Thanks to all of you who support and volunteers for SAFE and make our amazing organization so successful and effective. This especially includes our Board of Directors who meet every month to decide policy and create initiatives for our rapidly growing organization. Thanks especially to Board member David Dempsey for spearheading the year’s election process. Qualified voters will receive an e-mail invitation to vote June 1st-June 7th.
To vote you will need your full member number beginning with “S” and including the zeros. Here is a simple tutorial on how to login if you forgot your password to access your information.
This question will be on the ballot for members: The SAFE Board proposes amending the SAFE ByLaws to allow more time to interview potential new Board members who might attend the Sun ‘N Fun spring gathering in Florida: (Vote Yes/N0)
Section 13.03 of the ByLaws states: “The slate of board candidates shall be presented to the [SAFE] Board two (2) weeks prior to March 31 of each year.” Moving this until after Sun n’Fun in Lakeland Fl. will allow an opportunity to interview potential new Board members who attend in person. We propose changing this date to “April 30th of each year”.
Here are our 2019 candidates for the board presented in no particular order. Thanks to these individuals for stepping forward and volunteering and their patience with our democratic process of selection. There are nine board positions serving a three year term which provides three openings every year. Eric Hake, our current chair and Parvez Dara, our current treasurer are running for re-election (the ByLaws provide for two concurrent terms).
Joshua C. Hart [Supplied Bio/Pic]
Your aviation bio/resume with years and ratings?
I have resume 10+ years professional aviation experience, ratings include ATP: BE-200, BE-300, ASEL/AMEL: CFI, CFII, MEI, Commercial: ASEL, Rotorcraft, Instrument Rotorcraft, Glider
Why do you want to serve on the S.A.F.E. Board of Directors?
I believe in this association and want to serve in a capacity to help make positive and progressive change. It’s about making our industry fun, exciting, and easy to do.
How will your aviation and professional background, special talents, and leadership skills help to further SAFE’s mission and goals? Please be specific.
Having more than 14 years of leadership experience , 10 years aviation leadership experience with 2 aviation management degrees and an MBA will help with any structure that we as a board determine to fit best. I also have 10+ years of program management experience that I can use as experience within military aviation that I can lean on on as well. Being a Chief Pilot and Director Of Flight Operations for the last 4 years will give me an advantage to know what it takes to consult on what a great flight program needs and are beneficial for success. Teaching hundreds of both student and professional pilots alike helps me understand what a new CFI needs to know and what to look for when encountering those students that may need a different approach in their learning style.
What do you see as the most pressing concerns and/or tasks for SAFE and for SAFE’s Board of Directors in the next 3 years based on SAFE’s current mission and vision Statements?
We on the board need to ensure that SAFE meembers are current and relevant in the upcoming 2020 requirements and other FAA related updates for our flight and ground instructors. NextGen is also something that most people including flight and ground instructors are not understanding or complying with and we can use the SAFE’s platform to ensure that our members can share correct and necessary information with anyone in the aviation industry. These mentioned topic really hit on the most important aspect in our industry and that’s Safety first in everything we do and in order to maintain safe operations whether general or commercial, we have to know and provide the most current information out there of for general and commercial operations.
What other thoughts, suggestions, or ideas do you have to keep S.A.F.E. growing and thriving as a professional aviation education organization?
Our user experience especially for online needs to be updated and relevant for our members. Members should not have a hard time finding information on the website. Using a nice user interface with minimal layers will allow for that to happen. SAFE has to be user friendly with the most current information and events to even keep up with other organizations. Being sure to attend all major fly-in events helps keep the SAFE association brand alive and running well with new faces. Building partnerships with relevant vendors, schools/learning centers, and other local and national associations keeps the SAFE name an authority in aviation.
Jerry Eichelberger [Supplied Bio/Pic]
Your aviation bio/resume with years and ratings?
ATP, CFII/MEI, Former DPE. Typed on a variety of Cessna & Hawjet Jets.
Why do you want to serve on the S.A.F.E. Board of Directors?
I want to pass down many years of knowledge as a trainer, DPE, Check Pilot Examiner and pilot. Safety has always been the driving principle of my life.
How will your aviation and professional background, special talents, and leadership skills help to further SAFE’s mission and goals? Please be specific.
I have always been a pilot mentor and advocate for safety. I believe that I have much to offer. I will serve with honor and heart.
What do you see as the most pressing concerns and/or tasks for SAFE and for SAFE’s Board of Directors in the next 3 years based on SAFE’s current mission and vision Statements?
Growth of membership,
What other thoughts, suggestions, or ideas do you have to keep S.A.F.E. growing and thriving as a professional aviation education organization?
I’ll let you know when I am on the board!!! 🙂
Wayman Alfredo Luy [Supplied Bio/Pic]
Your aviation bio/resume with years and ratings?
ATP SEL/MEL CPL SES/Glider CFI/CFII/MEI 11,000hrs 8,000 Dual given
Why do you want to serve on the S.A.F.E. Board of Directors?
Yes, I do.
How will your aviation and professional background, special talents, and leadership skills help to further SAFE’s mission and goals? Please be specific.
As a Professional Flight instructor since 1995, and Flight school operator, I hope to help the new generation of CFIs reach their goals and objectives.
What do you see as the most pressing concerns and/or tasks for SAFE and for SAFE’s Board of Directors in the next 3 years based on SAFE’s current mission and vision Statements?
Reach young new CFIs reach their professional goal in a safe and efficient manner helping fellow student pilots.
What other thoughts, suggestions, or ideas do you have to keep S.A.F.E. growing and thriving as a professional aviation education organization?
We should have have a few more local/ regional events and maybe chapters.
Eric Hake (current SAFE Board Chairman)
(original answers to questions posed in 2016)
- Why do you want to serve on the SAFE Board of Directors?
Aviation Educators find themselves faced with an increasingly complex set of technologies and training methods. I believe that an organization like SAFE, which strives to provide leadership and direction to address the needs of the membership, is benefited by a board of directors with a diverse skill set. My background is in technology and I started at ForeFlight LLC in 2009 as Employee #1. In 2015, I launched my own company, “The Modern Pilot” (http://TheModernPilot.com), a training portal and multimedia content creator. I would like to serve on the SAFE Board of Directors to provide assistance to the leadership team where requested and appropriate.
- How will your aviation and professional background, special talents, and leadership skills help to further SAFE’s mission and goals? Please be specific.
The mission of The Modern Pilot is to explore modern technology in the cockpit. The production of training videos and web based content will integrate well into the mission and goals of SAFE and provide an important benefit to the membership, going forward.
- What do you see as the most pressing concerns and/or tasks for SAFE’s Board of Directors in the next 3 years based on SAFE’s current mission and vision statements?
One of the most pressing concerns I have observed is the teaching of millennials, who have been raised with technology and are immediately at ease with iPads, web based flight planning, glass cockpits and more. True to SAFE’s mission is the need for enhanced educational resources and other benefits for the membership. Focusing on these changing times and the needs and learning styles of future aviators, I believe, is a critical need for SAFE to address.
Parvez Dara (current SAFE Board Treasurer) [Supplied Bio/Pic]
(original answers to questions posed in 2016)
- Why do you want to serve on the SAFE Board of Directors?
I am currently serving as Treasurer on the SAFE Board of Directors after being appointed to the Board in July 2015 to complete a one year term. As Treasurer, my accomplishments include writing a Business Plan for the organization and creating a more dynamic mechanism to increase organization membership. I also am responsible for providing a monthly Treasurer’s Report to the Board of Directors after completing a Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet analysis. In addition, I serve on the SAFE Membership Committee wherein I analyze and tabulate membership data on a monthly basis to track SAFE’s growth. I would like to be re-elected to a full term as a SAFE Director in order to continue to work I’ve been doing to put SAFE on a more sustainable financial path.
- How will your aviation and professional background, special talents, and leadership skills help to further SAFE’s mission and goals? Please be specific.
In addition to a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), I am also a physician with expertise in oncology and cancer genetics. I have utilized my MBA to help improve the financial status of the organization and enhance SAFE’s brand and image. I have been particularly involved in activities to increase membership and improve member retention because this brings sustainability to the organization. I’ve utilized my medical background to exposure members and non-members to human factors issues such as fatigue, which can affect safety of flight. SAFE is a wonderful organization created to support the aviation education and training industry and I believe my professional background as a flight instructor and former FAA aeromedical examiner can help further SAFE’s mission and goals.
- What do you see as the most pressing concerns and/or tasks for SAFE’s Board of Directors in the next 3 years based on SAFE’s current mission and vision statements?
The most pressing needs of the organization are growth in membership and exposure of the timely and well-articulated message of Aviation Safety to reach the eyes of the members and non-member community of aviators and educators. With new rules implementation in both the Student Pilot certification process and the Aviation Certification Standards, the aviation community must be educated about these changes and SAFE should play a key role in that education.