AOPA Petition to Board of Trustees

GLMS_NC said:
Who is gonna want this job going forward? Even with a big check.... look at the mess. No thanks.so
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Someone who will be happy to take the check, play the stooge, do the same old same old, and keep their nose out of the board’s business.
 
Bill said:
Someone who will be happy to take the check, play the stooge, do the same old same old, and keep their nose out of the board’s business.
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And membership will continue to decline and organizational relevance will all but disappear.
 
Here is what I can find...
Pretty close to the same.

AOPA image is first.
NBAA is second
Could not find info on EAA efforts in DC.
1000012907.jpg1000012904.jpg
 
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Bill said:
Someone who will be happy to take the check, play the stooge, do the same old same old, and keep their nose out of the board’s business.
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It's a 1.8MM check. It would be harder to find persons who would NOT take the check to play the stooge.
 
The petition is just shy of 5000 signatures. I doubt it's going to reach its goal of 6400, not that I think the petition would have much effect anyway.

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Zeldman said:
I'll take the job. First thing I'll do is build my giant golden parachute, effective immediately, then sit back and wait to be fired....
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They can't afford my hourly rate.

I'm making money now without working, so my rate is $$$/(0 hours) = infinity.
 
When you take the king’s shilling you do the king’s biding. What ever reason the board fired this person is really none of the members concern.



Meh, kinda disagree

Jan '25 Jim Hauslein moves into Board Chairman roll (joined board in 2012).
Terminates Mark Baker, gives him a $1.8 million buyout
Selects Darren Pleasance as new CEO, 3 year deal.
Feb '26 Jim Hauslein terminates his new CEO and rumor has it, another big buyout.

Why the firings?
Maybe not my concern.
But the guy calling the shots is bad at his hiring/firing responsibilities to the tune of millions of dollars wasted.

My concerns on the issue are short lived tho, not renewing my membership
 
Clip4 said:
When you take the king’s shilling you do the king’s biding. What ever reason the board fired this person is really none of the members concern.
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Except that the Board is supposed to manage the Association for the best interest of the members so that makes it the concern of the members.
 
Clip4 said:
When you take the king’s shilling you do the king’s biding. What ever reason the board fired this person is really none of the members concern.
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Huh?! What the board does is the members concern, and the board is answerable (at least technically) to the members. We have a board of trustees, not owners.
 
Like any well greased “non-profit” the folks at the top have incentive to stay in power and steer the ship to the course most favorable to their pockets… the mission is secondary to their pockets!

The board is not answerable to its members… that’s a myth in non-profit. The board is answerable to revenues streams and how to maintance them - members are just one part of a revenue stream. Vast numbers of members vote by proxy which is a fancy way of saying members don’t vote instead they allow someone else to vote for them. There are two real ways to vote: proxy or in person. Who do you think wins the votes? I’d venture to say proxy.

We must always be aware that the AOPA is actually two separate “non-profit” organizations both controlled by the same trustees. A non-profit running a non-profit……
 
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Half Fast said:
The petition is just shy of 5000 signatures. I doubt it's going to reach its goal of 6400, not that I think the petition would have much effect anyway.

View attachment 150252
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The way these sites work is it automatically advances the "goal" when it nears the previous goal. A human didn't set that "goal" value. It was lower previously.
 
Half Fast said:
Huh?! What the board does is the members concern, and the board is answerable (at least technically) to the members. We have a board of trustees, not owners.
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Maybe, but you may never know the real reason he was terminated. For all you know he may knocked up a 17 yo intern and publicly he was fired for not relocating,

The board is duty is to the corporation, not the member’s whims.
 
From above, they are lobbying at $1.8M in 2024. The annual report says they spent $9,980,000 on "Mission"(whatever they mean by that). Here's the current finance summary:

Aopa Foundation​

  • Assets: $50 million +
  • Income: $20 million +
  • Form 990 Revenue: $10 million +

Just a scratch pad look says they are spending less than 10% of their income, and less than 4% of their current assets on lobby efforts. However, the nearly $10M on 'Mission' means that $8.2M went somewhere for the AOPA foundation mission, that did not fit in the 'lobbying' bucket. As a membership org, this is pretty fuzzy math to me. Unless that ~$8M went to pilot programs, etc I have to wonder where it went?

I'm also baffled by why a membership org needs to sit on $50M in assets. I'm figuring the hdqtrs buildings, and their jet, and some cars, and office stuff, maybe makes up $15M, or a bit more. What do they have in the bank, or investments? Shouldn't that money be out there doing some work besides earning rev?

My op-ed is they don't give a wet, dribbly spit about the members, and it's all about the banking, finance, and oodles of perks, and perks, and more perks for exec staff, and the board members. Good 'work' if you can get it.
 
Daleandee said:
They call it a nonprofit and pay a president at 1.6 million ... :rofl:
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Of course. How are you going to make a profit when you are paying employees salaries like that.
Many so-called non-profits are in business to earn large salaries for the people administering them while dispensing token amounts to the "cause".
 
Clip4 said:
When you take the king’s shilling you do the king’s biding. What ever reason the board fired this person is really none of the members concern.
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The board serves the members. That king’s shilling is the membership’s dues, and the king’s bidding needs to be 100% in the interest of the members. The board absolutely needs to be 100% transparent to the membership, and publish every action they take and the reason for it.
 
Barrett50 said:
From above, they are lobbying at $1.8M in 2024. The annual report says they spent $9,980,000 on "Mission"(whatever they mean by that). Here's the current finance summary:

Aopa Foundation​

  • Assets: $50 million +
  • Income: $20 million +
  • Form 990 Revenue: $10 million +

Just a scratch pad look says they are spending less than 10% of their income, and less than 4% of their current assets on lobby efforts. However, the nearly $10M on 'Mission' means that $8.2M went somewhere for the AOPA foundation mission, that did not fit in the 'lobbying' bucket. As a membership org, this is pretty fuzzy math to me. Unless that ~$8M went to pilot programs, etc I have to wonder where it went?

I'm also baffled by why a membership org needs to sit on $50M in assets. I'm figuring the hdqtrs buildings, and their jet, and some cars, and office stuff, maybe makes up $15M, or a bit more. What do they have in the bank, or investments? Shouldn't that money be out there doing some work besides earning rev?

My op-ed is they don't give a wet, dribbly spit about the members, and it's all about the banking, finance, and oodles of perks, and perks, and more perks for exec staff, and the board members. Good 'work' if you can get it.
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If you want the real numbers...

View Financial Documents and review their Form 990s (the AOPA is really 2 "non-profits" - AOPA & The AOPA Foundation - a "non-profit" AOPA running a "non-profit" The AOPA Foundation). I am awaiting their 2025 Form 990s! This will tell us if the complaining about member retention is valid or the higher ups just want a salary increase.
 
JOhnH said:
Of course. How are you going to make a profit when you are paying employees salaries like that.
Many so-called non-profits are in business to earn large salaries for the people administering them while dispensing token amounts to the "cause".
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In my best Jethro Bodine voice, "I needs me ones of dem dare non-pro-fits" :goofy:
 
jbarrass said:
For grins and giggles I asked Grok to list the board members and what kind of plane they owned and got:


Member NamePositionAircraft Owned or Primarily Associated With
William C. Trimble IIITrusteeTBM 950 (based at BWI in Maryland).
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TBM 950???

(FWIW - There is no such thing as a TBM 950. AI strikes again.)

Daleandee said:
They call it a nonprofit and pay a president at 1.6 million ... :rofl:
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Well, that's one easy method to eliminate any profit. :D

Barrett50 said:
Just a scratch pad look says they are spending less than 10% of their income, and less than 4% of their current assets on lobby efforts. However, the nearly $10M on 'Mission' means that $8.2M went somewhere for the AOPA foundation mission, that did not fit in the 'lobbying' bucket. As a membership org, this is pretty fuzzy math to me. Unless that ~$8M went to pilot programs, etc I have to wonder where it went?
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Foundation probably sent that much to AOPA proper for operating expenses. Other salaries, keeping the lights on, etc...
 
Daleandee said:
They call it a nonprofit and pay a president at 1.6 million ... :rofl:
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JOhnH said:
Of course. How are you going to make a profit when you are paying employees salaries like that.
Many so-called non-profits are in business to earn large salaries for the people administering them while dispensing token amounts to the "cause".
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This non-profit is in business to support and protect GA. Given what I think the job should and/or does entail, I don’t have a problem with 1.6 million provided that doesn’t sap the funds so much that getting effective lobbyists, etc., is affected.

Unfortunately it appears that the Board of Trustees is sabotaging the organization’s primary function, to include hamstringing the recipient of the 1.6 million salary.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
TBM 950???

(FWIW - There is no such thing as a TBM 950. AI strikes again.)


Well, that's one easy method to eliminate any profit. :D


Foundation probably sent that much to AOPA proper for operating expenses. Other salaries, keeping the lights on, etc...
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It's a 2011 Socata TBM-700 with Tail # N700WT

www.flightaware.com

N700WT (2011 SOCATA TBM 700 owned by PEMETIC AC LLC) Aircraft Registration - FlightAware

N700WT (2011 SOCATA TBM 700 owned by PEMETIC AC LLC) aircraft registration information with aircraft photos, flight tracking, and maps.
www.flightaware.com www.flightaware.com
 
MauleSkinner said:
I don’t have a problem with 1.6 million provided that doesn’t sap the funds so much that getting effective lobbyists, etc., is affected.
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The salary is reasonable given the scope of the job, assuming the person is competent and effective. I think a salary in that range was unreasonable for Baker, and he held the job for much too long.

MauleSkinner said:
Unfortunately it appears that the Board of Trustees is sabotaging the organization’s primary function, to include hamstringing the recipient of the 1.6 million salary.
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:yeahthat:

If all the Board wants is a puppet, who doesn't bring his own initiative and creativity to the role, one can be had for much less.
 
ateamer said:
The board serves the members. That king’s shilling is the membership’s dues, and the king’s bidding needs to be 100% in the interest of the members. The board absolutely needs to be 100% transparent to the membership, and publish every action they take and the reason for it.
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I am not even sure why you care about this issue, but basically the AOPA board is smart enough to know this time of discontent by a handful of members will pass quickly.


.
 
ateamer said:
Why do you care about it?
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I don’t, but I am amazed why some people here do and why they believe they have the right to micro manage the AOPA. They had the opportunity to elect a board to oversee the Association. No one is irreplaceable and the members may discover they like the replacement. They may also replace the board.

And if you believe you need an explanation, the board thought the removal was in the interest of the Association. No further explanation is required.
 
Clip4 said:
I don’t, but I am amazed why some people here do and why they believe they have the right to micro manage the AOPA. They had the opportunity to elect a board to oversee the Association. No one is irreplaceable and the members may discover they like the replacement. They may also replace the board.

And if you believe you need an explanation, the board thought the removal was in the interest of the Association. No further explanation is required.
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Yes there is. Why do you believe the removal was in the interest of the Association instead of in the interest of the BOT?

Personally, I have never tried to micro-manage AOPA. I have allowed the board to have my Proxy. It is only when they did something egregious (IMHO) that I became alarmed.
 
Clip4 said:
I don’t, but I am amazed why some people here do and why they believe they have the right to micro manage the AOPA. They had the opportunity to elect a board to oversee the Association. No one is irreplaceable and the members may discover they like the replacement. They may also replace the board.

And if you believe you need an explanation, the board thought the removal was in the interest of the Association. No further explanation is required.
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Read the bylaws, there is no mechanism to replace the board. They have no accountability to the membership. No one is suggesting micromanaging anything. They abruptly fired a very popular executive with a clearly BS explanation then hired a PR firm to manage the blowback.
 
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