Thank You, Chapter Leaders!

May 2015 - Although I’m new to the EAA director of Chapters role, I am not new to EAA or chapters. At the end of this month, I’ll have had the honor and privilege of working on the EAA members’ behalf at EAA headquarters in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for 15 years. I also have been a chapter member for more than 20 years in five different chapters and have been an officer for 10 of those years. I’m currently the president of Chapter 252 right here in Oshkosh. (So I have a vested interest in making sure EAA supports our chapters!) I’ve met a lot of EAA members over the years, and I’m looking forward to meeting many more and visiting as many chapters as possible.

My first priority has been to bolster our staff in the EAA chapter office. I’m pleased to announce that I have hired a very capable chapter manager with extensive experience as a chapter officer and solid business skills. His name is Brett Hahn and he comes to EAA from Chapter 555 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. You know he really loves the idea of working at EAA if he is willing to move from New Mexico and put up with the winters here in Oshkosh!

I’m still formulating detailed plans, but I assure you they will be relatively simple: Make it easier to be a chapter leader, and help you to be successful in running your chapter. I can think of no better way to fulfill our mission of growing participation in aviation by promoting the “Spirit of Aviation” than to have a healthy and vibrant chapter network.

Thank you for being a chapter officer. I know it is real work and often a thankless job, but I want you to know that we here in Oshkosh appreciate all you do to grow participation in aviation. Keep up the great work!