New York Aviation Management Association (NYAMA) recently announced the addition of two new board members for 2022.
Dr. Maxine Lubner is a Professor and Chair of the Management and formerly, Aviation, Departments at Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, in Queens, New York. Previously, Dr. Lubner was appointed as Executive Director of the CUNY Aviation Institute at York College and as a faculty member at New York University’s Graduate School of Social Work. Her FAA-sponsored research has included studies of pilots and has led to the development of training programs for general aviation.
As a representative of a consortium of universities and companies, she promoted aviation education and information exchange between US and Tanzania. She is an author of multiple papers, presentations, and abstracts. As a media spokesperson, she has addressed various aviation safety issues on local, national, and international television, radio and print forums.
She holds an FAA Private Pilot Certificate. She obtained a B.A. (undergraduate) and a graduate B.A. Honor’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and earned her M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University, New York.
Dr. Lubner was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and lived in South Africa, the United Kingdom and
currently lives with her family in New York, USA.
Matt Colbert is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Empire Aviation Services, an aviation consultancy based in New York, NY. He has over a decade of airline industry experience, all in New York. Prior to Empire Aviation Services, Matt worked in commercial strategy roles of progressive responsibility at JetBlue, Delta, and United Airlines.
At each airline, Matt grew their market share and profitability through an integrated and crossfunctional approach. By working collaboratively with airport, business, community, and government leaders, Matt helped expand air service in Upstate and Downstate while deepening each carrier’s commitment to the region. Matt’s first job was at the Ithaca-Tompkins International Airport (ITH) when he was 14 years old.
In partnership with the outstanding teachers and administration of Aviation High School in Queens, NY, Matt led the development of a mentorship program during his time at Delta Air Lines. The program showed dozens of New York City Public School students the breadth of careers available to everyone in the aviation industry. Most of the mentor-mentee relationships continue today with many mentees now working at airports in New York. Matt is a graduate of Cornell University, where he also earned his Master’s Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations. He is a published author of a case study of labor integration in airline mergers and a member of the Wings Club.
NYAMA’s mission is to promote the viability and business interests of New York State’s airports, which are the centerpiece of aviation services and drivers of economic development. Through advocacy, education, communications, and business services, NYAMA supports New York’s airports and the businesses and communities that rely upon them.
