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Cargo Airline Association’s Alterman ends 40-year leadership run

Organization appoints Airlines for America VP as president

Steve Alterman received the Donald D. Engen Aero Club Trophy for Aviation Excellence on Nov. 17, 2022. (Photo: CAA)

The Cargo Airline Association, which represents ABX Air, Atlas Air, FedEx and UPS in the halls of government, has named Lauren Beyer, the vice president of security and facilitation at Airlines for America (A4A), to succeed Steve Alterman as president.

Alterman is retiring after leading the organization for more than 40 years, it announced Tuesday. 

“On behalf of the Cargo Airline Association (CAA), I would like to thank Steve Alterman for his dedicated advocacy efforts over the past four decades,” said John Maxwell, general counsel for the Americas for FedEx Express and chairman of the CAA board of directors. “Through Steve’s leadership, we have been able to build and advance the U.S. air cargo industry, creating expansive global supply chains that connect the U.S. and global economy.”

The CAA advocates for air cargo issues and educates policymakers, regulators and the public about the importance and operational realities of air logistics.


Alterman began his aviation career in 1968 at the Bureau of Enforcement for the former U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board. Initially hired as a trial attorney, he was soon promoted to chief of the legal division. He joined the CAA in 1975 as executive director and was named president in 1982. Since then, Alterman has led the association in promoting the all-cargo airline industry, formulating industry policy and overseeing the association’s daily activities.

Alterman currently serves on the Transportation Security Administration’s Aviation Security Advisory Committee. He has lent his time and expertise to many committees, commissions and advisory boards at the Federal Aviation Administration and elsewhere in government. Last year, the Aero Club of Washington gave him a lifetime achievement award for supporting the aviation industry.

At Airlines for America, which represents the largest U.S. passenger and cargo airlines, including Atlas Air, FedEx and UPS, Beyer was the government liaison on security, cybersecurity, cargo and passenger facilitation issues. She led key COVID-19 response efforts on behalf of the U.S. airlines, including managing an independent research project on the safety of air travel. Prior to that, Beyer was the director of aviation and surface transportation security at the White House National Security Council.

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Twitter: @ericreports / LinkedIn: Eric Kulisch / ekulisch@freightwaves.com

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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com