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Thread: Welcome Mr. Pelton

  1. #11
    MEdwards's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hal Bryan View Post
    To the best of my knowledge, there has always been a position on the board titled Chairman. I don't know where you got the idea that it was just created, but that's simply not true.
    Hal, perhaps I misinterpreted the EAA's press release, but if so it was an honest mistake. The EAA said:

    "October 24, 2012 - The EAA board of directors created a new chairman of the board position and on Sunday elected Jack Pelton to fill that role. Jack is the first formally elected non-executive chairman in the history of EAA."

    I was surprised to read that, as I interpreted it, but it doesn't matter. It's completely incidental to the issue at hand. And I was attacking no one. From what I have heard it sounds like Mr. Pelton is a good fit as director, chairman of the board of directors, and interim CEO. I wish him well.

  2. #12
    EAA Staff / Moderator Hal Bryan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MEdwards View Post
    Hal, perhaps I misinterpreted the EAA's press release, but if so it was an honest mistake. The EAA said:

    "October 24, 2012 - The EAA board of directors created a new chairman of the board position and on Sunday elected Jack Pelton to fill that role. Jack is the first formally elected non-executive chairman in the history of EAA."
    Oh... the answer to my question about where you got "that idea" couldn't be answered any more clearly, could it?

    Mea culpa, MEdwards - I hadn't seen that release when I replied to your post last night, so I'm really sorry for the mixed messages! (If we had an emoticon of the little yellow pilot guy falling on a sword, I'd insert that here...)

    While I confess to still being a little bit confused by the wording in the release, here's what I know: When Tom P. retired, Louie Andrew was appointed by the board to the position of Chairman, and served in that capacity until his retirement a couple of months ago.

    When he retired, the position of Chairman still existed, but it wasn't occupied. This past weekend, Jack was elected to the position - and here's where we start splitting hairs: the position was modified from a governance perspective to encompass a three-year-term, and a two-term limit. That may have meant, technically, creating a new Chairman position, but that goes beyond my layperson's understanding of Robert's Rules and all that.

    My comment was based on the fact that Paul, Tom, and Louie all held the title of Chairman of the Board, so I "knew" that this wasn't a newly created position.

    While I should have looked around more before posting last night, personally, I think the release we put out is unnecessarily confusing and could have been worded better, and I won't be surprised to see an update at some point.

    Regardless, my apologies again for correcting you unnecessarily and prematurely, and to everyone else for the added confusion.

    It's just been that kind of week...

    Hal Bryan
    EAA Lifetime 638979
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    EAA—The Spirit of Aviation

  3. #13
    MEdwards's Avatar
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    Yup, I suspect it's been quite a week. No swords, please. As I said, it's really incidental, but I thought it was somewhat interesting. I speculated (that word) to myself only that perhaps Paul and Tom were so obviously the head of the organization, both executive and board, that no formal chairman position was necessary. But now with a change in leadership, and then another change, more explicit leadership was called for. That makes perfect sense to me. But really, I know nothing.

    Thanks for keeping us informed.

    Mike

  4. #14

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    I'm Supporting EAA ... and Their Choice of Mr. Pelton

    EAA is sport aviation, and it started with Paul's "Can Do" attitude. It's an organization that is about aviation education and getting to fly more economically and with more freedoms. If people look at the history of EAA, Paul used his military resources well to meet with people across the nation ... an F-86 is not a homebuilt. Tom was then our leader for many, many years, too. The two men are very different people but both did a great job for the progress of EAA, and both were the right people at the right time.

    If WE now spend all of our time wishing for the good old days, we will surely be turned the wrong direction to see where the next generation can take us!

  5. #15
    MEdwards's Avatar
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    There's a link here to an interview with Jack Pelton a few days after he was named Chairman of the Board of EAA and its interim CEO.

    Now before anybody screams, these are extended exerpts from an interview he did with Jim Campbell of Aero News Network. That's an instant turn-off for many people, and can lead to mile-long threads about Mr. Campbell. But the fact is, he got the interview, and if you'd like to hear what Mr. Pelton thinks in his own words, for now this is the place.

    On the whole, I was very pleased with what I heard.
    Last edited by MEdwards; 10-30-2012 at 02:29 PM.

  6. #16
    danielfindling's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MEdwards View Post
    There's a link here to an interview with Jack Pelton a few days after he was named Chairman of the Board of EAA and its interim
    I hope every member who has complained about EAA listens to this interview. Mr. Pelton came across credible, with focus, clarity and direction to fix what is broke. He gave attention to most of the concerns raised on this message board and I liked what I heard.

    The ad hoc / ad hominem comments about Mr Pelton do nothing to help EAA. To loosely paraphrase John Lennon "all I am saying is give (Pelton) a chance"

    Daniel Findling

  7. #17
    rwanttaja's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MEdwards View Post
    There's a link here to an interview with Jack Pelton a few days after he was named Chairman of the Board of EAA and its interim CEO...On the whole, I was very pleased with what I heard.
    And if you found a re-run of an interview Rod Hightower gave right after HE took over, you'd probably say the same thing.

    But I'm feeling pretty good about Pelton, especially after finding out he'd helped his father building a homebuilt, and that his father had been a member of EAA Chapter 1. He's got the right background.

    However, keep in mind... he *is* just interim.

    Ron Wanttaja

  8. #18
    I was just at EAA HQ, and there is a clear feeling of relief that Hightower has moved on. As far as Pelton goes, he has a much more tangible and obvious connection to sport aviation than Hightower had from the day he became president. If nothing else, Pelton has been handed a blueprint for what not to do.

  9. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by rwanttaja View Post
    However, keep in mind... he *is* just interim.

    Leading to the big question: "Who would be 'right' to lead EAA?"

  10. #20
    MEdwards's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rwanttaja View Post
    However, keep in mind... he *is* just interim.
    A commenter on another board observed that Mr. Pelton was "cagey" about whether he'd try for the permanent CEO position. I've observed it's often problematic when an organization promotes an interim leader to permanent.

    Quote Originally Posted by martymayes View Post
    Leading to the big question: "Who would be 'right' to lead EAA?"
    Who, indeed, but I don't think a couple hundred thousand spent on an executive search company is going to find him/her. I hope the board does not go that route.

    Also, I hope they take their time. With an apparently competent interim leader, what's the hurry? I'd like to see Mr. Pelton in charge through next year's Oshkosh. By then everybody should be able to decide whether they think he's the right person for the job--and the board will have had time to consider lots of candidates.

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