis and testing of spacecraft structures. In 2010 he was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), which he served as Director-at-Large, and was named an AIAA Fellow in 2009. He was a member of the Materials Panel of ASEB’s NASA Technology Roadmap. He earned a B.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from UCLA.
Miriam A. Manary
Miriam A. Manary is Lead Research Engineer in the Biosciences Group of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). She has worked for UMTRI for more than 30 years conducting research in the fields of wheelchair transportation safety, child passenger safety, occupant protection, vehicle ergonomics, and occupant accommodation. She conducts and supervises sled-impact evaluations of child restraints, wheelchairs, wheelchair-securement systems, and wheelchair-occupant restraint systems. In addition to her expertise in wheelchair transportation safety, she has extensive experience in the analysis of motor vehicle crashes, crash dummy design, injury criteria development, occupant anthropometry and posture qualification, engineering analysis of federal motor vehicle safety standards, child passenger safety, and the factors affecting child restraint installation errors. She is Chair of the RESNA Committee on Wheelchairs and Transportation and led the 2012 and 2017 revisions of the RESNA Standards on Wheelchairs and Transportation. She has served as the head of the U.S. delegation for ISO TC173/SC1/WG6 and has led the development efforts on ISO 7176-19 (Wheelchairs Used as Seats in Motor Vehicles) and ISO 10542-1 (Wheelchair Tiedowns and Occupant Restraint Systems). She also participates in SAE and ISO committees focused on child restraints. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Tulane University and a master’s degree in bioengineering from the University of Michigan.
Clinton V. Oster, Jr.
Clinton V. Oster, Jr. is Professor Emeritus and former Associate Dean for the Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University. His research has centered on aviation safety, airline economics and competition policy, energy policy, and environmental and natural resource policy. He has co-authored five books on various aspects of air transportation including "Deregulation and the Future of Intercity Passenger Travel" with John Meyer, and "Why Airplanes Crash" with John Strong and C. Kurt Zorn. He has chaired and served on numerous NASEM committees, including Chair of the Committee for the Study of Traffic Safety Lessons from Benchmark Nations, Chair of the Committee on the Federal Employers' Liability Act, Chair of the Committee on the Effects of Commuting on Pilot Fatigue, and Co-chair of the Committee on NASA's National Aviation Operational Monitoring Service Project. He was a member of the Committee for Guidance on Setting and Enforcing Speed Limits, the Committee for a Study on Air Passenger Service and Safety since Deregulation, and the Committee on the Intercity Passenger Travel: Opportunities and Issues in Short-Haul Markets. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Princeton University, a master’s degree in public affairs from Carnegie-Mellon University, and a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University.
Gary M. Weissel
Gary Weissel is Founder and Managing Officer of Tronos Aviation Consulting, which provides a wide variety of services to airlines, leasing companies, OEMs, and suppliers in the aviation industry, including services pertaining to aircraft interiors and modifications and conversions. In this position, he leads all of the firm’s activities including asset management, aircraft specification and interior management, market forecasting, and OEM strategy consulting. Prior to starting Tronos, he was the co-Managing Officer of ICF SH&E’s Aviation and Aerospace Practice where he led the firm’s staff of more than 50 consultants in 7 offices worldwide. Before joining ICF SH&E, he was a Senior Program Manager with B/E Aerospace’s Seating Products Group where he ran numerous seating programs for major international airlines. Prior to that, he spent nine years with Delta Air Lines in various positions within their engineering and technical specification departments. He is a member of the Senior Advisory Board for the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Aerospace Engineering, and regularly guest lectures at the School. He was the lead author for IATA's Guide on Best Practices Guide for cabin interior retrofits and entry into service programs. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, is regularly quoted in industry publications, and has appeared on CNN and NBC Nightly News as an aviation expert. He holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
