New AOPA President By Fall (Corrected)

Editorial Staff

Monday, July 29, 2013 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Outgoing AOPA President Craig Fuller expects his successor to be selected and in place by the October AOPA Summit, with the board having narrowed the search to a few candidates.
Fuller, who is departing after four years, stressed that the new president must be a passionate aviation enthusiast, a good manager, mindful of AOPA's significant financial operations ($60M budget, 200 employees), and prioritize engaging with members.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Outgoing AOPA President Craig Fuller says he expects his replacement will be on the job in time for AOPA Summit in Fort Worth in October. In an interview with AVweb, Fuller said AOPA’s board of trustees has narrowed the search to a few qualified candidates and he expects the decision to be made early in the fall. “I think it’s fairly focused on a couple of people,” said Fuller, who announced his intended departure in February. He’d been on the job for four years and said it was always his intention to move on after five years. Fuller said the new president has to be a good manager who’s passionate about aviation.

AOPA is like a medium-sized business with a $60 million annual budget and 200 employees. Like other aviation enterprises, the organization has been hard hit by the global recession and Fuller said the new president has to be mindful of its financial needs. But he also said he would offer advice similar to what he received from his predecessor Phil Boyer. “First and foremost I think anyone in this position needs to spend time with the members,” he said.