ACE Names New Executive Director

The Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE) announced this week that it has appointed Doug Jeanes as its new executive director. He will take over from outgoing executive director Ed Young, who is moving to a position with Lakeland Linder International Airport. Jeanes recently retired after 27 years with the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, Texas, where he served for five years as director of maintenance and 22 years as president and executive director.

“Having a person of Doug’s experience and caliber will be a tremendous asset for our programming, especially at such a critical time for ACE’s evolution,” said ACE CEO John “Lites” Leenhouts. “He brings a plethora of experience and expands our scope with a wide array of skills that will greatly benefit us going forward.”

Along with hosting the annual Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo, ACE offers science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education programs, flight training and aerospace-related college scholarships, and hands-on learning facilities. The organization is also in the process of building a multimillion-dollar, 22,000-square-foot expansion to the Florida Air Museum called Project: SkyLab. Once completed, SkyLab will serve as a STEM learning complex.