Comment on Provisional Committee Appointments

Viewers may communicate with the National Academies at any time over the project's duration. In addition, formal comments on the provisional appointments to a committee of the National Academies are solicited during the 20-calendar day period following the posting of the membership and, as described below, these comments will be considered before committee membership is finalized. We welcome your comments (Use the Feedback link below). Please note that the appointments made to this committee are provisional, and changes may be made. No appointment shall be considered final until we have evaluated relevant information bearing on the committee's composition and balance. This information will include the confidential written disclosures to The National Academies by each member-designate concerning potential sources of bias and conflict of interest pertaining to his or her service on the committee; information from discussion of the committee's composition and balance that is conducted in closed session at its first event and again whenever its membership changes; and any public comments that we have received on the membership during the 20-calendar day formal public comment period. If additional members are appointed to this committee, an additional 20-calendar day formal public comment period will be allowed. It is through this process that we determine whether the committee contains the requisite expertise to address its task and whether the points of views of individual members are adequately balanced such that the committee as a whole can address its charge objectively.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Unavoidable Conflict of Interest for Michael Delaney
The conflict of interest policy of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi) prohibits the appointment of an individual to a committee authoring a Consensus Study Report if the individual has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the task to be performed. An exception to this prohibition is permitted if the National Academies determines that the conflict is unavoidable and the conflict is publicly disclosed. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual's actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.
Michael Delaney has a conflict of interest in relation to service on the Committee on Overall Cabin Air Quality based on stock and retirement benefits related to his former employment with Boeing.
The National Academies has concluded that for this committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established, its membership must include at least one person who has substantial recent experience working for a major airline manufacturer focusing on strengthening safety culture and aviation safety strategy. As described in his biographical summary, Mr. Delaney is an aerospace engineer with extensive experience most recently at Boeing in the design of aircraft and aircraft safety systems.
The National Academies has determined that the experience and expertise of Mr. Delaney is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent experience and expertise who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies has concluded that the conflict is unavoidable. Unavoidable Conflict of Interest for Eric Ducharme
The conflict of interest policy of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi) prohibits the appointment of an individual to a committee authoring a Consensus Study Report if the individual has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the task to be performed. An exception to this prohibition is permitted if the National Academies determines that the conflict is unavoidable and the conflict is publicly disclosed. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual's actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.
Eric Ducharme has a potential conflict of interest in relation to service on the Committee on Overall Cabin Air Quality based on stock and retirement benefits related to his former employment with GE Aerospace.
The National Academies has concluded that for this committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established, its membership must include at least one person who has substantial recent experience working for a manufacturer of aircraft air quality focusing on the development, design, and engineering of aircraft systems related to cabin air quality. As described in his biographical summary, Dr. Ducharme has extensive experience at GE Aerospace, where he was responsible for product & flight safety, airworthiness & certification, and has extensive experience related to the design, development and certification processes of aircraft engine systems, including those related to engine bleed air for the pressurization the aircraft cabin.
The National Academies has determined that the experience and expertise of Dr. Ducharme is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent experience and expertise who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies has concluded that the conflict is unavoidable.

The National Academies believes that Mr. Delaney and Dr. Ducharme can serve effectively as a member of the committee, and the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the study.