Celebrating Twenty-Nine Years of In Flight USA
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AIR ZOO PRESIDENT
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CEO BOB ELLIS
February 2013
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RETIRE
Troy Thrash Named as New President and CEO Air Zoo, Portage, MI., Board of Directors Chairman Pete Parish has announced that Bob Ellis, Air Zoo president and CEO, will retire after 35 years of service to the museum. The Air Zoo Board of Directors has named Troy A. Thrash as the museum’s new president and CEO, effective at the end of January. Ellis began his career with the Air Zoo
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in 1977. He became the general manager of the museum and was later named executive director, a position he held until 2010, when he was named president and CEO. Ellis led the museum through numerous expansions, including the new 120,000square-foot building, which opened in 2004. The new building featured interactive exhibits and education programs
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designed for adults and students of all ages. It also included several nonmilitary aircraft, the Midwest’s first 4-D theater, a simulated flight to the International Space Station, the Montgolfier Balloon Race, full-motion flight simulators and an SR-71B Blackbird. In 2011, the Air Zoo expanded yet again, thanks to Ellis’ continued quest to provide the best possible experience to every guest. The 50,000-square-foot East Wing expansion made room for the new Space: Dare to Dream exhibit, an exhibit about the Women Airforce Service Pilots, a World War II naval aviation gallery, a climate-controlled archive and a library. “It has been my good fortune to witness the Air Zoo become one of the nation’s most unique aviation museums with attractions designed for both families and aviation enthusiasts,” said Ellis. “Now, after 35 years, it is time to hand over the reins to Troy, who is well-positioned to take the museum to the next level.” Thrash, 42, comes to the Air Zoo with a strong industry background in science, technology, engineering and education. He currently serves as the executive director and CEO of the Da Vinci Science
Center in Allentown, Pa. Prior to that, he was the executive director of the National Aerospace Development Center in Alpharetta, Ga., and a significant contributor to several other organizations focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development, including SkillsUSA, the Federation of Galaxy Explorers, the Civil Air Patrol, and FIRST Robotics, for which he currently volunteers as an emcee for regional and international competitions. “After an extensive nationwide search, we are excited to have found Troy, whose experiences and background coincide with the Air Zoo’s unique vision of educating and inspiring visitors from all over the world,” said Parish. Thrash gained experience in the aerospace industry as a senior aerospace engineer for Analytical Graphics, Inc. in Malvern, Pa., where he served as the lead technical marketer, systems engineer and programmer of the world’s leading space analysis software. He joined Futron Corporation, a leading aerospace consultContinued on Page 43
Airforce To Open Positions Continued from Page 33 Gen. Martin Dempsey. The DoD is determined to successfully integrate women into the remaining restricted occupational fields within our military, while adhering to the following guiding principles developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff: • Ensuring the success of our nation's warfighting forces by preserving unit readiness, cohesion, and morale. • Ensuring all service men and women are given the opportunity to succeed and are set up for success with viable career paths. • Retaining the trust and confidence of the American people to defend this nation by promoting policies that maintain the best quality and most qualified people. • Validating occupational performance standards, both physical and mental, for all military occupational specialties (MOS), specifically those that remain closed to women. Eligibility for training and development within designated occupational fields should consist of qualitative and quantifiable standards reflecting the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for each occupation. For occupational specialties open to women, the occupational performance standards must be gender-neutral as required by
Public Law 103-160, Section 542 (1993). • Ensuring that a sufficient cadre of midgrade/senior women enlisted and officers are assigned to commands at the point of introduction to ensure success in the long run. This may require an adjustment to recruiting efforts, assignment processes, and personnel policies. Assimilation of women into heretofore "closed units" will be informed by continual in-stride assessments and pilot efforts. Using these guiding principles, positions will be opened to women following service reviews and the congressional notification procedures established by law. Panetta directed the military departments to submit detailed plans by May 15, 2013, for the implementation of this change, and to move ahead expeditiously to integrate women into previously closed positions. The secretary's direction is for this process to be complete by Jan. 1, 2016. The Joint Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Women in Service Review Memorandum can be viewed at: http://www. defense.gov/news/WISRJointMemo.pdf The Chairman's Women in Service Review Memorandum can be viewed at: http://www.defense.gov/news/WISRImp lementationPlanMemo.pdf