Claims Brien Seeley Tried To Inappropriately Use Foundation's Program

The CAFE Foundation is in something of a dispute with its former president, who resigned from the organization's board in October of last year.

In a posting on the news page of the CAFE Foundation website, the organization says that for over 30 years it has successfully pursued its mission to create and advance the understanding of personal aircraft technologies through research, analysis, and education. CAFE is proud of the legacy it has created with one of its signature programs - the Electric Aircraft Symposium, or EAS. This annual conference, which focuses on developments in the world of electric flight, is known for the timeliness and relevance of its topics, the quality of its speakers, and the networking opportunities that it offers.

The Board of the CAFE Foundation was recently surprised and disappointed to learn that its former president, Brien Seeley, has attempted to co-opt this CAFE program. In October of this year, Brien resigned from the CAFE board in order to pursue his own aviation endeavors. Since then, Brien has apparently formed a new nonprofit, and has now announced that he will be holding "EAS2016". EAS has been, and continues to be, a proprietary program of CAFE. The CAFE Board has notified Brien that he and his organization have no right to use the name, format, history or brand of this CAFE program. Given this turn of events, CAFE has distanced itself from Brien and his activities.

The CAFE Foundation is currently planning its tenth annual EAS conference for the spring of 2016. The Board is expanding the scope and focus of the conference, and looks forward to an exciting program with broad appeal. The CAFE Board will have more information about EAS in the near future.

FMI: http://cafefoundation.org/