LaVaughn Henry

Coronado, CA., May 25, 2018 – #NAFA47 - The National Aircraft Finance Association (NAFA) held its 47^thAnnual Conference May 15-18, 2018 with a record-setting number of member representatives attending. The conference was held at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, CA.  The four-day event included a 1-day NAFA Aircraft Education Program, a Vendor Forum, Annual Business Meeting and a wide array of aviation and finance-specific Sessions.

With over 240 attendees and $9,380 in donations towards NAFA scholarship fund, this event exceeded expectations! “Year over year, we continue to see marked growth in the Conference”, commented NAFA President Ford von Weise. “Many thanks for our dynamic speakers who kept discussions lively and engaging.”  

Keynote speaker this year was John Heilemann, a political reporter, National Affairs Analyst for NBC and MSNBC, Best Selling Author, and Executive Producer of Showtime’s The Circus. He spoke about Donald Trump’s Washington, the Fallout from the 2016 election, and the new realities of our political climate.  

Economic Analyst, Dr. LaVaughn M. Henry, spoke to the audience about the state of the U.S. Economy and Monetary Policy. Dr. Henry is a policy analyst for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Former Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and provided insight on the elements influencing our economy today and their potential impact over the next few years.

General session discussions included The State of the Aviation Industry in 2018 headlined by Ed Bolen (President, NBAA), Pete Bunce (President, GAMA) and Marty Hiller (President, NATA).  Additional sessions included The Great Financial Meltdown and its impact on the Aviation Industry; a New Aircraft Showcase with presentations by ICON, Textron, Dassault and Aerion; an update on activity in the pre-owned aircraft sales market, and a session  on the New Tax Law and its impact in Business Aviation & Lending.

A special THANK YOU to ICON Aircraft who was generous enough to display their ICON A5 on the lawn oceanfront at the hotel during the NAFA Cocktail Reception. This was a first for the hotel and it’s 130-year history and a huge hit for not only NAFA members but the guests at Del Coronado also enjoyed this display! 

NAFA would like to thank the conference sponsors:  Gold Sponsors– Insured Aircraft Title Services, Global Jet Capital, JetAviation, JSSI, and Rolls-Royce. Silver Sponsors– Aero-Space Reports, Aircraft BlueBook, AIC Title Service, Airfleet Capital Inc., Aircraft Finance Corporation, Aviation Management Systems, AOPA, Asset Insight, Dassault Falcon Jet, Essex Aviation, GKG Law, LL Johns Insurance, PNC Aviation Finance, Salem Five, Scope Aircraft Finance, and Vref. Bronze Sponsors– Aerlex, Aviation Legal Group, Bank of America, Dorr Aviation, Huntington National Bank, NAFCO, Stonebriar Commercial Finance and Wright Brothers Aircraft Title.

About NAFA:

The National Aircraft Finance Association (NAFA) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting the general welfare of individuals and organizations providing aircraft financing and loans secured by aircraft; to improving the industry’s service to the public; and to providing our members with a forum for education and the sharing of information and knowledge to encourage the financing, leasing and insuring of general aviation aircraft. For more information about NAFA, visit the website at www.NAFA.aero

Dr. LaVaughn M. Henry is a Policy Analyst in the Banking and Regulatory Policy Section at the FDIC.  In this role he assists in the interpretation, analysis, proposal and drafting of policy guidelines, existing and proposed statutes and regulations, and studies, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, FDIC rules and regulations, the National Bank Act, and other relevant depository institution law.  In 2017 he received the STAR Award from the FDIC for his significant contribution and service to the company.

Prior to this role, from 2009 through 2016 he served as Vice President and Senior Regional Officer for the Cincinnati Branch Office of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.  As the leader of the branch, Dr. Henry was responsible for building and maintaining a strong presence and reputation for the Federal Reserve throughout the central and southern Ohio, and eastern Kentucky region.

While serving at the Federal Reserve, he delivered more than 350 speeches and presentations on the status and outlook of the nation’s economy, monetary policy, and the residential real estate market.  He also conducted research on various topics related to consumer finance, the housing market, and regional economics.  Upon leaving the Federal Reserve he received a formal Resolution of Recognition from the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and the Cincinnati Branch Board of Directors in recognition of his outstanding service in the role.  He also received a Proclamation from the Cincinnati Board of Realtors for similar accomplishments in the real estate community.  In 2015 he was honored by the Kentucky Economics Association as the Kentucky Distinguished Economist of the Year.

Dr. Henry has diverse experience in both the private and public sectors.  Prior to joining the Fed, he previously served in senior economic advisory or communications roles at Fannie Mae, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, The PMI Group, Ford Motor Company, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and the Budget Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Very active in the economic community, Dr. Henry currently serves as a member of the Board of Governors for the National Economists Club of Washington DC and chair of the Certified Business Economists (CBE) Development Committee for the National Association for Business Economists (NABE).  From 2013-2016 Dr. Henry served as a member of the Board of Directors for NABE.  In addition, he founded and served as president for the greater Cincinnati NABE chapter (2012-2015), and is a contributing economist to the NABE publication, Business Economics, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.  He has appeared on Bloomberg TV, the Voice of America, and C-SPAN, and interviewed by multiple national publications including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes Magazine, and CNBC. In 2017 he was honored with the Adolph G. Abramson Scroll Award, conferred by the National Association for Business Economics for outstanding published research.

Demonstrating his strong commitment to higher education, Dr. Henry currently serves on Harvard University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences’ Alumni Council, and is an Executive-in-Residence with the Tennessee State University’s Executive MBA program.  He previously was appointed by the governor of Kentucky to serve on the Board of Regents for Kentucky State University (2011-2017), and served on the Economic Advisory Panel of Xavier University’s Williams School of Business (2010-2015).

Dr. Henry earned both his doctorate and master’s degrees in economics from Harvard University, and a bachelor’s degree from Rockhurst University, located in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri.