New President and CEO onboard October 17

The San Diego Aerospace Museum's Board of Directors has named William R. Lennartz to succeed Ken Curtis as the Museum's President and CEO after an exhaustive but successful search. Lennartz, a resident of Rancho Santa Fe, was most recently the co-founder, President & CEO of California Linear Devices, Inc. (CDL), a manufacturer of linear motors worldwide.

"Bill Lennartz has an outstanding background as an entrepreneur who has successfully managed and led a series of technical companies. He also was active in the management of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics," Museum Board chairman Richard H. Petersen said. "The Board of Directors has recently completed a strategic plan entitled '2013: AN AEROSPACE ODYSSEY.' We are excited to have Lennartz's leadership and passion as we implement our plans and maintain the San Diego Aerospace Museum's reputation as one of the premier aerospace museums in the country."

The Museum's Search Committee, chaired by Board Vice-Chairman Adm. Pat Moneymaker, USN (Ret.), received nearly fifty applications. After a meticulous review process, the Search Committee narrowed the slate to four candidates before selecting Lennartz. The Executive Committee of the Board approved their selection, and Lennartz has accepted the position.

Lennartz has founded or led several profitable companies that later merged with other internationally known giants such as Emerson Electric Company and the Memorex Corporation.

In 1991, Lennartz became President and CEO of Hixson Metal Finishing in Newport Beach, CA to help a friend suffering from cancer. The company was rudderless and losing money but Lennartz turned the company into a profitable one with $6.5 million in revenues and later turned the company over to a management team for the owner.

Lennartz will succeed Ken Curtis, the Museum's first President & CEO, who is retiring at the end of October. Under Curtis' leadership, the Museum introduced some of the most significant additions to its public exhibits, most notably the Command Module from the 1969 Apollo 9 mission, and an RQ-1 Predator – one of only three on display in the world and the only one the west coast.

Curtis, a retired Navy Captain and helicopter pilot, served on the Museum's Board of Directors from 1999 until June 2005. His previous business experience in the private sector was as the Chief Operating Officer for Primary Provider Management Company, a company he led during a financial turnaround. Curtis took on the role as the Museum's first CEO in October 2003 to accomplish the same for the financially ailing Balboa Park institution.

FMI: www.aerospacemuseum.org