Airforwarders Association honors Kelly

Airforwarders Association honors Kelly

Kelly

   Ed Kelly, general manager of the Transportation Security Administration's Air Cargo division, was posthumously awarded the Jim Foster Award for Excellence this week by the Airforwarders Association.
   Kelly died late last year after contracting an illness. He was responsible for conceptualizing and implementing a strategy to screen all air cargo transported on passenger planes. A key part of the TSA's approach is the Certified Cargo Screening Program, which entrusts shippers and logistics companies to check cargo for security threats at their own facilities so it doesn't have to be rescreened at the airport. The program is designed to protect shippers from harmful backlogs.
   “Ed’s passing was a tremendous loss for the air cargo community, felt by many on both a personal and professional level,” said Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association, in a statement. “Ed was the first TSA division leader with prior experience in the air cargo industry. The insight and passion he brought to the monumental task of devising a plan to screen all air cargo in three years were reflected in his work on a daily basis.”
   Kelly is credited with researching successful air cargo screening programs in the United Kingdom, Ireland and other countries, and developing a system that integrates security requirements with regular business practices.
   His background included high-level executive positions with Emery Worldwide, a heavy-freight airline.
   Jim Foster helped found the Airfowarders Association in 1990 after serving as Northwest Airline's chief of cargo marketing.