Pleasance out at AOPA

Half Fast said:
and it's unusual to tell a president "Get out right now" unless there's something really egregious, or some sort of personal or health problem that prevents him from continuing to work.
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Do we know for sure that it was the organization that said, “get out,” or did he say, “you guys are a-holes, I quit”?
 
MauleSkinner said:
Do we know for sure that it was the organization that said, “get out,” or did he say, “you guys are a-holes, I quit”?
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Fair point. There are lots of possibilities. Perhaps a sick family member requires care from him. I just don’t think the stated reason matches a rapid exit.

But I’ve been wrong before. Just ask my wife.
 
Half Fast said:
There's no online or mail-in voting. You have to vote in person or by proxy, and you can't direct your proxy. The only recourse is for enough members to refuse to give a proxy and thereby deny a quorum.

Not likely.
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When Hightower was over EAA, a group of folks decided he needed to go, and the first step was to get better representation on the board. So we asked EAA for a proxy form that didn't automatically direct proxies to the EAA board. None was forthcoming. We then asked for the procedure for how to transfer proxies other than filling out their self-directed proxy. None was forthcoming. So I made a proxy form and we collected hundreds of proxies (a fart in a hurricane, honestly) and presented them in person at the annual meeting along with a qualified candidate. Our coalition probably had 2/3 of the attendees at the meeting. Our candidate made a speech and we had several other agitated but eloquent members speak. The speeches were mainly about their dissatisfaction with Hightower's leadership. We didn't carry the day (get our guy elected), but I think the board and Hightower recognized that there was a groundswell of dissatisfaction. Hightower resigned about 90 days later.

My point is there is probably a way to push the point with AOPA that they are not providing the services/representation/benefits the members want and something needs to change. It takes an effort for people to make and collect proxies and show up at the annual meeting to demonstrate resolve and dissatisfaction. But it can be done and maybe it has an impact.
 
Interested to know from PoA folks with corporate experience--what are standard principles or procedures for boards? Compensation for board members? What could be constructive responses from rank and file members after seeing Dan Millican's video?
 
dans2992 said:
Here’s a good video with some insider knowledge. Darren had a house in Frederick and spent a lot of time there.

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Who is this swaying rain man of a youtube influentherr? Watching that 2 minutes of "content" stretched over 16 minutes of video nearly made me seasick.

An alleged insider posted in the comments for this thing in reddit. So, grain of salt, but... seems to confirm the story. Sounds rotten.
https://www.reddit.com/r/flying/comments/1qx5euf/was_darren_pleasance_fired_as_aopa_ceo_by_an
 
schmookeeg said:
Who is this swaying rain man of a youtube influentherr? Watching that 2 minutes of "content" stretched over 16 minutes of video nearly made me seasick.

An alleged insider posted in the comments for this thing in reddit. So, grain of salt, but... seems to confirm the story. Sounds rotten.
https://www.reddit.com/r/flying/comments/1qx5euf/was_darren_pleasance_fired_as_aopa_ceo_by_an
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"As an employee, I can confirm the video’s accuracy. We were sent a mass email for a meeting in the front atrium with only 20-30 minutes warning. Not mentioned in the video, but Darren was asked by a remote employee over Teams if this was really mutual. Jim took over and spoke FOR Darren to restate that the CEO needs to be in Frederick. We were then told to go back and that it would all be “business as usual”.

I personally like our two interim picks and have found them to be very competent, but clearly they won’t be able to put in the same legwork that Darren was. They have many other responsibilities.

In my time at AOPA, many employees have tried and do try their absolute best to contribute to the betterment of GA and the stick-and-rudder airmen we’re intended to represent day-in and day-out. Some limited senior leadership and above all, the board, make it EXCEEDINGLY difficult. Darren was changing that. Darren is phenomenal at his job, humble, and an inspiring leader who really provided us the space and opportunities we needed to start making a more active difference. He was also in the office very frequently, contrary to the board’s explanation and the rhetoric I’ve been seeing online. The guy has a house across the street from FDK. Sure, some of it was disruptive to the old way, but we were delivering results and everything was highly data-driven. Best year since I started.

There are so many big advocacy items we’ve been pursuing recently and we have so many projects underway that will be great for our members if they don’t get put on ice indefinitely now. Darren led the charge on much of it and freed many of us up to bring our concerns and ideas forward. The employees that are there to help were being taken seriously for once.

The board many of whom don’t bother to show up when asked to come to Frederick) simply don’t like him, don’t want change, and are frankly entirely out-of-touch with the members as well as the employees.

I’d very strongly urge everyone (members and nonmembers) who can to reach out to voice their dissent. We need members to be more actively engaged in this.

FWIW, the board is not elected by the members (people online keep thinking it is). Our phone lines and emails HAVE to be flooded en masse and members need to vote with their wallets to force change. The board acts like they’re untouchable and without drastic action, nothing will happen.

Phones are 800-872-2672, open from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm EST. Please call and convince as many people as possible to call.

I have a family to feed and am not comfortable sharing many other places, but please pass it on."
 
A board with no term limits is a recipe for disaster. By all accounts (except the board’s) he was doing great things. Calling and putting pressure on the organization is a good thing. But could there me an online petition or movement with tens of thousands of signatures so it becomes public how dissatisfied we all are and the need to force term limits. I have always supported aopa financially because i think any organization lobbying for ga has value. but in the wake of this so long as an unelected board is untouchable I am done.
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
I agree. The whole thing seems rushed to be honest. If the stated reason was the only reason, they would be working in the background to find a replacement and make it less news that he is out. There probably is more to the story.
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Kevin Couch is available, lives in the area.
 
MauleSkinner said:
Do we know for sure that it was the organization that said, “get out,” or did he say, “you guys are a-holes, I quit”?
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Or it could just be that he didn't anticipate how long, crowded and awful those flights would be, even if you do get a free drink in 1st class.
 
Did anyone else see the Aopa website wants you to “renew” your proxy for voting?

The board members have long been entrenched, and from what I can see has many folks with financial background owning turbines and little to zero GA aviation background.
 
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Racerx said:
From the comment allegedly posted on Reddit by a current AOPA employee:
Racerx said:
"Our phone lines and emails HAVE to be flooded en masse and members need to vote with their wallets to force change. The board acts like they’re untouchable and without drastic action, nothing will happen."
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Agree with "vote with your wallet to force change".

Personally don't think phone calls to AOPA will have any effect. The AOPA gravy train has been accelerating down the mountain for a long time, and a train wreck (IMO) is likely still a long way off. As evidenced by the arrogant attitudes and policies of the current Board, and likely a handful of well paid upper AOPA leaders.

I've been told that the life cycle of a typical niche interest membership association usually includes the mission and focus of the organization slowly transitions from "service and advocacy for the members" over to "making big money for the leadership".

Once a significant amount of members realize there's not much in benefits besides a lame magazine and some "help lines", and these members decide not to renew their annual membership, the association goes stagnant and mostly exists to take in enough revenue (from multiple sources) to protect lavish salaries and perks to the small group of insiders that run the show. It's not unusual, but typical.

I dropped my AOPA membership around 2008, and remember back then they were pushing end of life big money donations to be transferred over to AOPA upon death... all for their stated mission of "Protecting the Freedom to Fly for Future Generations". End of life donations have probably paid a nice chunk of the seven figure salaries and perks (like the Citation) to the folks who run this slick marketing firm.

My overwhelming interest in 30+ years of being a member was paying for lobbying, and professional leadership to truly negotiate with the federal government and aggressively fight to save GA from death by a million small cuts (like what has happened in the rest of the world). In Washington, that means the association should be donating and entertaining lavishly to the right people, and not just to themselves... unless they've earned the right to do so.
 
Admittedly, I don't know the ins and outs of AOPA bylaws, but as an association, can't the members effect the change necessary to address the issues above?? I would think there has to be some mechanism of change, and perhaps its a matter of getting that out to members so we can properly engage on this subject.

I called, and cancelled my membership. I'll look at EAA or somewhere else to support. Hearing that the Board of Trustees is not term limited, and not voted for by members, is incredibly disappointing. I only have one tool, and that is my wallet, so I used it.
 
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JOhnH said:
Or it could just be that he didn't anticipate how long, crowded and awful those flights would be, even if you do get a free drink in 1st class.
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From an alleged AOPA employee that was at the meeting.

"Not mentioned in the video, but Darren was asked by a remote employee over Teams if this was really mutual. Jim took over and spoke FOR Darren to restate that the CEO needs to be in Frederick."

"He was also in the office very frequently, contrary to the board’s explanation and the rhetoric I’ve been seeing online. The guy has a house across the street from FDK."
 
Racerx said:
"Not mentioned in the video, but Darren was asked by a remote employee over Teams if this was really mutual. Jim took over and spoke FOR Darren to restate that the CEO needs to be in Frederick."
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IF true, that would lead me to suspect that Pleasance received some sort of contract buyout and bonus with a stipulation that he not discuss his departure. That's just a suspicion; I have nothing to back it up.
 
Half Fast said:
IF true, that would lead me to suspect that Pleasance received some sort of contract buyout and bonus with a stipulation that he not discuss his departure. That's just a suspicion; I have nothing to back it up.
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So, our money paid to silence him. Wonderful.

I’m gonna say - Darren comes back, or every member of the board needs to go. (Maybe both).
 
Imagine the feathers that could be constructively ruffled if EAA were to find some appropriate outward facing advocacy position. I don't know the mechanics of how you'd slot someone into their organization without stepping on the toes of those already there, but it could be a Pippen-Jordan situation (both the good and bad parts)
 
dans2992 said:
So, our money paid to silence him. Wonderful.

I’m gonna say - Darren comes back, or every member of the board needs to go. (Maybe both).
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Both is wishful thinking
 
Rick A said:
I dropped a 30+ year membership around the mid-2000's following AOPA's heavy-handed censoring of their aviation chat forum when some members began questioning their apparent use of a newly leased Citation, following many years of flying staff around the nation in a King Air.
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Huh? AOPA had a Citation for a LOOOONG time, back when Phil Boyer was president. N4GA. The only King Air I'm aware of was Mark Baker's personal airplane.

But yeah, then there was the bicycle incident... I wasn't a frequent participant of the red board at all, but the original yellow board was the reason I joined AOPA in the first place. The founders of PoA were all from the yellow board.

I don't hate AOPA the way some in this forum do - They're a bit of a necessary evil, and of course they're going to cater to the turbine crowd that donates lots of money - But I recently went to the AOPA web site looking for the member discount codes for rental cars, and found that my membership had apparently lapsed without me even noticing. That says a lot...
 
Craig said:
Maybe they finally figured out how much the travel between his home and headquarters was costing them and gave the ultimatum of move or leave.
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With more information, I think this is the probable reason. But come on, AOPA has to be near the top of companies that can deduce how much a GA coast to coast flight costs.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Huh? AOPA had a Citation for a LOOOONG time, back when Phil Boyer was president. N4GA. The only King Air I'm aware of was Mark Baker's personal airplane.
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As far as my memory goes, I began paying attention when the Citation's Flight Aware tracking of its flights became a topic of discussion on the Red Board, just prior Red Board censoring of any discussion about it, and other topics declared as non-aviation. Didn't realize the Citation had already been around for a while.

What exactly was the Bicycle incident? I remember a Baker from the 70's and 80's era. And a King Air. Were there two Bakers?
 
Personally, I met the guy at the AOPA meetup at Redbird here in Dallas and it was a great AOPA event.

A guy I thoroughly respect in the tailwheel and warbird industry - Doug Rozendaal, is also encouraging his people to contact AOPA about this situation:

https://www.facebook.com/B25Flyer/posts/pfbid02KW3eUeFMXQwnM3dBNjuwjq6nRFkaa4c1QDbkqjv1JX2C4rrzDixcDMajeG1tYRqUl

And it was really clear that Pleasance's wife was totally upset by the things that happened.

https://www.facebook.com/lisa.pleasance/posts/pfbid0KjopBQF7vr6Cc1n1sgWg357Njo2t2oN2Bt4UQyFswLdJ7wCMrKaHbq5KrHYCLgKPl

I'm at the point where even though I have a friend working for AOPA, I don't want to give them a dime unless this is resolved with at least an recognition that this was a big mistake. AOPA has value and potential, but it needs to be turned around, and it seems like Darren was trying to help it turn around.
 
Here is a Reddit post by an AOPA employee affirming what little was said in the video.

https://www.reddit.com/r/flying/comments/1qx5euf/was_darren_pleasance_fired_as_aopa_ceo_by_an
Here's the text of the AOPA employee' comment from the Reddit post:
==================

As an employee, I can confirm the video’s accuracy. We were sent a mass email for a meeting in the front atrium with only 20-30 minutes warning. Not mentioned in the video, but Darren was asked by a remote employee over Teams if this was really mutual. Jim took over and spoke FOR Darren to restate that the CEO needs to be in Frederick. We were then told to go back and that it would all be “business as usual”.

I personally like our two interim picks and have found them to be very competent, but clearly they won’t be able to put in the same legwork that Darren was. They have many other responsibilities.

In my time at AOPA, many employees have tried and do try their absolute best to contribute to the betterment of GA and the stick-and-rudder airmen we’re intended to represent day-in and day-out. Some limited senior leadership and above all, the board, make it EXCEEDINGLY difficult. Darren was changing that. Darren is phenomenal at his job, humble, and an inspiring leader who really provided us the space and opportunities we needed to start making a more active difference. He was also in the office very frequently, contrary to the board’s explanation and the rhetoric I’ve been seeing online. The guy has a house across the street from FDK. Sure, some of it was disruptive to the old way, but we were delivering results and everything was highly data-driven. Best year since I started.

There are so many big advocacy items we’ve been pursuing recently and we have so many projects underway that will be great for our members if they don’t get put on ice indefinitely now. Darren led the charge on much of it and freed many of us up to bring our concerns and ideas forward. The employees that are there to help were being taken seriously for once.

The board many of whom don’t bother to show up when asked to come to Frederick) simply don’t like him, don’t want change, and are frankly entirely out-of-touch with the members as well as the employees.

I’d very strongly urge everyone (members and nonmembers) who can to reach out to voice their dissent. We need members to be more actively engaged in this.
FWIW, the board is not elected by the members (people online keep thinking it is). I stand corrected, disregard. Please call membership at the number below to reverse your decision to vote by proxy if you’ve already opted in.

Our phone lines and emails HAVE to be flooded en masse and members need to vote with their wallets to force change. The board acts like they’re untouchable and without drastic action, nothing will happen.

Phones are 800-872-2672, open from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm EST. Please call and convince as many people as possible to call.

I have a family to feed and am not comfortable sharing many other places, but please pass it on.
 
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Half Fast said:
Does anyone have contact info for the members of the BoD?
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A quick Google search comes up with an email for Jim Hauslein, the chairman. Via an SEC document.
 
Racerx said:
A quick Google search comes up with an email for Jim Hauslein, the chairman. Via an SEC document.
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Same as in Millican’s video: [email protected]. I sent him an email, and will cancel my auto-renew. It is a pity. I used their legal services more than once, to good effect. Also appreciated the safety articles. What I am wondering about is AOPA’s bloated payroll—what the median is, or the mean in salary. Several who are flying armchairs could be making Delta captain income, I suspect.
 
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Nothwithstanding the MC membership here, I'm currently on the boards of several non-profits. About the most "compensation" I've gotten is my expenses covered when travelling to meetings and even that's meager.
 
flyingron said:
Nothwithstanding the MC membership here, I'm currently on the boards of several non-profits. About the most "compensation" I've gotten is my expenses covered when travelling to meetings and even that's meager.
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I'm the regional treasurer for my non-profit "professional" society, and my personal USPS mail box is the address for the region (Mountain time zone for the US and Canada). If I remember, I'll write myself a check for $50 at the end of the year to help offset the cost of the box.

Note: Under IRS rules, a non-profit 501(c)3 cannot be a professional entity but that's too much trouble to explain most of the time.
 
Here's their response to the members: https://www.aopa.org/landing-pages/open-letter-to-members

Here's the section about who they'd like as a new candidate:

Our search process to identify a new CEO will focus on finding a senior executive who can build on AOPA’s strengths, accelerate progress at the grassroots level, strengthen our voice with government and regulatory bodies, and improve operational performance. This leader will help grow our membership, attract a new generation of pilots and advance pilot training. Our next CEO also will work to preserve access to airspace, keep aviation safe and protect general aviation airports nationwide. We are seeking a candidate with proven leadership experience, strong financial and operational discipline, a clear passion for aviation and a commitment to supporting our dedicated staff.
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So, how is this different than what Pleasance was doing? Unless there's an unstated requirement to be subservient to the out-of-touch board.
 
I understand that corporate jets are GA, but their owners and pilots aren’t who AOPA was founded for, nor who really needs a voice in Congress. It’s supposed to be primarily about us in the small piston world.
 
mcdewey said:
Here's their response to the members: https://www.aopa.org/landing-pages/open-letter-to-members

Here's the section about who they'd like as a new candidate:



So, how is this different than what Pleasance was doing? Unless there's an unstated requirement to be subservient to the out-of-touch board.
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The stated reason they canned Pleasance is that he wasn’t present at HQ enough. Amusingly, they don’t even mention that oh-so-essential item in their candidate criteria.

These BSers don’t even know how to BS very well
 
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