OSHKOSH, WIS. – The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Board of Directors accepted the resignation of President and CEO Rod Hightower, October 22, 2012. Hightower stated that he wanted to spend more time with his school-age children. He and his wife, Maura, did not wish to relocate their family from St. Louis to Oshkosh because they like the schools their children are attending, there.
Jack Pelton, recently retired chairman, president and CEO of Cessna Aircraft, has been elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of EAA. In his role as EAA Chairman, Pelton will guide the organization through the leadership transition.
“I will be working closely with the EAA Board of Directors to ensure a seamless transition to a new leader,” Pelton said, and indicated that he understands how difficult it is to relocate a family of school-age children.
“As an association, Rod and the senior team have put the organization on a solid path to our future, while honoring our legacy and focusing on the mission our founder, Paul H. Poberezny, established 60 years ago,” Pelton added.
AOPA Says Collaboration With EAA To Continue
“During Rod Hightower’s tenure, AOPA and EAA enjoyed an unprecedented level of collaboration that has served members of both organizations well,” said Craig Fuller, President and CEO of the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association.
“Our associations have committed to working together to protect general aviation interests, promote GA safety, and grow the GA community in the United States. That commitment has been at the heart of the joint AOPA-EAA petition to allow an exemption to the third class medical, now under review by the FAA. I am confident the EAA Board, under the chairmanship of Jack Pelton, will find the right individual to lead EAA into the future.”
