But Bolen, who has been a highly visible figure during the annual convention for the past few decades, is not expected to be in attendance as he continues to seek cancer treatment. Even so, Bolen's presence will remain visible as NBAA honors Bolen through the distribution of sunflower lapel pins in recognition of his upcoming enshrinement in the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame in November. The sunflower is the state flower of Kansas.

In September, NBAA announced that Bolen was taking medical leave. As a result, the NBAA board named Dan Hubbard, who has been senior v-p of communications, as interim COO to manage daily operations. 

This move came in addition to the promotion of Heidi Williams to senior v-p of operations. Williams stepped into the role after Doug Carr, who had been senior v-p of safety, security, sustainability, and international affairs, retired in July. Earlier this year, NBAA also brought in Emily Deaton, formerly CEO of JetAviva, as senior v-p of product development and sales.

These three are rounding out a senior leadership team that also includes Jo Damato, senior v-p of events and professional engagement; Kristie Greco Johnson, senior v-p of government affairs, public policy, and advocacy; Andrew Broom, chief revenue officer; and Marc Freeman, CFO.

The board turned to Hubbard after former FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau returned to NBAA as COO but left less than two months later to lead Airports Council International-North America. 

“We are wishing Ed a full recovery as he takes the time he needs to focus on his health,” said association chairman John Witzig, in announcing the interim post for Hubbard. “Dan has a strong strategic view of NBAA’s mission and all its initiatives. As NBAA’s interim COO, he will oversee day-to-day operations during Ed’s absence, including at NBAA-BACE, with support from a leadership team with decades of experience and a proven track record of serving the business aviation community with excellence.”

A 22-year veteran of NBAA, Hubbard was named senior v-p of communications in 2008. In addition to that role, he has been deeply involved with NBAA’s external affairs, partnerships, and advocacy initiatives in the U.S. and globally, including BACE conventions on four continents.

Hubbard noted that the association is well positioned to continue operating seamlessly and serving its members strategically and effectively. “I’m honored that the board has given me this assignment. That having been said, I never could’ve conceived that it would happen in this moment or under these circumstances. Nevertheless, the one thing I know for sure is that Ed Bolen wants for me and for the NBAA team to continue the work. It is of paramount importance to him,” Hubbard told AIN. “The team that is in place collectively has decades of experience at NBAA or in the industry or both and is the most knowledgeable and capable assembly of people we could put together [to] continue to deliver on what people expect of NBAA.”

Hubbard noted that NBAA has been serving the industry for nearly eight decades—in fact, the organization will reach its 80th anniversary next year. “We have every intention of being more valuable in the next eight decades to come with the changes that have been made in bringing the expertise of the people who know and understand the industry and also ensuring that we have in that team, people who are focused on what the needs are to come as the industry continues to evolve.”

To that end, he noted that Deaton is bringing a CEO approach to NBAA, having that experience at JetAviva. This includes being “laser focused on what our clients want,” Hubbard said. “She has a mindset of being able to understand all that business aviation is today, and also how the needs of people and companies in the industry are continuing to evolve.” This is particularly important as the marketplace and operational landscape become more complex, he added.

On the operational side, Williams has had a “front-row seat” to the complexities of the various segments operating in the National Airspace System as she has worked the air traffic services desk for 10 years. Along with that comes an understanding of the underpinnings of operations, including international flights, safety, and maintenance. 

Each of those areas is changing, Hubbard continued. “The way people think about safety is changing as the technology is changing. The way people think about international operations is changing dramatically.” Business aviation has always been a global industry, but it is increasingly so. “Our members increasingly want to look at the global marketplace, not just the U.S. marketplace.”

Hubbard added that all of this is playing into BACE, which is a cornerstone event for the association and widely considered the hallmark convention for the business aviation community. “As we count down the days toward NBAA-BACE, this is shaping up to be just an outstanding success. And it’s a reminder to me of the value of having real strength on a team from all corners.”

Damato, who is steering the convention, agreed. “This is a machine with so many moving parts. The teamwork that I get to be a part of at NBAA and with our vendor partners, and our close contractors to problem solve and get excited about getting creative has been the best part of 2026,” she said.

Speaking with AIN a few weeks ahead of the event, Damato noted that longtime exhibitors have continued to approach the association about finding more space. Exhibitors on the static display—which NBAA last year renamed Aircraft Connection—also continued to ask to bring additional aircraft. For instance, Honda Aircraft is bringing a pair of jets, while Gulfstream Aerospace is bringing its full fleet.

Key to NBAA is that it continues to evolve in an environment where many conventions have struggled. This has resulted in changes in recent years with a “test and learn” approach. One of the changes is moving the major keynote to the show floor in the West Hall rather than starting in the North Hall and asking attendees to then take the walkway bridge to the convention floor. “I want to start the energy on the floor,” she said. “I know we’ve done opening sessions on the floor before, but with a very singular purpose, and then we don’t use that space again.” 

This year, NBAA is debuting a Horizon Stage that not only will be the site of the opening general session but will host a mix of content throughout the first two days of the show, including the Alpha Wingman Shark Tank-type contest, PitchAv, to provide an “intentional use of space on our floor for people to get excited about what is coming next.” Other activities include a live podcasting video series Jamail Larkins is taping on career profiling to push workforce development. Military Connect is returning this year to introduce business aviation opportunities to retiring military personnel. This will also kick off at the Horizon Stage. 

Another major session at the Horizon Stage will be an extended "Meet the Regulators" session that will include an interview with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, followed by other top regulators from EASA, the FAA, and the Department of Transportation. This provides NBAA the opportunity to ask about key issues such as single-pilot exemptions on Citation jets and oxygen mask rules.

At the same time, NBAA is bringing back its Flight Deck, which will be its “marquee” spot for educational content, she said. The Creator Studio, Powered by Signature Aviation, returns to the atrium with programming, interviews, panels, and meet-and-greets. Also on the workforce development front, Collegiate Connect returns, as does the Career Zone.

Away from the floor, Gulfstream Aerospace is bringing back its operator forum, which was expected to draw nearly 300 attendees. In tandem, NBAA has expanded its educational content and worked with the FAA to let maintenance professionals earn credit toward inspection authorization renewal at the Gulfstream forum or through NBAA sessions. 

The effort to attract buyers, including through what it originally called a family office program, returns. Damato noted, however, that the reference to family office wasn't as "wide-reaching" as NBAA had hoped, so the association renamed the program the “Private Capital Aviation Forum.” As part of that program, invitees will get exclusive access to Aircraft Connection from 10 to 11 a.m. on Tuesday as the convention opens, followed by early access to programming at the Flight Deck.

Collectively, these programs were developed to create an experience that could reach every attendee, from the college student to the seasoned professional and the prospective buyer.

“What I want attendees to walk away with [from BACE] is that this was not a broad brush. This was that NBAA sees me as an individual and they helped me craft a unique experience for me and my needs, the content I need to find, the conversations I need to be in, the exhibitors I need to connect with, some of the credit I need to gather, and the networking. It felt like they built this for me,” Damato said, concluding, “So huge hats off to the team for trying to come up with as many focused personas, tracks, and individual journeys. This has been a really fun year.”