The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) added Mazdak Hobbi as senior director of engineering and certification and Archie Miller as director of government affairs. GAMA has also promoted Andy Phillips to director of regulatory affairs and innovation and expanded Kyle Martin’s title from vice president of European affairs to vice president of engineering and European affairs to reflect new responsibilities.
“We welcome the additions of Mazdak Hobbi and Archie Miller to bolster the expertise of our engineering and government affairs teams so that we can take on ongoing and new opportunities to foster and advance the growth of the industry,” James Viola, president and CEO of GAMA, said. “Their collective experience is a great complement to the outstanding, hard-working team at GAMA and will serve our member companies well.”
Prior to joining GAMA, Hobbi served as senior representative to the European Union in the FAA’s Office of International Affairs, where he represented the FAA on aviation safety, certification and regulatory matters with European and international partners. He brings over 25 years of FAA technical, management and international leadership experience to GAMA, with expertise in aircraft certification, production oversight, flight test, continued operational safety, international validation, bilateral agreements and emerging technology policy. Hobbi earned his BS in mechanical engineering with an aerospace concentration from the New York Institute of Technology. He is a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. As senior director of engineering and certification, Hobbi will lead GAMA’s technical policy efforts, with a concentration in regulatory, airworthiness, certification and validation activities.
Miller, prior to joining GAMA, served as legislative assistant for the Aviation Subcommittee of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He brings several years of legislative experience to GAMA. Miller earned his BA in political science from the University of Mississippi. As director of government affairs, Miller will support GAMA’s advocacy efforts across all branches of the U.S. government.
As director of regulatory affairs and innovation, Phillips will expand his role within GAMA to encompass its strategic activities to foster the development and entry-into-service of innovations in technologies, products and services, including the work of GAMA’s Electric Propulsion and Innovation Committee (EPIC) portfolio. Phillips joined GAMA in 2024 as manager of airworthiness and regulatory affairs.
Martin now leads GAMA’s engineering team with the objective of further strengthening GAMA’s ability to advance globally coordinated approaches to our industry’s technical policy priorities. To reflect this increase in supervisory duties and overall portfolio, his title is now vice president of engineering and European affairs. Martin has been with GAMA since 2016 and has served as vice president of European affairs since 2020.
“Kyle Martin and Andy Phillips have done a great job serving our membership and advocating on their behalf,” Viola said. “Their respective role changes were hard-earned, and I am confident that they will continue to excel under their expanded roles.”
