Industry Leader, Innovator Kenn Ricci to Keynote NBAA’s SDC2026

Contact: Dan Hubbard, 202-431-5970, [email protected]

Washington, DC, Jan. 12, 2026 - The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today announced that business aviation innovator and entrepreneur Kenneth C. "Kenn" Ricci will deliver the keynote presentation at the 2026 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC2026) taking place March 24-26 in Cleveland, OH.

Ricci, chairman of global fractional operator Flexjet, launched his first aviation business in 1981. Today, he actively owns and manages more than 12 enterprises touching on everything from fractional aircraft ownership, jet cards and on-demand charter to aircraft maintenance, engineering, management, brokerage and sustainable flight. Most recently, Ricci shepherded largest private equity deal in business aviation - an historic $800 million investment in Flexjet by L Caterton, the investment arm for LVMH.

"Kenn Ricci has spent his career shaping the future of business aviation, creating innovative pathways that bring people, technology and opportunity together," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "He is a true leader and visionary in our industry, and we look forward to hearing his perspectives at what promises to be an inspiring and forward-thinking edition of our Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference."

Watch a welcome video from Ricci to SDC2026 attendees.

Ricci was inducted as a Living Legend of Aviation, three years after receiving that group's Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award, one that now bears his name. He has also received Harvard Business School's Dively Entrepreneurship Award, and he is the youngest recipient of the National Air Transport Association's (NATA) prestigious William A. "Bill" Ong Memorial Award. Highlighting his role in securing market acceptance for Nextant Aerospace's innovative approach to private aircraft reengineering and remanufacturing, he is also the recipient of an Aviation Week Laureate Award.

Beyond business, in 2018 Ricci established the Philanthropic Succession Partnership, a groundbreaking structure of giving in order to donate a record-setting $100 million to his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame.

He is also a graduate of the Cleveland Marshall School of Law and serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of Notre Dame, the Smithsonian and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. His passion began as a pilot, and he retains an ATP type rating with more than 6,000 hours of flight time, including some as then Gov. Bill Clinton's pilot during his 1992 presidential campaign.

SDC2026 offers expert-led education, top-tier business aviation exhibitors and valuable networking that can advance your flight department and your career. Learn more about SDC2026 and register today.

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Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The association represents more than 10,000 company and professional members and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), the world's largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at nbaa.org.

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