Former Cessna Boss to Direct 'Transition'

Well... we heard, this morning, that something "huge" was in the works... but this is hardly what we and many at EAA expected... ANN has confirmed that the EAA Board of Directors accepted the resignation of President and CEO Rod Hightower earlier today.

Hightower will be returning to St. Louis to reunite with his family.

"Maura and I have five children ranging in age from pre-school to college freshman," Hightower said. "When I accepted the position two years ago I believed that we could as a family relocate to the Oshkosh area. But our family and school involvement have increased as our children advance in the schools they, and we as their parents, love. It would simply be too great a hardship on my family to move them to the Oshkosh area."

Jack Pelton, recently retired Chairman, president and CEO of Cessna Aircraft, has been elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of EAA. In his role as EAA Chair, Pelton will guide the organization through the leadership transition.

"I will be working closely with the EAA Board of Directors to ensure a seamless transition to a new leader," Pelton said.

"The directors of EAA and I thank Rod for his service. We understand how difficult it is to relocate a family of school-age children," Pelton said.

"EAA, as all of aviation, faces many challenges with the continuing economic slump and the decrease in personal aviation participation. As an association we must remain focused on the original mission of our founder, Paul H. Poberezny, to welcome all members no matter what they fly, celebrate our volunteers, and treat our employees fairly," Pelton added.

ANN is working the story and the details heavily... and will have more to report as soon as we can confirm the requisite info.

FMI: www.eaa.org