Mike Nichols is the Chief Executive Officer of the Piper M-Class Owners & Pilots Association (PMOPA) representing the interests of owners and pilots worldwide who fly Piper PA-46 derivative (Malibu, Mirage, Matrix, JetPROP, Meridian/M500, M600, M700) aircraft. He also serves on the board of directors of Volato (NYSE: SOAR), on the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Governing Board, chairing its marketing committee, and on the board of directors of the Grumman Owners & Pilots Association (GOPA). Nichols is the founder and principle of an aviation and business strategy consultancy, Flieger Strategies, LLC; PMOPA and the PMOPA Safety & Education Foundation are his primary clients. He was a senior executive at NBAA where he worked for 18 years; during his tenure at NBAA, Nichols advocated for the business aviation industry on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rule making committees, effectively preventing the implementation of onerous regulations while facilitating those that enhance safety and operations; directed federal and state aviation tax policy and education initiatives; successfully lobbied state revenue agencies, IRS, Department of Treasury and the U.S. Congress for fair taxation treatment of ownership/operation of business aircraft; generated significant growth in NBAA’s conferences and seminars and regional forums lines of business; and led the team that produced ABACE - the Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition - an annual business aviation trade show in Shanghai, China. Along with other forward-thinking initiatives, he created and was the principal author of the NBAA Sustainable Flight Department Accreditation Program which was designed to lead business aviation operations towards environmental sustainability objectives. A life-long learner, Nichols earned the Certified Aviation Manager (CAM), Certified Association Executive (CAE) and Institute for Organizational Management (IOM) credentials. He was recognized for his leadership in the business aviation industry and inducted into the inaugural class of NBAA CAM Fellows. He is an active instrument-rated private pilot and owns a Grumman Tiger aircraft.