Air Line Pilots Association Elects New President And Officers

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Air Line Pilots Association Elects New President And Officers

October 26, 2014 - The Board of Directors of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) on Wednesday elected a new slate of national officers to lead the union for the next four years. The election took place during the union’s 45th regular biennial board meeting. All of ALPA’s new national officers will begin their terms on January 1, 2015.

Capt. Tim Canoll, a Delta Air Lines pilot, was elected to serve as the union’s tenth president. An MD-88 captain based in Atlanta, Capt. Canoll has served as the association’s executive administrator since 2011.

Prior to that appointment, Capt. Canoll held a number of leadership roles on ALPA Delta Master Executive Council and national committees. He has been a member of ALPA since 1990 and is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.

“Airline pilots in North America face many critical challenges today, while at the same time other challenges and opportunities are coming on the horizon,” said ALPA’s president-elect.

“Our union is strong and prepared to face them all. I’m excited and humbled by the trust that the ALPA Board of Directors has placed in me with this election.”

The ALPA Board also elected Capt. Joe DePete, a FedEx Express pilot, as the union’s First Vice-President. Capt. DePete flies the A-300 and joined ALPA in 1986. He currently serves as one of the union’s executive vice-presidents, and has also served as the FedEx Express Master Executive Council chairman. Capt. DePete lives in Louisville, Ky., and has worked tirelessly to realize ALPA’s goal of achieving one level of safety and security, including applying the FAA’s new pilot fatigue rules to all-cargo pilots.

“I am humbled to have had the opportunity to compete against a field of very strong candidates. It is an honor to be elected as ALPA’s first vice-president,” said Capt. DePete, whose daughter is also an ALPA pilot. ”I’m extremely proud that ALPA’s national officers will now include an all-cargo pilot to help advance a unified, strong, and accountable union to the benefit of all airline pilots.”

Capt. Bill Couette was reelected by acclamation to serve a third term as vice president–administration/secretary for the union. A 26-year Envoy pilot, he flies the Embraer ERJ-145 and is based in Chicago. During his first two terms, Capt. Couette led the union in identifying ways to communicate more effectively through technology, attracting greater numbers of U.S. and Canadian pilots to join ALPA, and mentoring young leaders coming into the Association.

“ALPA is going to accelerate our use of technology to communicate with our members,” said Capt. Couette. “In addition, our union will do even more to encourage and mentor new pilots who come into the Association and join the profession. We have many young enthusiastic pilots who are eager to get involved, and we have the tools and opportunity to show them how.”

ALPA’s Board of Directors also reelected Capt. W. Randolph Helling to serve a third term as vice president–finance/treasurer. He is currently a Delta Air Lines A320 captain and lives in St. Louis, Mo., with his wife, Amy. Over the last four years, Capt. Helling has worked with ALPA’s national officer team to stabilize the Association’s finances. Looking ahead, he plans to focus on rebuilding the Association’s financial base.

“I am humbled and honored by the privilege to serve this union,” Capt. Helling said. “When we become a member of ALPA, we become part of an organization that is bigger than ourselves because we can achieve more by working together as a team than we can individually. I look forward to working with the new national officer team as we move ahead representing all 51,000 members of ALPA.”

“Today, ALPA’s Board of Directors spoke with one clear voice to elect a new team of national officers to lead our union for the next four years,” said Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s current president, who did not seek reelection. “Thanks to the unified action this week, our union is stronger moving forward and well positioned for the future.”

Airlines for America (A4A) advocates on behalf of the American airline industry said “A4A deeply appreciates the strong working relationship we have with ALPA, which was forged under Capt. Lee Moak’s leadership, and we look forward to working with Capt. Canoll and his team on issues affecting the airline industry and our customers, including ensuring that next year’s FAA reauthorization legislation addresses the tax, regulatory and infrastructure challenges that impede U.S. airlines' ability to grow, create jobs and compete globally,” said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio.

“The United States has the best pilots and best air traffic controllers in the world and we need to work together to give them a modernized NextGen airspace management system to operate in.”