The JFK Air Cargo Association
Membership
Our membership, Officers and Board of Directors are drawn from both the public and private sector ranks. We count as members airlines, forwarders, sales consultants, ground handlers, truckers, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and the Queens ASDO. The members of the JFK Air Cargo Association are given the chance to expand their trade and technical knowledge in the movement of air cargo. We deliver education and training on sales techniques, regulatory issues and equipment innovations that impact our members. We also lend our voice and opinion on infrastructure and planning issues that can impact the air cargo community.
Charity
As a non-profit, volunteer organization, the members of the JFK Air Cargo Association are focused on giving back to the community where possible. Through the years we have primarily supported three organizations, Island Harvest, Toys 4 Tots, and Lustgarten Foundation.
Click the logos to view recent Thank You letters from our charities this year!
Officers and Directors
(click on a photo to view bio)
Dayna has always been based at JFK for her 20-plus years of air freight trucking experience. She has always been a member of the JFK Air Cargo Association and is proud to be a board member. Dayna has been fortunate enough to work for numerous companies in many positions including both operations and sales.
Dayna is representing Direct Expedite offering hot shots, expedited trucking and exclusive use vehicles to the entire air freight community.
Dayna Harap is the current President of the JFKACA.
Recently retired from Swiss World Cargo, the cargo division of Swiss International Air Lines after thirty-five years of service.
He last held the position of Regional Manager of the New York Area for fourteen years and was responsible for the sales and operation of three daily flights from JFK to Switzerland.
Prior to this position he worked in various positions as marketing assistant for the Americas, a supervisor in operations, a customer service assistant, reservation and tracing agent and warehouse agent.
Before coming to Swiss he worked for nine years at various positions in the airfreight industry with a Customs broker, trucker, and container station.
He served as a member of the board of the JFK Air Cargo Association and Treasurer for seven years. He has also served on the board of the Long Island Import Export Association for eight years.
Jim is currently the First Vice President of the JFKACA
A thirty year career that started in the railroad and trucking industry, John’s experience includes working for a domestic and international freight forwarder, a car loading company and an NVOCC (sea freight).
John was part of Senior Management at Virgin Atlantic Airlines as their VP Sales Marketing for the Americas, and BMI Airlines as Country Manager Sales/Operations.
John is currently the President of JR International Cargo Sales. JR International Cargo Sales is the GSA-consultant marketing company that handles the sales and marketing for Hawaiian Airlines at JFK.
Jillian Daza is the Sales Manager for New York and Connecticut at Lufthansa Cargo, AG, a logistics subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. She is responsible for leading a team of highly experienced and motivated outside and inside sales representatives that work tirelessly to sell hundreds of tons worth of capacity each week.
In 2011, Mrs. Daza earned a BA in Media Studies from Queens College.
In 2012 she was enrolled in a project at the Lufthansa Cargo Headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, that involved Strategy and Business Development. Upon completion of the project, Jillian took over the role of Regional Manager of Handling and Process, where she was responsible for the efficient flow of handling and sales processes in the Northeast Region.
Jillian is the current Secretary of the JFKACA.
Mike Bednarz is the Manager of Air Cargo Business Development for the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and is directly responsible for developing and advancing the organization’s strategic air cargo business agenda. Mike’s responsibilities cover John F. Kennedy International, Stewart International, and LaGuardia Airports in New York, and Newark Liberty International and Atlantic City International Airports in New Jersey.
Mike has an extensive logistics background. Prior to joining the Port Authority, Mike’s most recent appointments included Director at the U.S. cargo subsidiary of IATA (CNS), and Regional Cargo Manager for Cathay Pacific Airways. Mike also serves on the board of the Newark International Airport Air Cargo Council, and currently chairs the National Research Council Transportation Research Board’s ACRP Cargo Facility Planning and Development Guidelines Initiative. Mike has also served as Chair of the Airports Council International – North America Air Cargo Committee. Mike holds an MBA in Global Management, which he completed in 2005, and a BA in both Business Economics and European History.
Based at our JFK office, Joe joined Crane Worldwide Logistics in May of 2018 as Sr. Director Global Air Product. Has been industry now 41 years. Last position was at Toll Global forwarding as Vice President of Air Product for the Americas.
Previous positions:
Alitalia Cargo starting as Cargo Agent to Regional Sales Manager.
BAX Global as the Gateway Operations Manager.
Expeditors International as the Director of Gateways Americas
Toll Global Forwarding
At Crane Worldwide Logistics LLC Joe is responsible for all aspects of the air product carrier negotiations/allotments/ block space agreements and setting up export gateways first in the US then globally.
Outside activities
One of the Founders of the Dan Ferrante Golf outing, now in its 15th year supporting charities such as Saint Jude’s/Sisters of Notre Dame/Cancer care and also help people and their families within our industry stricken with Cancer by assisting to help defray some medical costs.
Active 40 years Volunteers Firefighter in my home town. Highest rank attained of Chief of department for 8 years. Currently Fire Commissioner. Was also one of the 1st volunteers departments called to assist in the recovery following the 911 attack on the world trade center and spent 7 days assisting the FDNY.
Hobbies: Soccer/Golf/Grandsons! Married 39 years to Carmela and we have two children. Joseph Jr. is the District Director for JFK/PHL also at CWW and is married to Melissa Joanna is a speech pathologist married to Lucio with two handsome boys. My grandsons Luciano, 3 and Rocco, 1 and another on the way.
Michael Piza is currently Senior Vice President of Corporate Sales and Marketing at Apex Logistics International. He also has responsibility over Apex Logistics Customs Brokerage product in the USA.
Apex Logistics is a full service logistics provider that is widely considered to be one of the strongest global airfreight providers on the market today. Michael opened Apex’s New York office in February of 2011 followed by their Seattle office and USA Customs Brokerage division March of 2013.
Mike has 18 years of experience in global supply chain management. He is a Licensed Customs Broker. His areas of expertise are account management, business development, air cargo solutions, trade and customs brokerage compliance, and marketing.
Before joining Apex in January 2011, Michael spent 10 years with Barthco a division of OHL. OHL has since been acquired by Geodis.
Michael is a graduate of Denison University in Granville, OH class of 2002 where is received a BA Degree.
Rich Hernandez began his airfreight career in 1981 selling the services of Profit By Air while in Puerto Rico. In 1986 he returned back to NY where he had sales & management positions with DHL as well as TNT. In December of 2019, Rich resigned his Regional Sales Manager position at Amerijet after almost 25 years to start with Hermes Aviation, LLC on January 6th, 2020 where he leads a GSA Team that services airlines, such as, South African Airways,El Al Airlines, Icelandic Air and ASL.
Rich has been married to his wife, Julie for 42 years and they reside in Northport, NY. They are the proud parents of 2 grown kids, Jason and Nicole and the proud grandparents of 5 grandchildren ranging in ages from 6-22 years of age.
Seth began his career with Southwest Airlines in 1998 at Islip Airport. He worked as a ramp agent, ops agent, ramp supervisor, station trainer supervisor, cargo supervisor and a regional cargo sales manager. In 2010 he relocated to Nashville to take a position as Regional Cargo Sales Manager where he won awards as Cargo Sales Manager of the Year in 2016 and 2017. Now back in New York, Seth is married with two children. Because nobody finds this business by accident, Seth’s gateway was that his father worked for AEI at JFK for more than thirty years. He’s a huge sports fan and is a fan of the Rangers, Yankees and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Phil Jensen is the Vice President of Business Development and Industry Relations for Worldwide Flight Services (WFS). Phil has a BS Degree in Business Management and more than 30 years of aviation management experience. He has served in the capacities of President at the Kennedy Airport Airline Management Council (KAAMCO) and the JFK Chamber of Commerce and serves on The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) Airlines Services Council.
- Member of the JFK Air Cargo Assn since 1980.
- Present: Sales Rep Mobile Air Transport JFK,
- Team Leader KAAMCO JFK Cargo Management Committee since 1999.
- Member & past President of The Semantics JFK
- Member LI Import Export Association & NY Foreign Commerce Club
- Univ. of Bridgeport, Bpt Ct BS Economics
- Past: Eastern Airlines/Area Cargo Sales Mgr. JFK
- Pace Motor Lines, Sales Mgr. JFK
Education:
- Silk Way Airlines, Vice President Sales, the Americas, 2007-present
- Evergreen Intl Airlines, Vice President Sales, 2002-2006
- KLM Cargo, Director of Sales and Operations, 1980-2001
Education:
- B.S. St. John’s University, Jamaica, NY, 1977
- Coursework MBA, C.W.Post, Westbury, NY 1978
Personal:
- Married to his wife Cathy for more than 35 years
- 3 children / 3 grandchildren
- Resides on Long Island, NY