A4A Names Patricia Vercelli Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

04/09/2018 05:00

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today announced that Patricia Vercelli has been named Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. Vercelli brings to the association more than 20 years of experience in the airline financial services industry, most recently with the Universal Air Travel Plan (UATP).

At A4A, Vercelli will be responsible for the association's legal and corporate governance, overseeing the General Counsel's office and providing corporate secretary functions. She will help facilitate a strategic direction working closely with member airline General Counsels, their staffs and other A4A divisions. She will be responsible for ensuring that A4A operates in compliance with applicable federal, local and international laws; providing high-quality analysis of legal, regulatory and policy initiatives affecting member airlines and developing recommendations for industry response or positions; establishing positive relationships with counterparts at key federal agencies in support of advocacy priorities; proactively advocating industry positions before federal, state and local bodies; and litigating to uphold member rights under federal, international and state law.

"Patricia brings a unique perspective to A4A. She has been General Counsel, and currently serves as Chief Legal Officer, for a dynamic industry partner in the Universal Air Travel Plan (UATP). She understands the nuances of working with corporate boards, regulatory agencies, both domestically and internationally, and memberships with varying interests," said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. "Patricia has a proven track record of driving consensus among differing members. Her experience will be valuable to advancing A4A's legal and regulatory agendas."

"I have been a part of this great industry for nearly two decades, and I am thrilled to join the A4A team to continue to support our members," said Vercelli. "I look forward to working collaboratively and proactively with my counterparts at airlines and with key agency officials in advocating and supporting reasonable regulations that affect the aviation industry."

Vercelli joins A4A from UATP, the airline-owned travel payment system. UATP was formerly a division of A4A and for 15 years, Vercelli managed the legal affairs of UATP guiding them through multifaceted regulatory hurdles in the international arena relative to streamlining the payment processing of transactions between UATP airline members and corporate customers.

Prior to joining UATP, Vercelli worked for Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP and Sallie Mae, Inc. A member in good standing with multiple bar associations, Vercelli holds a Master of Laws in International Law (LLM) from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor (JD) from The American University.

ABOUT A4A
Annually, commercial aviation helps drive $1.5 trillion in U.S. economic activity and support more than 10 million U.S. jobs. U.S. airlines fly 2.3 million passengers and more than 55,000 tons of cargo each day. Airlines for America (A4A) advocates on behalf of the American airline industry as a model of safety, customer service and environmental responsibility and as the indispensable network that drives our nation's economy and global competitiveness.

A4A works collaboratively with the airlines, labor groups, Congress and the Administration to improve air travel for everyone.

For more information about the airline industry, visit our website airlines.org and our blog, A Better Flight Plan, at airlines.org/blog.
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