ENAC Alumni: A Global Community

The purpose of ENAC Alumni is to serve all our members around the world and to contribute to the advancement of civil aviation worldwide. Over the past few decades, the ENAC Alumni community has tremendously grown in terms of membership and footprint, along with the redevelopment of some of our activities as well as the outreach the ENAC programs. Between 2019 and 2020, we put together an ambitious international development plan aiming to address these trends and create local chapters ran by local leaders for the benefit of our local members. 

Before this effort started, the association had five chapters in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Paris, Québéc, Sénégal, and Toulouse. At the 2020 General Assembly, we promised that we will have at least 24 chapters by the end of 2021… We made it 40. We also set 2025 as the target to implement a global network. In October 2022, three years ahead of schedule, we proudly achieved this global coverage. As of today, wherever they are, come from, have roots, or have projects, our alumni will find a local chapter or liaison. The latest additions to our network of chapters are regional groups in Africa, Central America & the Caribbean (CAC), and Central Asia.

Being a global community is not just about the number of chapters. Therefore, along with the creation of new groups, ENAC Alumni has worked on setting and upholding standards. Appointed leaders are local and diverse. The work of the chairs and vice chairs are coordinated by the Head of International Development of the association. They are brought together by the Council of the Chapters in order to revise operating practices, share lessons learned, identify current needs, plan for the future, help each other, and promote excellence among the chapter leadership.

Ultimately, a global community is about what it means for its members and how it inspires others. The development of programs and services for the alumni and students and for advancing aviation as a whole is at the center of our efforts. In August 2022, the first International Day of the Chapters was an opportunity to showcase the best of what our chapters have to offer. Glawdys Flora Akete Oyono, chair of ENAC Alumni Cameroon, was announced as the 2021 Chair of the Year for her leadership at the national and regional levels, with the creation of a National Think Tank and the coordination of the Central Africa Regional Focus Group of The Future of Airports – a global research initiative of our Airport Think Tank. Also, ENAC Alumni USA was recognized by our members with the 2022 Project of the Year Award for their services toward the ENAC alumni and students’ community in the United States.

Our goals for the years to come is to consolidate the network with the appointment of additional local leaders, create new programs that provide direct services to the membership, remove any barriers that could impede their accessibility, contribute to advancing civil aviation locally through thought leadership and mutual learning, and promote excellence within our professions. Beyond these high-level objectives, we have defined specific actions to be implemented by the end of 2022:

·        Hold virtual town halls worldwide

·        Organize career development and technical webinars in English

·        Translate our statutes in English

·        Provide an easy access to membership and leadership information on the website

·        Create and maintain a handbook of standards and practices for the chairs and vice chairs

Do you want to be part of this journey? You too can make a difference. Would you like to provide leadership to your local chapter or create a new program? Join our chapters from your ENAC Alumni profile on our website and reach out to your local leaders or to the association at contact@alumni.enac.fr!